Camilla Parker Bowles has an entire treasure trove of jewels to choose from, but there's one piece you can always count on the Duchess of Cornwall wearing: her engagement ring from Prince Charles. It's hard to miss the massive diamond gleaming on her wedding finger when the royal is shaking hands and accepting flowers at her many public appearances.
This got us wondering: What's the story with Camilla's gorgeous sparkler?
As it turns out, the gem Charles used to propose to Camilla traces back to the Queen Mother. Photographs taken during the mid-1980s show Elizabeth donning the flashy jewel at an evening event. However, it was not her engagement ring from King George VI. In 2005, Clarence House described the platinum piece as a "family heirloom," but did not reveal any further history behind it.
The art deco design features a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in the center and three diamond baguettes on each side. The Duchess paired it with modest wedding band made from traditional Welsh gold.
Deborah Papas, a gemologist from Prestige Pawnbrokers, told Metro that she estimates the value of the heirloom to be around a cool $288,000. Luckily for fans of the royal couple, the British supermarket chain Asda sold a $34 replica made with cubic zirconia and sterling silver in anticipation of the wedding. The classic design quickly became its fastest-selling jewelry item, NBC reported at the time.
The ring is just one of many jewelry pieces Camilla owns from the Queen Mother's collection. Camilla is also known for wearing the Greville Tiara, another royal adornment that was passed down from Charles' grandma. As you can see below, just like the ring, the tiara has no shortage of bling on it whatsoever.
More than 14 years have passed since Charles and Camilla said "I do," but rest assured the Duchess's rock appears to not have lost any of its beauty or natural sparkle.
