Kate Middleton has ‘unique’ jewellery pieces ‘more valuable than diamonds’

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, has a huge jewellery collection including necklaces, rings and bracelets. The royal even has tiaras as well as brooches in her collection. 

According to Nick Withington, owner of William May Jewellers, there has been a rise in sales of emerald jewellery.

The expert credits the Duchess of Cambridge for popularising the stunning green gemstone.

Throughout her years as Duchess, Kate has been seen wearing emerald jewellery several times, usually for special occasions.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, the expert said: “Emeralds have always been popular with the Royal Family, and the Duchess of Cambridge in particular is especially fond of emeralds and other green gemstones such as tourmalines, green amethyst and green onyx, which pair so well with her outfits and complexion. 

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She has been seen wearing it several times throughout the years, including to the BAFTA Awards in 2018.

Other Royal Family members including Queen Elizabeth II have also stunning emerald pieces in their collection.

Her Majesty even has an emerald tiara, known as the Vladimir Tiara.

Princess Diana was a huge fan of emeralds too, with her most popular piece being an Art Deco choker, which she wore on numerous occasions.

Created by Garrard in 1921, it originally belonged to Queen Mary, who later bequeathed it to the Queen in 1953.

Nick added: “One of the unique features of emeralds is that they often contain inclusions, made up of natural minerals within the crystal, which gemmologists call ‘a garden’ because they can look like miniature ferns or moss. 

“You can gaze into an emerald and find a hidden world inside. 

“At William May, we are seeing a rise in popularity of emeralds, as our customers enjoy Kate’s stunning royal emerald looks for a brilliantly competitive price. 

“Buying pre-owned jewellery is also a greener option of buying fine jewellery, as well as being much more affordable.”

As well as emeralds, the Duchess also often wears rubies, including her famous ruby ring.

Debuting it back in 2017, Kate paired her ruby ring with her matching earrings and necklace while on a trip in Poland.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Roseanna Croft, founder of Roseanna Croft Jewellery explained that the ruby ring could be worth a fortune.

She said: “The Duchess of Cambridge’s ruby ring I estimate to be worth in the region of £35,000 and is a stunning piece of timeless yet ‘on trend’ jewellery – a step away from the traditional jewels worn by the Royal Family. 

“The setting is elegant and really helps the stone to stand proud in the ring with a simple diamond set band accentuating the ruby even more.”

The set is not thought to be part of the royal collection, although the Queen has similar pieces in her collection including her stunning Burmese tiara.

source: express.co.uk