![Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel on April 21, 2019 in Windsor, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate09.jpg?resize=1200%2C807&ssl=1)
This weekend, the Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 40th birthday. To help mark the milestone, we’re devoting the rest of the week to a countdown of her best royal jewels. Today, we’re kicking things off with a look at the first eight pieces on our list.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge listens to a speech during her visit to the 'Road To 2012: Aiming High' exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery on July 19, 2012 in London, England, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends SportsAid's 40th anniversary dinner at Kensington Palace on June 9, 2016 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate01.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
A large, diamond-encrusted Cartier Trinity pendant necklace and a matching pair of hoop earrings have been Kate’s choice, appropriately, for several events related to the Olympic Games. Both the earrings and the necklace feature mixed metals. Kate wore the sautoir-style necklace for the “Road to 2012: Aiming High” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in July 2012 (above left), and in June 2016, she wore the matching earrings for SportsAid’s 40th anniversary dinner at Kensington Palace (above right).
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a Bollywood Inspired Charity Gala at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the royal visit to India and Bhutan on April 10, 2016 in Mumbai, India](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate02.jpg?resize=1200%2C1700&ssl=1)
39. The Amrapali Lapis Earrings
During her visit to India in 2016, Kate debuted a pair of gorgeous blue statement earrings, which feature two faceted lapis stones ringed with diamonds. The stud features a square lapis, from which is suspended a small round diamond and then an oval-shaped lapis. The earrings were made by Amrapali especially for Kate. She wore the earrings for the first time at a charity gala in Mumbai in April 2016.
![Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, smiles during a visit with her husband, Prince William, to attend a St Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, southern England, on March 17, 2013](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1860&ssl=1)
38. The Emerald Cluster Earrings
These earrings may be small, but they sparkle mightily. The design is simple but effective: a gleaming green emerald surrounded by a cluster of diamonds and set as a drop. Kate has been wearing them since November 2012, and they’re perfect for her annual St. Patrick’s Day appearance with the Irish Guards. She wears them above to hand out shamrocks in March 2013.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits 'MESH', a work-space for start-up tech companies on day 3 of their visit to Sweden and Norway on February 1, 2018 in Oslo, Norway](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate04.jpg?resize=1200%2C1047&ssl=1)
37. The Sapphire Cluster Earrings
These classic earrings feature a faceted sapphire in the center of a cluster of diamonds. Some have claimed that the drop earrings were refashioned from a pair owned by Diana, Princess of Wales, but this does not appear to be the case. Kate’s been wearing these earrings, which are easy to pair with a range of outfits, since the early days of her royal marriage. They do, of course, coordinate beautifully with her famous engagement ring. Above, she wears them in February 2018 during a royal visit to Oslo.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge to meet young entrepreneurs during a reception at the Heart, Spire Building on day 1 of their official visit to Poland on July 17, 2017 in Warsaw, Poland](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate05.jpg?resize=1200%2C895&ssl=1)
Kate wore this married parure of jewels set with red gemstones (probably rubies) for her arrival in Warsaw during the Cambridge family’s visit to Poland in July 2017. For the occasion, Kate wore a necklace with a ruby and diamond cluster pendant, a pair of earrings featuring rubies set in gold and surrounded by a double cluster of diamonds, and a ring with a ruby and a pavé-set diamond band. The choice was a patriotic nod to her hosts, as red and white are Poland’s national colors.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham on December 25, 2015 in King's Lynn, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1739&ssl=1)
This elegant brooch, made to resemble an oak leaf studded with acorns, sparkles with diamonds. Kate has been wearing it since 2012, when she debuted it at the Sovereigns’ Luncheon during the Diamond Jubilee festivities. She’s also worn it at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2015 (pictured above) and at Windsor on Easter in 2019. The piece may be a sentimental family one, as the oak leaf and acorn are part of the Middleton family coat of arms.
![Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives at Santa Barbara Racquet and Polo Club for a Foundation Polo Challenge that benefits the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry on July 9, 2011 in Santa Barbara, California](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate07.jpg?resize=1200%2C855&ssl=1)
34. The Cambridge-Cornwall Charm Bracelet
A sentimental piece from Kate’s jewelry box, this charm bracelet is thought to have been the Duchess of Cornwall’s wedding gift to her stepdaughter-in-law. It features both of their cyphers, with Camilla’s engraved on one side of the charm and Kate’s on the other. Kate wore it frequently in the months after her royal wedding in 2011.
![Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speaks with British director Sam Mendes at the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'Spectre' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 26, 2015](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-0105-01-kate08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1679&ssl=1)
These lovely earrings are made of pear-shaped blue topazes and diamonds set in platinum. They’re made in a traditional girandole shape, a popular choice among royal ladies for centuries. The topaz and diamond earrings were made by Robinson Pelham, the same firm that made Kate’s wedding earrings. These girandoles were worn with a coordinating necklace by Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, at the royal wedding reception in 2011. Kate wore them for the premiere of the James Bond film Spectre in October 2015.
I can’t wait to hear how you rank Kate’s jewels in the comments below! (I have a feeling some of us will have very different lists, ha!)
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