Fashion

Kate's Stunning 'Push Present' Is Actually Surprisingly Affordable For The Royals

by Lauren Sharkey
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The royal family are pretty lucky when it comes to jewellery. Women like the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex are often allowed to raid the Queen's personal jewellery box for priceless pieces. As well as historic designs, they are also gifted bespoke items by their husbands. But the origin of Kate Middleton's citrine ring is proving to be quite the mystery.

The square yellow ring was first spotted by royal fans at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Middleton also accessorised with the stone at Wimbledon on Sunday, matching it to her sunny Dolce & Gabbana dress.

Many believe that the ring was a push present from Prince William, reports Harper's Bazaar. These sentimental gifts are a tradition for the royal family, given to women who have recently given birth. Since Middleton welcomed little Prince Louis into the world in April, this theory makes sense — especially when you consider that citrine is a stone with links to joy, warmth, and general positivity.

However, Harper's Bazaar has also noted that Middleton may have had the ring for much much longer. The magazine pointed out that the royal had been seen wearing a very similar ring while out celebrating her 26th birthday in 2008 and at a royal wedding later that year. A tricky one, right?

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The International Gem Society says that it's not the size of the citrine that affects its value but the intensity of its colour. The more intense the stone, the more expensive it is.

But Ringspo's jewellery expert Alastair Smith tells me that this particular ring isn't actually that valuable. "Citrine isn't particularly rare," he states. "It's a softer semi-precious stone, which means that it's not as suitable for everyday wear as Middleton's sapphire engagement ring. Although the centre stone looks to be around five to seven carats in weight, the price of the ring would likely be between £500 and £1,000, depending on the quality of the stone."

While the citrine ring may be rather thrifty, the 36-year-old royal has showed off a range of other (much more expensive) jewellery over the years. According to the Daily Mail, the contents of the royal's jewellery box total an estimated £600,000. However, this figure doesn't include some gifts from other members of the royal family, making her collection more likely to be worth £1 million.

Here's a few of Middleton's priciest jewels:

1

Engagement Ring

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The Duchess of Cambridge's sapphire and diamond engagement ring once belonged to Princess Diana. Prince Charles is said to have originally paid £28,500 for the Garrard design but the Daily Express reports that its value is now worth a whopping £300,000, making it Middleton's most expensive item by far.

2

Diamond Bracelet

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The royal's next most expensive piece of jewellery was also bought by Prince Charles. However, it wasn't intended for someone else and passed down to Middleton. Instead, Charles bought this stand-out diamond bracelet for the Duchess to commemorate her wedding to Prince William. According to OK!, it's worth an estimated £150,000.

3

Cartier Earrings

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Middleton's gold and diamond hoops are also worth a small fortune. Believed to be a present from Prince William, the unmissable Cartier earrings cost £35,700 according to the Daily Mirror and were worn to SportsAid's SportsBall in 2016.

4

Cartier Necklace

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William gifted his wife the matching necklace to her aforementioned Cartier hoops. In 2012, the Duchess arrived at the National Portrait Gallery wearing a circular Cartier necklace. Featuring five diamond hoops in a mixture of white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold, the Daily Mirror says the long chain would have set the royal back £55,000.

5

Topaz Earrings

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In 2015, Middleton turned up to the Spectre premiere wearing a pair of topaz chandelier earrings. The blue topaz and diamond design came from jeweller Robinson Pelham and, according to the Daily Mirror, cost £14,300.

6

Asprey Necklace

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You can just about see the Duchess of Cambridge's golden necklace, here. The Asprey design — worn during a tour of Australia in 2014 — is one of Middleton's quirkier pieces in that it features an acorn, oak leaf, and mushroom on a thin chain. Oh, and it reportedly cost £12,100, says the Daily Mail.

7

Tanzanite Set

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In 2015, Middleton chose a dazzling tanzanite set for a service at St Paul's Cathedral, both by G. Collins & Sons. The Daily Mail reported that the pear-shaped necklace and earrings cost £8,745 and £8,750, respectively. That is one pricey look.

8

I would say that I'd love to be Middleton, but I'd be too scared to walk around wearing something that expensive. Best leave it to the professionals.