On video call after video call, Kate Middleton has brought out some seriously cute jewelry. It's all flattering, affordable, and appropriate given the times we're in, but those pieces are not what we're talking about right here and now. Right now, we're talking about the crazy expensive, blindingly sparkly, drippy droppy, gem-encrusted jewelry the Duchess of Cambridge has in her personal collection.
Though Kate borrows some of her most spectacular pieces from the royal collection and Queen Elizabeth's personal stash (talk about a job perk!), she herself has amassed quite a pile of gold, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and just about every other gemstone and precious metal we can name — thanks to hubby Prince William, her family, and her friends.
In fact, Kate's collection is valued at at least $800,000, but likely is worth more, considering we don't actually know the extent of it, and hardworking royal fan-sleuths have not discovered the value of lots of great pieces that we've seen her wear.
Imagine marrying into the royal family and having precious gifts presented. (Sigh! If only.) But that was Kate's situation. From the moment her engagement was announced, gifts poured in, with even more getting stacked up in her dressing room after her 2011 wedding. Yes, she may work her behind off representing the royal family from home — and throughout Britain, and abroad — but it's got to be so much fun and so glamorous to snap up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewels. It makes up for having to cut ribbons and sit through community talks, we're sure.
Kate's collection is beautiful, but even her priciest pieces are not gaudy or tacky. She's brought out some stunners, and we can't wait for all this staying at home ends and she gets back to the business of attending galas and balls and state dinners — so we can gawk at her amazing jewelry.
Until then, here are 13 of her priciest jewels, ranked.
13. Cartier Watch
This ain't no Seiko. This here is a Cartier watch that William bought for Kate as a wedding anniversary present she wears often. The 33 mm Bleu Ballon model is practical and well-designed, and it matches William's Cartier watch. Truth be told, we don't know really know anyone who wears a watch in this age of smartphones, but we'd rock this one — no questions asked. It sells for $5,200.
12. Diamond Necklace & Earrings
For Charlotte's christening in 2016, Kate debuted these pretty earrings, which have a floral motif in diamonds set in white gold. But she brought them out again to attend a summit in 2017, and paired them with their matching necklace. The set is from Mappin & Webb, and together, the diamond set is valued at $8,100.
11. Diamond & Amethyst Button Necklace & Earrings
Asprey is one of Kate's favorite brands for luxury handbags and jewelry, and this set includes a weighty button pendant, and earrings studded with diamonds and a single amethyst in the center. She's worn them often — whether to race William and Harry during a mental health awareness event — or on a royal trip to Canada. Together, they cost $9,300.
10. Candy Pink Tourmaline & Green Amethyst Drop Earrings
Fun fact: Kate owns 12 pairs of earrings by Kiki McDonough — and almost all of them have similar cushion cut or round semi-precious stones in all colors surrounded by small diamonds. Her whole collection is valued at $34,000, but the standouts, the most expensive ones are these, which feature large pink tourmalines and green amethysts. They cost $11,200.
9. Gold & Diamond Charms
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of these pieces of jewelry, which are barely visible in pictures: The charms are significant (and meaningful) pieces from British jeweler Asprey's Woodland collection. Kate chose two that recall her family's coat of arms — diamond-encrusted acorn, and oak leaf — plus a cute little diamond-studded mushroom, valued together at $12,500.
8. Mother of Pearl & Diamond Necklace & Earrings
Though Kate often wears pieces that are custom-made or not instantly recognizable, this mother of pearl, and gold necklace and earring set from the French luxury jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels is a classic, bestselling design called Magic Alhambra. Kate's mother-in-law, Camilla Parker Bowles, is also a big fan and has several pieces.
Kate's jewels cost $17,400.
7. Blue Topaz Earrings
Royals love to attend James Bond movie premieres, and in 2015, Kate joined the tradition by attending the Spectre debut. She wore a lovely pale blue Jenny Packham gown, but the real style star of the night were her gorgeous chandelier earrings that featured five teardrop-shaped blue topaz stones, set in white gold with small diamonds. It's said to have cost $18,000, and they are identical to a pair that her mom, Carole Middleton, wore to Kate's wedding reception.
