Have you been nonstop watching The Crown on Netflix? Because that’s exactly what we’ve been doing this second round of lockdown! We can’t help but notice all the royal jewels sparkling throughout the episodes. Can you blame us?!
From the opening scene, The Crown breaks down the Queen’s infamous coronation crown, a true royal heirloom. The Imperial State Crown has been around since the 15th century in various styles, but today’s most recent version was created in 1937. As you watch the opening sequence, the crown begins to fashion right before your eyes with over 2,800 precious gems. The most memorable gems encrusted in this crown are the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Cullinan II Diamond, St. Edward’s Sapphire, and the Stuart Sapphire.
The Royal family jewels are passed down through generations or borrowed from the Queen’s personal collection. Though her collection has not been appraised and deemed priceless, it’s said to be worth $4 billion! We’ve all seen the sparkling tiaras and crowns from royal event, but let’s dig a little deeper into the royal family’s personal styles with comparisons to Bahdos’ exclusive collection of brilliant diamond and precious gemstone luxurious pieces, perfectly fit for a Queen… or Princess.
Queen Elizabeth II
The show starts out at the beginning of the Queen’s reign. Through the episodes we watch her grow into her role as the Queen of England, as well as her sense of fashion. The Queen’s go-to jewels are the classic strands of pearls complemented with a pair of pearl and diamond studs.
She loves to layer her pearls in rows of three as well as her diamonds! A favorite extravagant necklace of the Queen’s is the Festoon Necklace, which was gifted by King George VI. This necklace is made of three layers of sparkling diamonds.
You can even say the Queen’s been on trend for decades with her love for stacking her jewels!
One characteristic that is notable with the Queen’s jewelry is that they are all typically worn as a set. From sapphires, rubies and emerald sets, to all the most intricate diamond designs, the Queen has it all. Her most popular diamond set may have to be her pear cut diamond drop earrings and pear cut diamond necklace.
Besides her regular jewels (who are we kidding… they’re not regular!), Queen Elizabeth is also known for having unique and colorful brooches! Here are a few pendants inspired by the Queen’s diamond pins:
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret was known as the “party princess”, clearly not one to shy away from expressing herself through her jewels. Princess Margaret liked very colorful gemstones and diamond in a chandelier style setting. Her style was very similar to:
A favorite piece of Princess Margaret’s was Queen Mary’s Diamond Riviere, which is a gorgeous diamond tennis necklace she often adorned around her neck. If you’re feeling like a party princess, the classic diamond tennis necklace is definitely for you!
Another popular necklace worn by the Princess was the Teck Diamond Hoop Necklace. This was a much more exquisite and detailed piece of diamonds surrounded by halos of diamonds all the way around.
Princess Anne
Princess Anne may seem like a more athleisure-styled princess in today’s world, but she definitely hasn’t shied away from the glam life. When Princess Anne isn’t horseback riding, you can catch her in a colorful dress styled with a dazzling chandelier necklace.
Princess Diana
When you think of Princess Diana, the first jewel that comes to mind is her breathtaking blue sapphire and diamond halo engagement ring.
Oval Blue Sapphire and Diamond Halo Ring
Oval Blue Sapphire and Diamond Halo Pendant
Oval Blue Sapphire and Diamond Halo Studs
As we mentioned before, the royal jewels are borrowed or passed down through the families. Princess Diana’s engagement ring was given to Kate Middleton by Prince William in 2010. Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a customized ring using his mother’s diamonds and Meghan was gifted Diana’s memorable Asprey Aquamarine Ring, also known as the Freedom Ring, which she styled with her wedding reception dress in 2018.
It’s truly amazing to see how the jewels are still worn today after years, even centuries, of passing them down. Whether a necklace is worn as a headband or a brooch as a pendant, the royal family knows how to restyle their traditional jewels and keep up with the fashion trends through the years. With their show-stopping jewels, the royals really hold true to the motto: diamonds are a girl’s best friend!
…and none for Camilla Parker-Bowles. Bye.