AP Photo/PAIf a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how many words a multi-million dollar necklace is worth.
As royal jewels are passed down from generation to generation, they also accumulate a wealth of nostalgia along the way. Whether it's a sapphire and diamond engagement ring gifted from a late mother-in-law or a diamond encrusted push present, royal jewels carry as much weight in history as they do in diamonds.
Take, for example, the Spencer Tiara famously worn by Princess Diana on her wedding day and over the course of her reign. While the British icon looked like the essence of elegance and poise, we would later learn that the stunning headpiece she donned to become Princess of Wales was equally uncomfortable.
"In the evening, we all went to a sort of semi-private party and she was there and she seemed incredibly relaxed and happy and I just remember she had a cracking headache too, because she wasn't used to wearing a tiara all morning," her younger brother Charles Spencer told Entertainment Tonight in 2010.
Her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, had a similarly difficult time with her tiara on her own wedding day in 1947. While getting ready for the ceremony, she reportedly broke the frame of the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara handed down to her from her mother, Queen Elizabeth (who got the sparkler from her mother-in-law, Queen Mary).
The item was meant to be her "something borrowed" piece for the ceremony, but there was a brief panic when the crown was damaged. Fortunately, the royal jeweler was on standby and managed to repair the family heirloom just in time for the queen to say "I Do."
The stories didn't stop at the altar. Over in France, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted an heir to his throne, but after his wife Empress Joséphine could not produce a son, he got a divorce and moved on with 18-year-old Archduchess Marie Louise.
After she gave birth to Napoleon II, Napoleon presented his new wife with a necklace embellished with dozens of diamonds. And we thought Kristin Cavallari's Hermès Birkin bag was a lavish push present.
To learn the price tags and tales behind more stunning royal jewels from around the world, visit E!'s gallery here.