Famous Jewelry - Lady Diana's Engagement Ring

From the time the world met Diana Spencer she was loved. The beautiful, shy and reserved young lady that grew up to be a princess took the world by storm.  Princess Diana was born Lady Diana Spencer Frances on July 1st, 1961 and grew up to marry the Prince of Wales, better known as Prince Charles.

Lady Diana was able to choose her own engagement ring from a collection of rings that were presented to her by Garrad Jewellers, on behalf of her future husband, Prince Charles. Lady Diana loved jewelry, especially exquisite jewels with clusters of gemstones and was very fond of sapphires and diamonds. She eventually chose an 18 kt. gold oval shaped blue sapphire that weighs approximately 7-9 carats, surrounded by 14 small round diamonds as her official engagement ring from Prince Charles. It was very similar to her mother's engagement ring and Diana loved it. It was the perfect shape and size for her beautiful and delicate hands.

After she received her engagement ring and the public saw it, many jewelry manufacturers came out with their own copies of the ring. You could find copies in the fashion jewelry market and in the gold market. It is still a highly copies style today.

The ring is now the engagement ring of Catherine Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Diana's elder son Prince William, 2nd in line to the throne of England.

This famous ring, while simple in design, has made a large impact on the world due to the love for the woman who made it famous. Lady Diana passed away August 31, 1997 but lives on in her many charities she set up and worked with and in the hearts and minds of those that revered her.

by Kaye Lefier, Contributing Editor at ChasingTreasure.com, online store specializing in wooden jewelry boxes and leather jewelry cases. Kaye is an avid Jewelry Collector and writes about Jewelry and Jewelry Trends