One of Prince Rainier’s wedding gifts

On the anniversary of the wedding of Prince Rainier of Monaco and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, we recall the story of one of the jewelry presented by the groom to his beautiful bride.

Perhaps the most famous piece of jewelry in Grace Kelly’s collection is considered to be her engagement ring Cartier with an emerald-cut diamond weighing 3.34 carats, which replaced the precious «friendship ribbon» on the ring finger of the actress — Prince Rainier’s first gift. The rings were followed by a necklace, a bracelet and Van Cleef earrings & Arpels. In order to avoid a fiasco, the lovers chose a wedding gift together: Louis Arpels personally met Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in the New York boutique of the brand.

During the meeting, Grace chose several pearl jewelry created between 1953 and 1956: a three-strand necklace with a diamond ribbon; a three-strand bracelet with a diamond flower motif; earrings decorated with a diamond swirl, and a diamond flower ring with a pearl center.

Visit to Van Cleef & Arpels turned out to be more than just a trip to a jewelry boutique. Three months later, the French House became the official supplier of the Principality of Monaco.

Grace Kelly had a lot of amazing jewelry in her jewelry box, but some of them she wore no more than once in her entire life. Van Cleef Pearls & Arpels, on the contrary, the princess wore almost daily, and in one of the interviews preceding the wedding, she admitted that she prefers pearls both on screen and in life.

After Grace Kelly’s death in 1982, the princely Grimaldi family generously lent jewelry for exhibitions for many years. At the Rose Ball in 2019, her daughter, Princess Caroline of Hanover, appeared in a pearl set by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Princess Caroline of Hanover

Photo

getty images

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