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The Royal family and Welsh gold wedding rings

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There is a tradition with the Royal Family of Great Britain to use Welsh Gold in their wedding rings. The tradition was started in 1923 with the marriage of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyn, to King George VI, then the Duke of York. Their wedding rings were made from a single Welsh gold nugget from the Clogau gold mine.  In 1947, the craftsman who made the Queen Mother's ring offered the remaining part to the Princess Elizabeth to make her wedding ring upon her marriage to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.  Princess Margaret, the Countess of Snowdon wore a Clogau welsh gold wedding ring made from the same nugget. She was married in 1960 to photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones.  The same nugget was used in 1973 for Princess Anne the Princess Royal's wedding. Diana the Princess of Wales and Prince Charles the Prince of Wales exchanged Clogau Welsh gold rings at their wedding in 1981. Diana's ring was also made from the same nugget that was used for the Queen Mother's ring. Only a sliver of the original nugget remains.

In November 1981, the Royal British Legion presented the Queen with a 36 gram piece of 21 carat gold for future royal wedding rings. This nugget was used for Sarah the Duchess of York in her marriage to Prince Andrew in1986. Sophie, Countess of Wessex also received a ring from this nugget upon her marriage to Prince Edward in 1999. Their rings were made in a traditional design by Crown Jeweller David Thomas of Asprey and Garrard. The gold came from Cambrian Goldfields Ltd.  Prince Charles also exchanged Clogau welsh gold rings with Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005. They were designed by Wartski of London. Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were married in April 2011 and continued the tradition of Welsh gold wedding rings.

 

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