10 most expensive royal jewellery pieces, ranked: from late Queen Elizabeth’s Cartier and ‘Granny’s Chips’ brooches to Princess Diana’s Swan Lake Suite, which royal has the most precious piece?
- From Empress Farah’s Noor-ol-Ain diamond and Princess Eugenie’s Boucheron wedding tiara, to Kate Middleton’s Delhi Durbar emerald choker, many of the most precious gems remain in royal hands
- Among the most historically significant, Queen Mary’s 16th century Pilgrim pearl passed through Napoleon’s brother and Elizabeth Taylor’s hands and sold for US$11.8 million in 2011
For centuries, royal women have wowed crowds with their jewellery on special occasions. And such sophisticated pieces are not only historically rich, but worth a fortune too. In fact, some of the world’s most expensive jewels are in the hands of its royal families, according to jewellery experts from Jewellery Box.
Among them, the British royal family takes the crown, but which princess or queen has the most precious piece?
10. Empress Farah of Iran’s Harry Winston Noor-ol-Ain tiara – US$10.6 million
Empress Farah of Iran wore the Noor-ol-Ain tiara when she married Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, in 1959. Meaning “light of the eye”, the tiara was made by Harry Winston using the 60-carat Noor-ol-Ain diamond, one of the rarest and largest pink gems in the world. It also has 324 other pink, yellow, and colourless diamonds, set in platinum, per Jeweller Magazine.
The Persian empress wore the tiara regularly for royal events during her husband’s remaining years on the throne. After the 1979 revolution, it belonged to the state and is reportedly on display at the National Jewels Museum in the basement of the Central Bank of Iran.
9. Queen Mary I’s Cartier La Peregrina pearl – US$11.8 million
La Peregrina pearl, meaning “The Pilgrim” or “The Wanderer”, has travelled all over the world since it was discovered in the Gulf of Panama in the 16th century. It first belonged to Queen Mary I of England as a gift from her future husband King Philip II of Spain, according to an article on Medium.
After her death, the jewel was returned to Spain and worn by several queens before landing in the hands of historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph who ruled Spain in the early 19th century, and later Elizabeth Taylor as an auction gift from her husband.
The Hollywood star asked Cartier to redesign it in a necklace of pearls, diamonds and rubies, according to Christie’s. After her death, it was sold at the auction house in 2011 for a record US$11.8 million.