13 Photos of the Royals in Aquamarines, Including Princess Diana's Famous Cocktail Ring
From the Queen's scene-stealing Brazilian Parure set to Sophie, Countess of Wessex's love affair with this soothing blue gem.
The royal family has a veritable treasure trove of gems to choose from. From radiant rubies to enviable emeralds and stunning sapphires, the royals shine in plenty of shades and stones, but there's a special place in the family's jewelry lexicon for aquamarines.
Named after the seawater that their color evokes, aquamarines have long been talismans of calm, good fortune, and protection. It was also believed in some circles to bring a happy marriage—perhaps the reason the Queen Mother gifted an aquamarine tiara to her granddaughter, Princess Anne, for her wedding in 1973, not to mention the special aquamarine ring from Princess Diana's collection that Meghan Markle selected for her wedding reception to Prince Harry in 2018. Given that the stone is commonly found in Brazil, it's also no surprise that some of the most stunning aquamarine pieces in the royal collection, the Queen's Brazilian Aquamarine Parure set, was a gift from the Brazilian people people in honor of her coronation, cementing the stone's reputation for marking special occasions.
Here, an inside look at the royal family's most spectacular aquamarine gems.
For one of her first big state events since the pandemic started, the Queen attended the opening of Parliament on May 11, 2021 in the Boucheron Double Clip brooch. The art deco duo, made from aquamarine and diamonds, was given to the Queen by her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother, on her 18th birthday in 1944.
A big fan of aquamarines, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, wore this aquamarine tiara (which can be transformed into a necklace) and a matching aquamarine necklace to the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist on June 13, 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden.
More: Sophie, Countess of Wessex's Best Jewelry Looks of All Time
Though she was only seen wearing this dramatic aquamarine ring a few times, including at an auction for Christies in 1997, Princess Diana's cocktail stunner really made an impact. It is believed to have been commissioned by the late princess to match an aquamarine and pearl bracelet in her collection.
Over the years, Meghan has worn several pieces of jewelry from Princess Diana's collection. On her wedding day, the new Duchess of Sussex sported the aquamarine ring for the couple's reception at Frogmore House. She later went on to wear it again during her and Prince Harry's royal tour of Tonga.
Perhaps the most scene-stealing aquamarine pieces in the royal jewelry box, the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure set is made up of a set of diamond and aquamarine earrings, and a necklace gifted to the Queen on the occasion of her coronation by the People of Brazil as well as a tiara she later commissioned from Garrard to match. Naturally, Her Majesty chose the set for a state banquet for the President of the Federal Republic of Brazil on March 7, 2006.
In 2013, Sophie, Countess of Wessex stunned in this tiara with five show-stopping aquamarines for the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill in Stockholm.
In October 1996, Princess Diana accented the cerulean blue dress she wore to a benefit dinner in Sydney, Australia with her iconic aquamarine cocktail ring and a matching aquamarine bracelet strung with pearls.
When it came time for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's primetime interview with Oprah in 2021, the Duchess of Sussex selected a gold and aquamarine necklace from one of her go-to jewelry designers, Pippa Small. Meghan had also worn the piece once before, during the Sussexes' 2018 royal tour of the Oceania region.
More: The Designer Behind Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview Necklace Feels Like "A Part of History"
Need more proof that aquamarine cocktail rings are royal approved? Just look to this one that Sophie, Countess of Wessex wore for a dramatic moment at the Royal Ascot on June 21, 2018.
July 1986
Princess Anne's Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara is an art deco piece that was reportedly originally designed by Cartier as an anniversary present for the Queen Mother from George VI n the late 1930s. The Queen Mother later gifted it to Anne in honor of her wedding in 1973.
For the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, Princess Diana paired her floaty, light blue gown with what appears to be a pair of diamond and aquamarine drop earrings.
In June 2016, Kate Middleton marked a national service of thanksgiving with a pair of diamond drop earrings and an aquamarine pendant which paired beautifully with her embroidered white and ice blue ensemble.
Florals for spring feel a little more groundbreaking when they're fashioned from aquamarine studs, like these worn by Sophie, Countess of Wessex during a visit to a school in Whitton, England on June 19, 2009—which also happened to mark the royal's tenth anniversary with her husband, Prince Edward.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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