The Queen Mother started a tradition with the modern British royals when she requested her wedding band be made of Welsh gold. Many royal brides have followed her lead. Royal watchers now wait to see if Kate will be the next royal bride to wear Welsh gold.
Rare Welsh Gold and Royal Tradition
In 1923, the Queen Mother's wedding band was created out of a special gold nugget from the Clogau St. David's mine at Bontddu in North Wales. This gold nugget is high quality and meaningful to the royal family because of its Welsh mine origins. Welsh gold is very rare and has a distinctive pink hue that occurs from interacting with copper ore. The mine closed in 1998, making the gold unusual and hard to acquire.
Queen Elizabeth had her wedding ring made from the same nugget in honor of her mother for her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1967, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden, used gold from the same nugget for her wedding ring when she married Anthony Armstrong-Jones. The Princess Royal (Anne's) ring was also from the nugget In 1973 wedding to Mark Philips. Princess Diana was the last royal bride to have her ring fashioned from the special gold in 1981 when she married Prince Charles.
Only a small section of less than one gram is left of the original stone, but the British Royal Legion gifted Queen Elizabeth with a 36 gram piece of 21 karat Welsh gold specifically for royal wedding bands in the 1980s. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York's wedding ring, was crafted from the newer nugget when she married Prince Andrew. Prince Charles' second wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also has a wedding ring made of Welsh gold from the same mine but not from the nuggets used for the other royal rings.
The jewelry firm of Clogau Gold now waits to see if Prince William and Kate Middleton will follow the same tradition of wearing Welsh gold bands.
Royal Wedding Jewelry
Traditionally the wedding rings of the modern royal brides are plain gold bands. The classic symbolism of uniting two as one is most beautifully captured by plain gold bands because of the perfect circle. These simple gold bands blend in well with the more ornate engagement rings worn by the brides.
Princess Diana wore her Welsh gold wedding band behind her stunning oval sapphire and diamond white gold engagement ring. Fergie, the Duchess of Kent, wore one with her ruby and diamond engagement ring. Today Kate Middleton wears Princess Diana's elegant sapphire engagement ring. Will she soon wear the honorary Welsh gold wedding band too? Royal watchers will have to wait and see if the happy young couple chooses the traditional wedding band or a more modern design.
Sources:
Bloxham, Andy, "Jewellery firm awaits royal order for Welsh gold for wedding ring," The Telegraph, November 10, 2010
Jessen, Monique, "Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Touches," People.com, January 14, 2011
Adrienne Warber - Adrienne Warber is a professional freelance writer with more than ten years experience. She has expertise in a variety of topics ranging ...
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