Piece of the Week: A Replica of Princess Grace’s Wedding Earrings
These earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels, featuring the same design as a pair worn by Princess Grace, are up for auction at Woolley & Wallis.

Hollywood star Grace Kelly met her future husband, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, when she was filming the Alfred Hitchcock film “To Catch a Thief” in 1954. By the next year, the couple was in engaged, and in 1956, they married at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco.
Prince Rainier commissioned Van Cleef & Arpels to create a wedding set for the princess as a gift, directing the jeweler to design a pair of pearl earrings “to match Grace’s delicate beauty.”
The outcome was a pair of platinum earrings featuring a central pearl within a scrolling surround that is set with baguette- and marquise-cut diamonds.
The Princess wore the earrings on the day of her wedding and in a famous photograph of her at the time.

After the wedding, Van Cleef & Arpels was named the Patented Supplier of the Principality of Monaco.
Today, the earrings remain in The Princess Grace of Monaco collection at the Palais Rainier in Monaco.
However, one person still has the chance to own Van Cleef & Arpels earrings of the same design.
The pearl, diamond, and platinum earrings heading to auction next week, seen at the top of the article, are identical in design to the pair owned by the Princess.
They are signed by the same brand, created around the same time period (circa 1950), and only feature one difference—this pair uses natural saltwater pearls rather than cultured.
Despite not being the exact piece that Princess Grace wore on her wedding day, the auction house states the material value of the replica earrings is higher because of the natural saltwater pearls.
As lot 493 in Woolley & Wallis’ spring fine jewelry sale, the Van Cleef & Arpels earrings are estimated to sell for £60,000 to £70,000 ($77,000 to $89,800).
“We are delighted to offer this exceptional pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings,” said Marielle Whiting, the jewelry specialist at Woolley & Wallis.
“Not only does their design relate them to one of the most famous romances of the last century, but they also feature natural saltwater pearls, which have a very strong market at the moment.”
The pearl and diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels will be offered as part of the fine jewelry sale on April 15-16.
The piece comes with an SSEF report confirming that it uses two natural saltwater pearls and that it is signed by Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Latest

The Museum of Arts and Design's new exhibition features 75 pieces by the designer, best known for her work in the “Black Panther” films.

They were attacked on Oct. 15, as approximately 40 miners without licenses marched on the mine’s gate.

It took the masked thieves less than 10 minutes to steal eight irreplaceable jewels from two display cases in the museum’s Apollo Gallery.

You deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.

Gemologist Lauren Gayda has previously worked at The Clear Cut, Taylor & Hart, and Effy Jewelry.


In 2026, the jewelry retailer will celebrate a milestone only a small percentage of family-owned businesses survive to see.

The new showcase dedicated to Italian jewelry design is set for Oct. 29-30.

The upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.

Take a gaze at the sky with this pair of platinum diamond-set star earrings with blue lace agate drops.

Jeffrey Zimmer's decades of leadership at Reeds Jewelers are defined by integrity, a love of sourcing gemstones, and a heart for community.

The holiday catalog for 2025 features never-before-seen images of more than 100 one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

The brand has released a second installment of its collection of traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.

Corey rescued New England chain Day’s Jewelers, preserving its legacy with strong people skills, pragmatism, and a “get-it-done” attitude.

Charles Robinson Shay was sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years while his accomplice, Michael James McCormack, got 75 years.

Timepieces at Luxury will take place at The Venetian and, like Luxury, will be invitation-only for the first two days.

The auction house named a new global head of jewelry, as well as a new head of the jewelry department for the Americas.

As chairman of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, Tom Dixon has been tasked with honoring the past and shaping the future of the family-run store.

Katty Villapando Lyte and Mica Rencher received a $10,000 grant for their business, Shimmer Culture LLC.

The parents of the Dallas Mavericks rookie bought their engagement ring at a Day’s store in Bangor, Maine, in 1997.

The UK-based brand sourced the gemstones, which are fully traceable, from an artisanal mining community in Tanzania.

The trio of Advent calendars include a version with 18-karat gold and lab-grown diamond jewelry in a red lacquer jewelry box.

Created in collaboration with Nymphenburg Porcelain, the lock is part of a four-piece collection that took two years to bring to fruition.

Jewelry industry veteran Alisa Bunger has taken on the role.

The company and industry leader’s two-decade tenure with De Beers will come to a close at the end of the month.

“The Winter Egg” set the world auction record for a Fabergé piece twice at previous Christie’s sales.

The company will pay 1.5x silver’s current spot price for each pound of silver oxide batteries submitted.

The line includes a “Shadow” series crafted exclusively for the new men’s offering and reimagined styles from the brand’s core collections.