The late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite necklace was worth £5 million (Image: Getty)
It is no secret that had access to some of the finest jewellery in the world. The late 96-year-old decided to gift many of her most prized possessions to her family when she died back in 2022 – including the .
Automatically, her eldest son and successor, naturally inherited the contents which are mostly kept in the Royal vault. However, it has been said that the Queen sweetly shared some items on a lifetime loan to both and .
The jewellery collection is and includes some of the world’s most valuable pieces. Meanwhile, the Crown Jewels alone which is at the centrepiece of the collection is considered priceless.
Not only are the stones precious but they are also steeped in cultural and historic value. Experts believe it has a value of between £3-5 billion.
On her wedding day to Prince Phillip in 1947, she donned an impressive sapphire set worth a whopping £5 million – which was bought by her father King George VI. She held onto the stunning piece for many years and re-wore it at many events and public engagements.
:
Queen Camilla wearing the stunning necklace and earring set (Image: Getty)
According to Steven’s Stone’s creative director, Maxwell Stone, the sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace which she personally passed down to Camilla, originally featured 18 sapphires.
The late Queen eventually removed the largest sapphire from the necklace and turned it into a pendant.
However, the matching earrings remain unchanged, with Her Majesty having commissioned a matching bracelet to accompany the set.
Don’t miss… [INSIGHT ] [EXCLUSIVE]
The late Queen Elizabeth decided to gift the jewels to Camilla (Image: Getty )
Maxwell Stone of Steven Stone shared: “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 the larger stones from the front, to create a beautiful pendant for the necklace,” he added.
“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.”
Queen Camilla is a huge fan of the colour and has stepped out in the gorgeous jewellery many times. Back in November 2022 Camilla wore the sparkly tiara just weeks after the Queen’s death paying a touching tribute.
She donned a royal blue sash as well as the Royal Family Order, made up of a portrait of the Queen on a yellow ribbon as celebrated her 70 year reign.