Everyone has heard of the Crown Jewels of England, just like everyone can imagine how much money royalty must spend on jewelry each year! There is even a museum in Egypt dedicated specifically to Royal Jewelry. Royal families have commissioned jewelry to be made for weddings, anniversaries, coronations, and other special events. But what kind of jewelry do they give to each other for engagement and wedding presents?

First off, it is interesting to know that the Royal Family of England generally makes their rings out of Welsh gold, and has done so for centuries. As other note, many celebrities also have their rings made of Welsh gold, but there is only one mine left open in Wales, and it is believed that the option to have a ring or other jewelry made of this specific type of gold will soon be no more. England’s Royal Family needn’t worry, though, because Ifan Evans, The director of Rhiannon Welsh Gold Centre in Tregaron, West Wales, gave the Royal Family a solid kilogram of pure Welsh gold sometime in the 1980s. So even though the supply of Welsh gold is dwindling, the Royal Family should have enough to make quite a few more rings for the next few generations.

Not all royal jewelry stays in the family, though. The infamous Hope Diamond was originally purchased by King Louis XIV of France in 1673. It was re-cut an passed down to the next king, Louis XV, who had it reset. It was stolen in 1792, and over the centuries has made its way trough several different countries and several different changes, coming finally to rest in the Smithsonian Institution Museum, donated by Harry Winston, Inc. Most of the British crown jewels, however, have never been stolen or misplaced, and remain in the collection, which was started centuries ago.

Now to the more fun stuff – Presents! Prince Rainier of Monaco gave actress Grace Kelly a 12 carat emerald cut diamond ring to celebrate their engagement. Grace wore this beautiful ring in her last movie, High Society: during a close up in the 1956 film, Bing Crosby quips, “Some stone, did you mine it yourself?” But that isn’t where the jewels stopped coming! When they were married, Prince Rainier gave Grace Kelly a lovely diamond and pearl necklace, bracelet and earring set from Van Cleef & Arpel.

Prince Phillip had a diamond engagement ring made especially for his proposal to Queen Elizabeth, which took place on July 8, 1947. He had the ring specially crafted by Philip Antrobus Ltd. Of London. The amazing ring was made with a small center stone, a 3-carat round diamond, surrounded by five smaller diamonds and set in platinum. The diamonds were taken directly from a tiara that belonged to Phillip’s mother. When he first gave her the ring, it was too big for her finger, and it took two days to resize. On July 10th it was put on display for the first time.

In February of 1981, Prince Charles of England proposed to Lady Diana of Wales. Originally he proposed without a ring, because he didn’t the glitz to distract her – he wanted her to consider carefully what being his wife would mean: to be constantly in the spotlight, in front of cameras, and under pressure. Diana needed little time to consent to the marriage, and then a selection of rings was presented to her. She chose for herself an oval blue sapphire engagement ring that weighed in at 18 carats and was surrounded by 14 small diamonds in an elegant cluster setting.

Under most circumstances, celebrity engagement ring prices are kept well under wraps, and jewelers and are sworn to secrecy to protect their client’s privacy, but Diana’s ring was not made especially for her – it was actually a ring from a regular Garrard catalog, and anyone with enough money could have obtained it. Of course, “enough money” meant 28,000 British pounds, or $65,000 at 1981 exchange rates. Diana’s family and the Royal family of England were all in a tussle because the ring hadn’t been made especially for Diana, but the fact that she chose the ring overshadowed their concerns, and the ring was eventually accepted as a symbol of the couple’s engagement.

It can easily be said that royal families and royal people in general spend a lot of money on jewels and pretty things. Jewelry can be a major investment though – as long as it is well taken care of, it will never really lose its value. And when a ring or necklace or other article is retired from every day use, it is added to the crown jewels collection of its respective country, adding more monetary worth to the family as a whole. And it isn’t like the royal families don’t have the money to spend – how many of us would pass up an exquisite ring lake Princess Diana’s if we didn’t have to? At the very least, the jewelry selection of the Royal families gives us non-royals something interesting to read about.