Famous Jewellery, And Our Tributes – Pt 2

Welcome back to our look at the most famous and costly jewels in the world, and the affordable alternatives from our range you can wear to recreate these looks in the real world.

The Koh-I-Noor diamond, which now sits in the coronation crown of Queen Elizabeth, is one of the oldest and best known diamonds in the world.  It is thought to have been discovered in India 5,000 years ago and according to some claims, originally weighed 793 carats.  The 109 carat Koh-I-Noor diamond that is part of the Crown Jewels was given to Queen Victoria, Empress of India.  We don't have anything of that size – a jewel of this weight and dimension requires the right surroundings and event to be worn, which is why it fits perfectly with the Royal collection but would be out of place on most people's jewellery boxes. 

For a stone with impact, our Emerald Ice ring with a large emerald cut cubic zirconia atop a band with a hammered metal effect is a showstopper that we can all wear.  It is also a great match for Grace Kelly's engagement ring, which featured an emerald cut 10.47 carat diamond flanked by 2 baguette cut diamonds.  This ring, which she wore in High Society, was a symbol of her becoming royalty, and the film appearance has only heightened the value of the piece which is said to be word more than $4 million.

The Hope diamond, another of Indian origin, is a very rare blue diamond that has a long history of being stolen, passed around and sold; along the way it has picked up many associations with a curse that was supposed to bring misfortune to those who owned or wore it.  As with any superstition, there is some circumstantial and speculative evidence that bad luck did befall some of the owners of the diamond, but many of these have been debunked and it is now thought that the curse theory originated to give the diamond more mystique and deter people from stealing it.  It is currently on display in the Smithsonian and has been set into many pieces of jewellery over the years, most notable in the Embracing Hope necklace. 

This gorgeous necklace was created with a ribbon like bands of platinum set with baguette cut diamonds, the strands coming together to grasp the blue gem in the centre.  We can only dream of affording this stunning piece, but to get the look our Reverso Aqua necklace is perfect.  The large aquamarine in the centre represents the rare blue diamond, while the gently swirling mount, studded with cubic zirconia, pays tribute to the exquisite setting of the Embracing Hope necklace. 

Lastly, we have the La Peregrina pearl, one of the largest and most symmetrical natural pearls ever found.  It was discovered off the Panamanian coast in the 1600s and given to King Phillip II of Spain, who gave to to Queen Mary as a bridal gift.  The 58.5 carat beauty was purchased in 1969 for Elizabeth Taylor, who has owned and worn some of the biggest and most well-known stones in the world – it's no wonder her jewellery collection fetched over $116 million at auction with pieces like this in it.  Our Twinkle Pearls necklace features a similarly shaped pearl with a modern and delicate setting that makes it ideal for wedding jewellery or as a bridal gift.

Unless we win the lottery, it's unlikely that the average person can afford to buy jewels of this magnitude, but we can all get the look at a fraction of the cost by looking for pieces that use similar styles and shapes in the Amore Argento collection.