Pippa Middleton showed off a dazzling diamond and pink gold Cartier watch yesterday.
When you’re wearing a £250,000 three-carat diamond engagement ring, you might think the rest of your jewellery would pale in comparison.
The 32-year-old stepped out flashing her ring for the second day running after announcing her plans to marry her fabulously rich boyfriend of a year, hedge fund manager James Matthews, on Tuesday.
There was soon much speculation about whether it cost more than the engagement ring given to her elder sister the Duchess of Cambridge, 34, by Prince William.
But Pippa has certainly outdone Kate with her watch. Both sisters wear pieces from Cartier’s exclusive Ballon Bleu range – but while Kate’s is an ‘entry level’ watch costing £4,850, Pippa’s is worth an eye-watering £14,500.
The Duchess of Cambridge was first seen wearing hers, a present from Prince William, on a visit to one of her charities, The Art Room, in 2014. It is believed to be a 36mm watch with a steel bracelet.
Pippa’s 33mm version, however, is said to be made of a mixture of steel and 18K pink gold and its distinctive bezel is studded with 50 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.63 carats. The face has a single Roman numeral, 12, with the rest of the dial made of 11 diamonds totalling 0.05 carats.
It is thought to have been given to her by her fiancé, whose firm Eden Rock Capital Management looks after £1.1billion worth of investments, enabling Mr Matthews to buy a £17million London mansion and a £3million private jet by the age of 40.
Chayanee Watts, of Watches and Jewellery of New Bond Street, said Pippa’s watch boasted the finest of materials, adding: ‘Cartier’s stone setting is amongst the very best in the business, and their choice of only the highest grade diamonds will mean Pippa’s watch will be sparkling for years to come.’
She said Kate’s choice was more ‘modest’ but still a stunning watch. Kate’s sapphire engagement ring was once worn by William’s mother Diana and cost Prince Charles £28,000 in 1981. It would cost around £108,000 in today’s prices – much less than Pippa’s ring – but the scarcity of the gem and the piece’s history makes it priceless.
Daily Mail