Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
The Duchess of Edinburgh’s engagement ring may not have as much attention as The Princess of Wales’ engagement ring (once worn by Diana, Princess of Wales) but it is a beautiful ring that was created by a favourite jeweller and with a love message hidden in its stones.
When Prince Edward announced his engagement to Sophie Rhys-Jones in January 1999, the engagement ring was front and centre.
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The ring has three diamonds that feature a truly heartfelt message; the centre diamond is a two carat oval-shaped diamond with a smaller heart-shaped diamond on either side. The ring is reportedly worth £105,000 and created by Garrard & Co.
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Garrard has created several engagement rings for the British Royal Family. A young Lady Diana Spencer selected a sapphire and diamond Garrard ring for her engagement to the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York proposed to Sarah Ferguson with Burmese ruby and diamond ring from the jeweller.
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In 1843, Queen Victoria appointed Garrard & Co as the official Royal Jeweller. The firm re-cut the controversial Koh-i-noor diamond for Prince Albert in 1852; the firm later worked on the also-controversial Cullinan Diamond.
Garrard also created Queen Mary’s crown for the 1911 coronation, as well as Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother)’s crown for the 1937 coronation, meaning that The Duchess of Edinburgh is in good company with her engagement ring.