All About Kate Middleton’s Stunning Sapphire Engagement Ring (and the Royal Heirloom It Was Inspired By!)

Kate Middleton’s engagement ring is undeniably one of the most famous pieces of jewelry in the world

Having first belonged to Princess Diana, the blue sapphire and diamond ring has been circulating on the royal scene since 1981, when the future King Charles proposed to Diana with it.

Though there’s some debate over exactly how the sapphire bauble made its way into the royal family (the jewelry company that made it, Garrard, claims Prince Charles chose it for his young bride because it reminded him of his mother’s own sapphire brooch while others say Diana ordered it from the company’s catalog or chose it from a spread of jewels that Charles presented her with), it’s been in Kate’s possession since 2010, when Prince William used it to ask for her hand in marriage.

“It’s my mother’s engagement ring, so I thought it was quite nice because obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of all this,” Prince William said in his engagement interview with Kate. “This is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all