< Historic Diamonds / Famous Diamonds
The Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis in Diamond Jewels
Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s time in the White House and beyond was defined by iconic moments filled with diamonds.
Published: February 19, 2026
Written by: Jalil Johnson
In many ways, the contemporary idea of who and what defines the First Lady of the United States can still be traced back to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who left an indelible imprint on the role despite occupying it for just two years, ten months, and two days, and not necessarily wanting it in the first place. However, as with most things in her life, she reshaped not only the role of the First Lady but her life itself on her own terms, a sensibility that defined her taste in fashion, interiors, and jewelry.
What made Jacqueline such a distinct First Lady was partly the historic nature of her and John F. Kennedy as one of the youngest presidential couples to enter the White House in the modern era. Their youth brought a sense of freshness to the administration, not only in tone but in how they understood the country and its cultural legacy.
Meet the Expert
- Jalil Johnson is a writer, fashion authority, and media personality based in New York.
- Jalil’s insights on industry trends, style, and product recommendations have been featured in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. Vogue recognized him as one of the “New Faces of Street Style,” and he has collaborated with brands including Ralph Lauren, Gap, Away, and Bergdorf Goodman.
Jacqueline, deeply influenced by her love of France and its approach to preservation, took it upon herself to remake the White House in a way she felt was befitting of the People’s House. Her instinct toward conservation goes hand-in-hand with her appreciation of jewelry and, by extension, natural diamonds. The historic nature and heirloom quality of these pieces echo the same impulse that led her to found The White House Historical Association in 1961.
The Association helped secure funding for the massive project to restore and redecorate the White House, while also assisting with the sourcing of historically significant pieces. Prior to this effort, precious furnishings and artifacts were often taken by departing administrations or, in some cases, sold off entirely. The Association was also created to prevent that from happening again. As she explained during her televised White House tour in 1962, “It just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house, hardly anything before 1902.”
She said, “I know when we went to Colombia, the Presidential Palace there has all the history of that country in it. Where Simón Bolívar was, every piece of furniture in it has some link with the past. I thought the White House should be like that.” This same reverence for continuity would later shape the way she wore collected jewelry.
Outside of her work restoring the White House, she is, of course, remembered for her impeccable taste and style, expressed not only through fashion but also through diamond jewelry, which evolved alongside the shifts in her life but always felt both current and enduring.
Having a fashionable sister in Lee Radziwill and a mentor in Diana Vreeland all but ensured that she would be du monde. She was an early client of couturiers like Givenchy and Valentino, the latter of whom she wore when she married shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968.
While Jackie’s style remained distinctly her own throughout her life, sophisticated, modern, and imbued with a European sensibility, it can be understood in three major arcs, each aligning with pivotal moments in her life: her marriages to two strong-willed men, and later, her assertion of independence, marked by her work as an editor at Doubleday. Much like her fashion choices, her jewelry followed the same rhythm, informed not only by these personal shifts but also by the influence of mentors and friends such as Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon and Jayne Wrightsman.
Ahead, we explore some of her most enduring jewelry from both her White House years and the decades that followed, with pieces spanning the work of David Webb, Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the Eighteenth-Century Sunburst Diamond Clip
This diamond hair clip, which she notably wore on May 11, 1962, for a state dinner honoring French Minister of Culture André Malraux, was purchased with a certain level of spendthrift. In 1961, following a taxing trip to Pakistan, she traveled to London to recuperate with her sister Lee and Lee’s husband, Stas Radziwill. While there, she fell in love with an antique diamond clip at Wartski’s, set with old European-cut and single-cut diamonds mounted in platinum.
Aware that another extravagant purchase would likely spark yet another argument with John F. Kennedy, she opted to trade in several pieces of her existing jewelry to offset the cost. Among them were a large aquamarine gifted by the Brazilian government, a diamond clip she had received as a wedding present, a sapphire and diamond bracelet from Van Cleef & Arpels, a gold and emerald pin, and a handful of assorted gold pieces. Even after all of that, she still had to contribute an additional $2,000 to acquire the clip, according to Sarah Bradford, author of America’s Queen. Jackie would go on to wear the piece throughout her life, both as a hair clip and as a brooch.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the Enamel and Diamond ‘Jackie’ Bracelet, Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co (1962)
This Croisillon bracelet was first given to her by her confidante and mentor, Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon. Jackie loved the bracelet so much that she began collecting variations in different colors and designs, some decorated with a scattering of diamonds set in gold bezels. Her fondness for them was so well known that they were eventually nicknamed the “Jackie” bracelets by the press.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the David Webb ‘Athena’ Earrings
According to Levi Higgs, Head of Archives & Brand Heritage at David Webb, Jackie’s relationship with the brand began before her time in the White House, with some pieces in her Sotheby’s catalog dating back to the 1950s. As First Lady, she commissioned Webb to create gifts for visiting dignitaries using American minerals, a way of not only showcasing the beauty of the country but also highlighting the creative capabilities of American jewelers.
One of her most famous David Webb pieces was a pair of chandelier earrings, which she notably wore both to a bullfight in Spain and to the Metropolitan Opera in the late 1960s. The earrings, crafted in gold, feature cabochon emeralds and rubies, with brilliant-cut diamonds surrounding the rubies and posts, and are finished with a pearl drop.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis’sToi et Moi Engagement Ring
The origins of the toi et moi, which translates to “you and me,” date back to the late 18th century, when Napoléon Bonaparte proposed to Joséphine de Beauharnais. Given the ring’s French origin story, it makes perfect sense that a Francophile like Jackie, and someone of French stock, would own one. Her engagement ring is attributed to Van Cleef & Arpels and was selected by her father-in-law, who would later connect her with Oleg Cassini when it came time to design her White House wardrobe.
The original engagement ring featured a 2.84-carat Colombian emerald and a 2.88-carat emerald-cut diamond. The stones were mounted on abypass-style band of yellow gold and platinum, accented with tapered baguette diamonds. She would eventually go on to redesign the ring in 1962, replacing the baguette-cut diamonds with marquise-cut stones arranged in a laurel wreath beneath the two main gems, and adding round brilliant-cut diamonds along the front half of the band.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s Lesotho III Diamond Engagement Ring
In 1968, Aristotle Onassis proposed to Jackie with a 40-carat marquise-cut diamond purchased from Harry Winston. The stone had come into Harry Winston’s possession the year prior, when Ernestine Ramaboa, the wife of diamond digger Petrus Ramaboa, discovered a large brownish rough stone in Lesotho, South Africa, and immediately recognized it as a diamond, despite its less-than-desirable condition.
Jackie rarely wore the massive diamond, which was true of much of the jewelry gifted to her by Onassis. While she owned an extensive collection, she consistently gravitated toward quieter, more elegant pieces, often rewearing her favorites rather than relying on the most ostentatious ones.
