Princess Kate’s £1.6m diamonds deliver a tribute to Queen Elizabeth | Royal | News

But the tribute didn’t stop there – on her wrist, Catherine wore the Queen Mary Diamond Bar Choker, cleverly reimagined as a bracelet.

The piece is steeped in almost a century of royal history, not forgetting its journey from choker to bracelet.

Jewellery experts have pointed out, this kind of reinvention is a styling trick Princess Diana mastered long before Catherine made it her own.

Maxwell Stone, a jewellery expert from Steven Stone explained the hack Catherine learned from her late mother in-law.

He said: “Catherine’s diamond bracelet is an incredibly historic piece of jewellery as it originally belonged to Queen Mary. Though when it was in Queen Mary’s possession, it was part of her collection of diamond chokers.”

The expert expanded on the history of the jewel and how it landed in Queen Mary’s possession. Mr Stone continued: “Created at some point during the 1920s, it’s unknown whether the choker was originally designed to be worn as a bracelet or if it was modified later.

“But with the Princess of Wales having worn it as a bracelet on multiple occasions, it’s unlikely that it will be worn as a choker in the near future.”

“From re-modelling brooches into necklaces, to wearing chokers as headbands, Princess Diana set some huge trends and was always showcasing her jewels in unique ways.”

Mr Stone gave a rough estimate of how much this choker bracelet would cost. He added: “Composed of diamond bars in an Art Deco design, I’d estimate this particular piece to be worth a whopping $345,000.” This equates to roughly £263k in British Sterling.

Much like Diana, she understands the power of reimagining heirlooms, giving historic pieces new life and relevance.

Emerald gowns may come and go, but jewels like these, and the tributes they represent are forever.