Kate has worn the jewel on multiple occasions
The princess of Wales usually wears the prettiest of dresses and likes to accessorize with jewels to match. One of the jewels that Kate Middleton likes to wear, is the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace. And it turns out, that necklace is actually the most expensive piece of jewelry in the royal family’s collection.
Worth
According to experts, the Nizam of Hyderabad is the most expensive piece of jewelry that the British royal family owns. With an estimated worth of $82,5 million, it is more expensive than all other jewels in the collection of the family. And Kate has worn the jewel multiple times. In 2014, she was spotted wearing the necklace during a gathering in the National Portrait Gallery.
Hyderabad
How did the royal family acquire this expensive jewel? The Nizam of Hyderabad gave the necklace to Queen Elizabeth in 1947 as a wedding present. A very expensive wedding present. During that time, the Nizam was considered one of the richest men in the world and he was always expected to come bearing expensive gifts. When the Queen (then still a princess) got married, she was allowed to choose from the Cartier collection. She picked this necklace that became known as the Nizam of Hyderabad.
The Queen
The Queen has been seen wearing the necklace in several portraits, including a portrait that is displayed on pieces of currency. Hugh Roberts, the Director of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art from 1996 to 2010, described the necklace as follows: “The pavé-set centre with detachable double-drop pendant incorporating 13 emerald-cut diamonds and a pear-shaped drop; the chain of 38 brilliant-cut open-back collets with an elongated oval brilliant-set snap.” The necklace was made in 1935 by Cartier and before it came into possession of the royal family, Elfrida Greville, Countess of Warwick had worn the jewel too.
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Source: Beau Monde, The Court Jeweller | Image: Unsplash, Manik Roy