The royal emeralds that have become paired with the title of Princess of Wales

Queen Mary acquired many of the famous jewels that form the collection of the Royal Family. One of her choker-style emerald and diamond necklaces has become one of the most iconic pieces in the jewellery box and it was brought right into the 21st century by the Princess of Wales.

However, it began life over a century earlier when it became a favourite piece of Queen Mary. Mary loved jewels and was given some stunning pieces. This emerald choker is among the sparkling presents she received.

It was presented to her as a gift during her visit to India and Queen Mary, famed for her inventiveness with jewels, turned the original looser necklace into a choker that sat better in a stack of gems she liked to wear.

Among the jewels she chose to wear this new choker with were pieces made with the Cambridge emeralds that came to Mary in a rather convoluted way. Her grandmother, Augusta, had won the Cambridge emeralds in a lottery and left them to her own daughter, Mary Adelaide in her will.

The spectacular emeralds were then passed on to the future-Queen Mary’s brother who then left them to his mistress. The Queen chose to buy the emeralds back for £10,000 in 1910. In 1911, Queen Mary had Garrard use the emeralds in several different pieces. The famous choker, however, was made with emeralds given to her in India.

It began life as a necklace but, in 1927, Queen Mary asked Garrard to redesign the necklace into the fashionable Art Deco style preferred in the 1920s. 

Queen Mary left the choker to her own granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, who was never seen wearing it in public. She gave it to her daughter-in-law, Diana, on her marriage in 1981. Diana, Princess of Wales wore the choker often. However, Diana, ever a creative dresser, chose to wear the choker as a headband one occasion. In 1984, while in Australia she wore it as a bandeau across the forehead, leading to one of the most iconic modern royal photos. 

The choker returned to the Royal Family on Diana’s death in 1997. It wasn’t worn for over 20 years but in 2022, the new Princess of Wales wore it for a major event. Catherine chose it for the green carpet at the Earthshot Awards held in the US. She paired it with a rented dress, to match the sustainability theme of the evening.

The choker remains one of the most famous pieces of royal jewellery in the world.