November is National Real Jewelry Month so I thought it would be good to kick it off with a post dedicated to some of the most famous pieces of jewelry.
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| The Duchess of Cambridge wearing her engagement ring |
Princess Diana's engagement ring, given to her by Prince Charles is a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds. It was given to Kate Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) when Prince William proposed.
Another famous bauble belonging to a British royal is this leopard bracelet that belonged to the Duchess of Windsor.
Everyone knows that Elizabeth Taylor was obsessed with jewelry. This pearl, ruby and diamond necklace contains a pear-shaped pearl that was discovered in the 16th century. Designed by Elizabeth Taylor with the help of Al Durante of Cartier, this piece was another gift from Richard Burton on January 23, 1969. But how did Taylor get her hands on a 16th century pearl? Originally found in the early 1500s in the Gulf of Panama, it became part of the crown jewels of Spain. From there it was given as wedding gift from Prince Philip II of Spain to Mary Tudor of England. It was then passed down to Spanish queens Margarita and Isabella. But it wasn't until 1969 that Burton famously purchased the pearl—for a relative steal at just $37,000—for Taylor. Christie's estimated the necklace's worth at $2 million to $3 million.
The Louvre paid almost $11 million dollars for this piece! Empress Eugenie's bow brooch is a sensational antique diamond piece made in 1855. Originally intended to be a buckle for a diamond belt—you know, something simple—Eugenie wound up asking her jewelers to make it more elaborate and into a brooch!
Designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. the stars and moon necklace is gorgeous. The center diamond is an impressive 5.29 carats and has 586 diamonds set in platinum surrounding it. The total carat count for the necklace is 127.86. And you can purchase it for $2.8 million from Tiffany.
Found in South Africa in 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128 carat yellow diamond is on permanent display in the company's Fifth Avenue store in NYC. But Audrey Hepburn briefly wore the staggering gem in publicity photos for Breakfast at Tiffany's.
