The engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, sealed with the late Princess Diana's sapphire ring, has sparked renewed interest in colored gemstone engagement rings. In contrast to the United States where clear diamonds are the norm, colored gemstone engagement rings are also popular in Europe, particularly within royal circles. Within Europe's monarchies, several princesses have colored gemstone engagement rings.
Princess Mary of Denmark
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark proposed to Australian Mary Donaldson in 2003 after three years together. He presented her with an engagement ring consisting of an emerald cut diamond flanked by two emerald cut rubies set on a white gold band.
Princess Marie of Denmark
Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II, chose a custom design for Marie Cavallier that most likely has never been seen before. Honoring her French heritage, the ring is a wide gold band with three large oval stones, a ruby, a diamond and sapphire, set next to each other.
Princess Maxima of The Netherlands
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander's relationship with Argentinean Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti initially faced opposition from the Dutch government and public because her father served as Argentina's Minister of Agriculture during General Videla's brutal military dictatorship. Despite this controversy, the relationship remained strong and she was presented with a beautiful engagement ring in 2001. Set in a diamond-studded platinum band, the ring has an oval shaped orange diamond flanked by two clear diamonds. As Willem is from the House of Orange, it is only fitting that his bride has an orange engagement ring.
Princess Mathilde of Belgium
Princess Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz became Belgium's first Belgium-born queen consort when she married the shy Prince Philippe in 1999. Mathilde's engagement ring is a large oval ruby set in a wide gold band.
Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Like Prince Willem's relationship with Maxima in The Netherlands, Crown Prince Haakon's relationship with Mette-Marit Tjesserm Hoiby initially faced controversy due to the fact that she was a single mother to a young boy, the father of whom was a convicted drug dealer. Despite this initial hiccup, the controversy died down and Mette-Marit has comfortably grown into her role as Norway's Crown Princess. Her engagement ring, featuring two rubies, is a family heirloom that was also Queen Sonja's engagement ring.
Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
Greece's royal family was deposed in 1973 but King Constantine and his family are still active in the royal social scene. Raised primarily in Rome and then London due to his family's exile, Crown Prince Pavlos married British Marie-Chantal Miller in London in 1995. Marie-Chantal's engagement ring reflects her creativity in the arts. The ring features a cabochon cut blue sapphire set next to a heart-shaped diamond.
Princess Tatiana of Greece
King Constantine's second son, Prince Nikolaos, married Tatiana Blatnik in Greece in 2010. Their wedding was the first wedding to take place in Greece since King Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964. Of Slovenian and royal German descent, Blatnik received a custom made oval-shaped blue sapphire ringed with diamonds. The sapphire is a gift from Queen Anne-Marie, who received it from her parents.
A colored gemstone engagement ring adds a splash of color and showcases the wearer's personality. All of these beautiful engagement rings worn by European royalty shows that engagement rings do not have to just be a clear diamond.
Sources
- Crown jewels: The fabulous rings which sealed the love of Europe's royal couples, Hello! magazine.
- Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, Hello! magazine.
- Andy Young, Prince Philippe of Belgium and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, MSN UK, January 2011 .
- Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Hello! magazine.
- The Greek Royal Family, Office of the former Greek Royal Family.
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