The Queen Mother had a vast collection of jewellery, with many pieces still being worn today by members of the Royal Family – this includes her sapphire and diamond fringe earrings, which is now part of The Princess of Wales’ collection having worn them frequently over the last decade.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave Kensington Palace to attend the State Banquet for the US State Visit at Buckingham Palace, June 2019
The earrings attach to the ear with round brilliant cut diamond studs, connected to the large emerald-cut sapphire framed by diamonds of multiple sizes by three diamonds in a baguette-brilliant-baguette formation. The fringe detail, created by five stands of stones, adds a sense of movement and fluidity to the earrings.
The Queen Mother was first seen wearing the earrings during the 1960s, although their origins are not publicly known. Queen Elizabeth wore the sapphire and diamond fringe earrings on occasion until the 1990s.
Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 05/05/2023. London, United Kingdom. Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales at a Coronation reception at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture by i-Images / Pool
However, after her death, the Queen Mother’s Sapphire Fringe Earrings were inherited by Elizabeth II but remained in the royal vaults until The Princess of Wales (then Duchess of Cambridge) wore them when she attended a gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015.
The Princess of Wales attending a reception at Buckingham Palace for the Heads of State and other visiting dignitaries who are due to attend Charles III’s Coronation. (Photo by Ian Jones/Flickr)
The Princess has also wore The Queen Mother’s sapphire and diamond fringe earrings for the US State Banquet in June 2019 and the Together at Christmas Carol Service in 2021.
The earrings also made an appearance when the Princess attended a reception at Buckingham Palace for Governors-General and Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth, prior to Charles III’s Coronation.
