The Duchess’ ring comes first in a new top 20 list of the world’s most expensive engagement rings and how much they have increased in value since they were bought. If anything is going to help prove that diamonds really are a worthwhile purchase, this certainly will.
The list was compiled by Vashi Dominguez, jewellery expert on British TV show This Morning, and while we may gasp at the astonishing price of some of these sparklers, that certainly doesn’t mean we don’t want to know how much they all cost.
The queen’s ring comes second with the beautiful platinum-set 3-carat diamond solitaire, flanked on each side by 5 smaller diamonds, given to her by Prince Phillip, which has risen from £28,000 in 1947 to £100,000 today. Michelle Obama follows in third with her ring given to her by the president who was a then-unknown lawyer in 1991 at the cost of £7,500, which has since gone to £20,000.
Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Anniston and Halle Berry are all up there too in terms of value, but nothing tops Beyonce and Kim Kardashian for original price. Beyonce’s enormous 18-carat emerald cut diamond, designed by Lorraine Schwarz, is thought to have cost £2.65 million when Jay-Z bought it in 2007, but now has a value of £5.8 million.
Meanwhile, Kardashian’s is a marginally smaller 15-carat diamond, also by Schwarz, given to her by fiancé Kanye West in October last year, and it has already seen an impressive boost, rising from £5 million to £5.15 million. Who knows, after their lavish Parisian wedding ceremony, she may be giving the Duchess of Cambridge a run for her money soon.
