Unique Engagment Rings Photo Gallery, Inspired by the Royal Engagement

In honor of Prince William proposing to Kate Middleton with Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring, I give you two things: a brief history of Kate’s ring and this photo gallery of unusual engagement rings.

1. The lowdown on the ring: It’s an 18-karat oval sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds placed in a platinum setting. Diana selected the ring; she chose something similar to her mother’s engagement ring. The public was surprised to learn that the ring was not custom-made, as is normally the case for royal engagement rings. Instead, it was part of the line offered at Garrard & Co., which was the crown jeweler of the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2007.

At the time, the ring cost $60,000. These days, the sapphire alone is worth about $300,000, while the whole ring is estimated to be worth half a million dollars, according to Michael Arnstein, CEO of New York’s Natural Sapphire Co. (via Today).

Interesting aside: Diana’s ivory silk dress cost $115,000. I have to admit, I was expecting the combination of royal wedding and a crazy amount of silk (did you see those sleeves and the train?) to tally up to something higher. Using a little-known designer (at the time) probably kept the price from escalating.

2. If you’re interested in unusual engagement rings like Kate’s, check out the  photo gallery above. The photos  feature rings with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, unusual settings, etc. Many of these photos were taken by the couple at the time of their engagement, and I gave the back stories on the rings when I had them.

For more on rings, check out these glamorous wedding and engagement ring photos taken by pros, as well as our guide “Diamond Alternatives: Sizing Your Ring Options.”

I scavenged Flickr for these public photos, which are available under the Creative Commons (CC 3.0 and 2.0) license.

Photos by Alison J Photography, Koocheekoo, vanberto, altomuse77, Justin Liew, Esther Gibbons, highlander411, zieak, kaitlyn rose, Pinprick, Vaedri1, Natalia Photos, John Wardell, chrisdejabet, re-Verse, autumnal_hedge, Stunt of the Litter, biblicone, colorblindPICASO, GerryT, Annstheclaf, sinksanctity, nhanusek