Kate Middleton's Jewellery Box: How To Dress Like A Duchess
Want to give yourself a royal makeover? Catherine Duchess of Cambridge knows how to add sparkle with royal jewels, precious heirlooms and bespoke treasures, including her engagement ring passed down from Princess Diana. Here's our pick of Kate's jewellery box…
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1. Catherine's blue topaz and diamond hoops
Kate loves her earrings, especially anything designed by Kiki McDonough, her favourite jewellery designer. The Duchess has paired these blue topaz and white diamond hoops with a number of outfits, including elegant evening dresses. You can snap up a pair too, but expect a price tag of more than £3,000.
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2. Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring
Prince William presented Kate with this 12ct Ceylon sapphire engagement ring, which used to belong to his mother. The oval shaped gem is surrounded by 14 sparkling diamonds in an 18ct white gold-setting. The ring was created by prestigious British jeweller Garrard & Co., which can be found on Bond Street to this day. How could you say no to a Prince down on one knee with a whopping sapphire?!
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3. Turning heads in tanzanite
Tanzanite gemstones are incredibly rare, but offer a beautiful purplish blue colour for gemstone lovers. Prince William reportedly bought Kate this earring and necklace suite earlier this year, feature some whopping great big gemstones and diamonds by royal jeweller G. Collins & Sons. They certainly match the deep blue of her engagement ring!
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4. Telling the time in style
The Duchess of Cambridge has been seen wearing this stunning Cartier Ballon Bleu timepiece that costs around £5,500. It's a modest choice, in-keeping with Kate's down-to-earth attitude. She could have snapped it up in diamonds, but Kate opted for the simpler version instead.
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5. Kate turns to the High Street
When Kate wore this gorgeous necklace everyone presumed it was Cartier - as she's known to own a number of pieces by the luxury brand. Turns out, it's £20 from Zara! The sparkly crystal necklace was the perfect addition to her high neck white gown and, of course, it sold out in mere minutes online!
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6. Precious sapphire gifts from Prince William
In 2011, Prince William gifted Catherine more precious sapphires from Princess Diana's collection, including a pair of diamond and sapphire drop earrings to match her engagement ring. Kate had the design adapted slightly to make the pair more contemporary and we love the result! They may be classic, but the Duchess has worn them hundreds of times since they first landed in her jewellery box.
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7. We're all green with envy
These lovely little emerald and diamond drop earrings are Kate's go-to jewels whenever she's decked out in green. On this occasion she was in Ireland and can be seen wearing a Cartier shamrock brooch owned by the Royal Family.
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8. An evening on the town…
Just ahead of the London Olympics in 2012 Kate stepped out in this gorgeous green Jenny Packham gown accessorised with some stunning tear-drop shape earrings. We're a little bit obsessed with this whole look, but the earrings provide the perfect finishing touch! What do you think?
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9. Mixing couture and costume...
Kate loves to mix high fashion dresses with more affordable accessories. She wore these pretty £150 Double Leaf earrings by Scottish-born designer Catherine Zoraida during a state visit to Malaysia - something which normally warrants a tiara! We say good on Kate for forgoing the price tag in favour of something she loves.
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10. Catherine's Christmas sparkle
For the Duchess' first Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham in 2011, Prince William gifted her these gorgeous 18ct gold, diamond and green amethyst earrings by Kiki McDonough - Kate's favourite jewellery designer. They are reported to have been especially customised for the Duchess for the nerve-wracking public occasion.
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11. Perfect in pearls
Kate knows that beautiful pearls will always look fabulous, which is why she turns to these pearl hoop earrings by Annoushka when she needs a quick jewellery fix. They also make great heirlooms, so we reckon these will end up in Charlotte's jewellery box soon enough!
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12. Classy not flashy
We know the Royal Family owns lots of diamond jewellery, but Kate opts for smaller, more delicate pieces when she's out on formal occasions. These cushion-cut diamond drop earrings are classic, elegant and add just a hint of sparkle to her red ensemble. We're big fans!
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13. Everyday glamour for Kate
These Kiki Classic Citrine Pear Drop earrings by Kiki McDonough are another of Kate's favourite earrings, and she's said to have a special love for the yellow/orange gemstone. The Duchess also owns a cushion-cut pair of citrine earrings by the same designer, which feature diamonds in 18ct yellow gold.
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14. Emeralds and art
Described as a 'private gift to the Duchess', these diamond and emerald earrings are certainly showstoppers! The Duchess wore them to a special anniversary dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York last year, alongside the equally beautiful matching bracelets. We can't even begin to imagine how much they cost…
