Although she is remembered for her kindness and charitable work, Diana Spencer also became a fashion icon over the years, at least after her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981. The princess liked jewels. And Diana had access to the British royal family’s treasures almost until her death in 1997. She wore many types of jewelry, but a couple of styles were constant: pearls and chokers. She wasn’t afraid to combine jewels to create different looks or to wear jewels in unconventional ways (like the emerald choker that Diana wore as a headband during a trip to Australia in 1985). On 24 February 1981 Buckingham Palace officially announced their engagement. From the Garrard jewelery catalogue, Lady Diana chose a white gold ring with 14 diamonds elegantly arranged around a large 12-carat sapphire, very similar to her mother’s engagement ring. Since 2010 the jewel has been on the finger of Kate Middleton, duchess of Cambridge and wife of Diana’s eldest son, Prince William. Here’s a look at some of Princess Diana’s jewelry, starting in 1980.
