The Grimaldis of Monaco are celebrating the engagement of Prince Albert II’s niece this month, and I’ve got all the latest details today on Princess Alexandra’s spectacular yellow diamond engagement ring.
As we discussed last week on Hidden Gems, Princess Alexandra of Hanover recently posted a surprise announcement on her Instagram account. The photograph, showing her with her longtime partner, Ben-Sylvester Strautmann, also included her brand-new engagement ring. She captioned the post “The marriage plot,” followed by a series of bright yellow hearts.
Alexandra, 27, is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and her (estranged) husband, Prince Ernst-August of Hanover. She is a writer who divides her time between Los Angeles and Monaco. For more than a decade, she has been in a relationship with 27-year-old Ben-Sylvester, a former professional basketball player who now works in finance. The two have been pictured side-by-side at high-profile social events in Monaco for many years.
Now, the couple are planning a wedding. Ben-Sylvester proposed to Alexandra with a special ring featuring a yellow diamond that he selected personally. The jewelers who made the ring, Antinori di Sanpietro, reached out to me with more information about the diamond and the ring, as well as several excellent photos.
“Antinori di Sanpietro,” they shared, “has created the engagement ring for Princess Alexandra of Hanover, centred on a 4.80-carat natural Fancy Yellow cushion-cut diamond. Chosen by the groom, the exceptional stone became the starting point for a bespoke creation conceived to reflect Alexandra’s distinctive character and unconventional sense of style.”
The founder of Antinori di Sanpietro, Alessandra Antinori, explained the process of designing the ring: “The yellow diamond was chosen by the groom, and from the moment I saw it, I understood that it offered a very distinctive foundation for the ring. My task was to interpret Alexandra through the design—her individuality, her unconventional sense of style and the way she makes elegance entirely her own. For an occasion of such significance, I wanted to create something that respected the timelessness of an engagement ring while reflecting her character. The design therefore grew from the stone, but ultimately it was about Alexandra: understanding her taste and translating it into a piece that felt truly hers.”
Antinori also included a design detail that nods to the firm’s home in Rome. “Beneath the setting, the ring carries a motif inspired by the geometric design of Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome,” the company notes. “The architectural reference translates a distinctive element of the city into a miniature detail of the jewel, creating a private connection between the ring, the Roman identity of Antinori di Sanpietro and a city to which the couple shares a particular affection. The design of Piazza del Campidoglio is associated with Michelangelo’s 16th-century architectural intervention. In the ring, its geometric language becomes a discreet symbolic element intended to remain close to the wearer.”
The firm also described the specific construction and design details of the setting, explaining, “The upper part of the setting that holds the central diamond is crafted in 18K yellow gold, while the remainder of the mount is in 18K white gold. The contrast between the two metals frames the central stone, while two trillion-cut diamonds flank it with clean, architectural lines.”
Yellow has clearly been on the mind of this royal bride-to-be. On Friday, Alexandra uploaded a carousel of photographs to her Instagram account showing her wearing a glamorous yellow evening gown. She captioned the photos, “Yellow mood in archival givenchy.”
And it’s not just any old archival Givenchy gown: it’s the one that her grandmother, Princess Grace of Monaco, wore to a ball at the Royal Palace in Athens during the wedding celebrations for King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain in May 1962. Grace accessorized with several important jewelry pieces on that occasion, including her small diamond tiara and her diamond festoon necklace, a classic Cartier design.
Alexandra has had plenty of chances to acquaint herself with her grandmother’s wardrobe archives recently. With her mother and uncle, she toured the current exhibition devoted to Grace and Rainier’s 1956 wedding back in June. Perhaps Alexandra was gathering bridal inspiration of her own?
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