Princess Diana's beloved diamond-encrusted jewellery to be sold for up to £11 million
More under this adA family that owns a jewellery set that was once Princess Diana’s has decided to auction it for £10 million. Here’s why.
It is hard to determine what jewellery actually belonged to Princess Diana, whose private letters have also been auctioned, as a lot of the pieces she wore were loaned to her by The Crown. However, she did have pieces that belonged to her, such as her iconic tiarawhich she wore on her wedding day.
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Princess Diana had a matching necklace and earrings set that belonged to her. Since 2008, a Ukrainian family have owned the set. However, due to the current state of Ukraine, they are selling the jewellery in order to fund their business. The jewellery set is being auctioned for £10 million.
More under this adMore under this adPrincess Diana’s jewellery set
The jewellery set in question is Diana’s diamond and pearl necklace and earrings. It is believed that the set was gifted to her by Dodi Al-Fayed.
The jewellery set is known as the Swan Lake Suite. It was last worn by Princess Diana in 1997 when she attended the gala evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall, as reported by The Telegraph.
More under this adMore under this adThis event was Princess Diana’s last official engagement before she died.
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A prominent Ukrainian family is selling the jewellery set
Diana’s family decided to sell the set, with the earrings only made after her death, and donated some of the proceeds to Unicef.
More under this adMore under this adIn 1999, Jim McIngvale, an American businessman, bought the set for just under $1 million. He then decided to sell the set in 2008 during the big financial crisis. This is when the Ukrainian family bought the necklace, who also happen to be big fans of the Royal Family.
However, due to the current situation in Ukraine, the family are struggling to keep their business afloat and has therefore decided to auction the jewellery set. The family also decided that part of the proceeds will go towards rebuilding Ukraine.
More under this adMore under this adArlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s Auctioneers, said:
The war in Ukraine has been a motivating factor in them deciding to sell the Swan Lake Suite now.More under this adMore under this ad
They have had them for 14 years but given what is going on over, their thoughts are now very much on rebuilding their country
The jewellery set was made just for Princess Diana
Princess Diana’s necklace has 178 diamonds and features 5 South Sea pearls. After Diana wore the necklace to the Swan Lake gala, she returned it to the Crown jewellers Gerrard so they could make her a matching pair of earrings. Sadly, the earrings were only finished after her death.
More under this adMore under this adExperts at Guernsey’s Auctioneers have estimated the set could sell anywhere from £4 million to £11 million.
This will be the first time that Princess Diana’s jewellery will go on sale. The auction is to take place in New York on June 27.
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Sources used:
The Telegraph: ‘Princess Diana’s jewellery to be auctioned off to raise funds for Ukraine war relief’