Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997. Still, she remains one of the biggest style icons in the world, especially when it comes to jewelry.
The Princess of Wales often wore her jewelry in a unique way, and she wasn’t afraid to make a statement with every piece in her collection. However, it was actually a $17 million jewelry mishap that labeled Diana a trendsetter.
Princess Diana’s jewelry collection was different from the Crown Jewels
Apart from the famous Crown Jewels — a collection of royal ceremonial pieces for British monarchs — Diana had her own, exquisite jewelry collection. The pieces were mostly gifts from foreign royalty or given to her on loan from Queen Elizabeth. But, Diana also purchased some pieces for herself, and she had some Spencer family heirlooms.
Diana’s personal collection included both precious stones and costume pieces from London’s Butler & Wilson. It was also loaded with gold accessories and watches, with her favorite reportedly being the 8-carat yellow gold Cartier Tank Française timepiece.
Her father John, Earl Spencer, gave that watch to Diana as a gift for her 21st birthday. Today, it retails for $22,200 and is owned by Meghan Markle, the wife of Diana’s youngest son, Prince Harry.
The Princess of Wales was labeled a trendsetter because of a $17 million jewelry mishap
For formal occasions, Diana would often wear jewelry that was lent to her by the queen. Or, she would wear pieces that were gifts from her mother-in-law. One example was the Delhi Durbar Emerald Choker, an art deco diamond and emerald choker that was a wedding gift from the queen to the princess when she married Prince Charles in 1981.
This magnificent piece of jewelry first made its way into the British royal family back in 1911 when the Delhi Durbar gifted the choker to Queen Mary during her visit to India with King George. The gift was intended to commemorate the succession of the Emperor of India during the British reign in the country.
Experts estimate that the choker — which features 10-carat diamonds and old cut stones — is worth somewhere between $11.643 million (£10 million) and $17.48 million (£15 million).
Even though the piece was designed as a choker, Diana sometimes wore it as a headband. This decision led to the princess being labeled a trendsetter, but it happened by accident.
In her book The Royals, author Kitty Kelley claimed the fashion statement was the result of Diana being in a rush, and attempting to put the choker on over her head instead of waiting for help to clasp it.
When the choker got stuck and wouldn’t go over her nose, Canadian diplomat Victor Chapman convinced Diana to wear it as a headpiece instead.
Princess Diana knew how to make her jewelry stand out
Steven Stone’s leading diamond expert Maxwell Stone spoke about Diana and her jewelry collection ahead of the 25th anniversary of her death. In his opinion, the late Princess of Wales was an expert in the art of wearing jewelry.
“When it came to wearing jewelry, Princess Diana knew exactly how to make each piece stand out. From re-modeling brooches into necklaces, to wearing chokers as headbands, she set some huge trends and was always showcasing her jewels in unique ways,” Stone told Crisscut Magazine.
The last time Diana wore the famed choker was on July 1, 1997, at a low-key gala that took place at London’s Tate Gallery to mark her 36th birthday. She paired the choker with a black floor-length beaded gown from designer Jacques Azagury that she received as a birthday gift that morning.
