Princess Diana, the former wife of Prince Charles, 68, and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, was killed in a car accident in Paris with her boyfriend at the time Dodi Al Fayed.
The royal and the British-Egyptian millionaire, who was 42-years-old when he died, had been romantically since July 1997.
It was revealed in an inquest that Fayed bought Diana a ring shortly before the crash, but that Diana was never given the purchase.
What did the ring mean? How much was it worth and how much would it be worth today? A leading jewel expert explained all exclusively to Express.co.uk.
Grant Mobley, a gemologist and Director at Pluczenik, one of the world’s leading diamantaires said: “There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the “Tell Me Yes” ring since the day of Princess Diana’s death.
“Some still argue that the ring was not intended for engagement. While I am not an expert on Princess Diana or the massive controversy surrounding her death, I can tell you that the cost of the ring at the time would have been around £11,000.
“While a price tag of £11,000 seems substantial to most of us, for Dodi Al Fayed it would have been pennies and for someone with such an impressive jewellery collection as Princess Diana, this ring was very understated.”
The stunning ring was very different to the ring bought for Diana by her former-husband Prince Charles, a sapphire set in diamonds. What was Princess Diana’s engagement ring worth?
Fayed bought a very modern ring, Grant claims. He said: “The ring features a beautiful 1-carat, emerald cut diamond of very high colour and clarity. The diamond is set east to west, surrounded on all sides by more trillion cut diamonds, creating a star shape outlined in yellow gold details.
“The wide rounded band, popular for the time, is covered in pave set beautiful white diamonds down the sides.”
There is one reason Princess Diana may have chosen this ring as an engagement ring – and it was down to substance over style.
“I imagine if the Princess selected this for an engagement ring, it would have been because of its extreme comfortability for everyday wear. The diamonds are set very low with no exposed prongs and the band is rounded and wide, which all aid in comfort and practicality,” Grant said.
Perhaps, if choosing this as an engagement ring, Diana, Princess of Wales, would have been making a statement about her new life with the millionaire.
Grant said: “This particular ring is drastically different to anything in her collection and a very unique choice for an engagement ring – so much so that it could have been chosen specifically as a statement ring.
“While we know that the original cost of the ring was around £11,000, it would certainly be worth far more now.”
What happened to Princess Diana’s jewellery? Where are the Princess of Wales’ royal gems?
