Best Diamond Engagement Rings

Kate Middleton will be marrying Prince William in April, and to mark the engagement, he gave her the stunning diamond and sapphire ring that used to belong to his mother Princess Diana.

The ring has 14 diamonds circling an 18 carat oval sapphire and is worth a six figure sum, but you can get a real diamond and sapphire ring for a bit less, see below:

Princess Elizabeth as she was then, got engaged to Prince Philip of Greece just after WW2 ended. He was cash-strapped, so the ring was made from the diamonds taken from an old tiara that belonged to his mother Princess Alice of Greece (thank goodness for old family heirlooms!)

It was a platinum ring, with a 3 carat diamond in the centre flanked by eight diamonds, four on each side.

The size of the jewels are modest compared to Princess Diana's/Kate Middleton's ring, but I think they suited Elizabeth. If you like Antique-Vintage engagement rings see below

The practice of giving a diamond ring to mark an engagement started in the 1950's (prior to that only one ring was given, the wedding ring), and giving an engagement ring to the woman you love has rapidly become one of the rituals of getting married. Famous diamond retailers such as Tiffany's promoted diamonds as a symbol of love, and of course the Marilyn Monroe movie, "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend" cemented the association of diamonds with love.

You can now purchase diamond rings online, which means you get a wider choice of ring, as you arn't limited to what your local jeweller has got in stock.