Queen Elizabeth II had a very impressive jewellery collection which she debuted throughout her long 70-year reign, including one set of jewels gifted to Her Majesty on her wedding day.
In November 1947, the late Queen – who at the time was simply Princess Elizabeth – wed her husband Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey.
As well as being walked down the aisle by her father, who was then King George VI, she was also gifted a generous £5 million gift from heim which she went on to cherish for the rest of her life.
The gift, known as the George VI Sapphires, consisted of a Victorian-era necklace and earrings.
According to Steven’s Stone’s creative director, Maxwell Stone, the sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, however the late Queen eventually removed the largest sapphire from the necklace and turned it into a pendant.
The sapphire earrings she received remained unchanged, with Her Majesty having commissioned a matching bracelet to accompany the set.
The late Queen wore the special jewellery on important occasions during her reign, including for her official Canadian royal portrait in 2020.
She also wore the set thirty years earlier in 1990 when she took it all with her for a royal tour of Canada.
Maxwell Stone of Steven Stone said: “The incredible sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, sat on a gradient, ranging from 8 to 30cts, before it was redesigned in 1952.”
He continued: “These huge sapphires are surrounded by a halo of diamonds, and linked together by additional single stone diamonds, which are between 0.8ct and 1.5ct.
“When Queen Elizabeth II altered the necklace, she removed four of the sapphire clusters from the back and remodelled and reset one of larger stones from the front, to create a beautiful pendant for the necklace.
“When it comes to the beautiful pair of sapphire earrings, the sapphires look to be around 15ct, with a value in excess of £250,000 to £300,000. The bracelet is probably worth around £500,000 to £600,000.”
The late Queen’s father died in 1952, just less than five years after gifting the jewellery to his eldest daughter on her big day.