6. Acorn & Oak Leaf Wedding Earrings
Days before Kate's wedding, her family was given the right to have a family coat of arms. The design — which includes oak leaves and acorns, representing the Middleton children — inspired the earrings that Kate's parents gave her as a wedding present. She wore the custom earrings with pride on her wedding day, as her only jewelry … aside from a fabulous tiara. They cost $18,000.
5. Tanzanite Necklace & Earrings
Nope, those are not sapphires — though they have a similar shade. They're tanzanites, a gemstone found only in Tanzania. They're rarer than diamonds, but shockingly, not nearly as pricey. Kate wore this teardrop-shaped set for a 2015 event at St. Paul's Cathedral. (The enormous cathedral where Prince Charles and Diana got married, BTW.) They're sharp and bright, and together, the necklace and earrings cost a pretty penny: $22,000.
4. Daisy Heritage Earrings
Kate wore these dainty Daisy Heritage earrings by Asprey for her arrival in Dublin during a short tour in spring 2020. They feature marquise-cut diamond petals and a pavé diamond center — all set in 18 karat white gold — and are pretty perfect daytime jewels. As with many other accessories and clothes that Kate wears, they sold are currently sold out, but sell for $22,400.
3.Tricolor Trinity Necklace & Earrings
This modern set is by Cartier and features intertwined white, yellow, and rose gold circles lined with diamonds. (The set costs about $100,000, FYI.) Kate wore the necklace to an event at the 2012 London Olympics — which is appropriate enough, given how they echo the Olympic rings. Kate showed off the flirty hoops at a 2016 event. The playful pair are said to be a birthday gift from William.
2. Yellow & White Diamond Bracelet & Earrings
Welcome to the family!
When Kate married Will, she got lots of jewelry — especially from her new family. One particularly stunning example is this yellow and white diamond bracelet and earring set Kate has worn often. (We can't say we blame her!) They're so simple and so glam at the same time. The bracelet alone cost $150,000. There's a rumor that the set also includes a ring, which would make it all the more valuable, but it's never been spotted.
1. Sapphire & Diamond Engagement Ring
Famously picked out of a catalog by Lady Diana Spencer when she got engaged to Prince Charles, this iconic ring features a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire, which is surrounded with 14 solitaire diamonds and set in 18-karat white gold. Charles paid $37,000 for it, but now, it's worth an estimated $500,000 — especially given its history. But really, it would probably go for much more at auction, not that the royal family would ever allow that to happen. Whatever other jewelry Kate wears, this one will always be the most valuable in terms of meaning.
Bonus: Emerald Necklace, Earrings, & Bracelet Set
This breathtaking set of jewels Kate wore to the 2018 BAFTAs may be Kate's priciest, but as we don't know where they came from — or who designed them — their actual value is a bit of a mystery. Officials have only confirmed that they were a "private gift," which means they were not given to Kate by a foreign government, which would make them part of the royal collection.
So what else can we say? Well, the set features seven big emeralds surrounded by lots of diamonds, and when Jane Fonda wore a similar necklace and earring set with eight emeralds, it was valued at $2.5 million.
So…yeah…Kate's babies definitely live in a vault.
Bonus: Ruby & Diamond Necklace & Earrings
In 2011, Kate wore a stunning, ruby and diamond necklace to a military awards ceremony she attended with William and Harry. And then — poof! — it was gone, and we've never seen it again. In March 2020, Kate wore unusual drop earrings — a white gold drop lined with diamonds, and a ruby flower at the end — that were obviously either part of a set with the necklace, or made from the necklace. Either way, the necklace and earrings, made by Mouawad, are stunning — and we really want to know more, because they are gorgeous and clearly pricey!
Bonus: Pearl Drop Earrings
Kate loves pearls. She's featured them time after time in necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches — basically every type of jewelry known to woman. But these earrings, which she wore to the BAFTAs in 2019, are her most stunning pieces. They're from Princess Diana's collection, handed down to Kate and Meghan when they married William and Harry. The swirly base is full of diamonds and can be detached and worn on their own — as Diana once did — but who would want to leave the stars of the earrings (those creamy pearls) at home?
Not us.
Their value has never been made public, but we know it's high, not just because of the materials, but because of their history.
