It's long been tradition that royal wedding rings are made out of the same nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine in Wales, dating back to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923.
Since then, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Camilla, Meghan Markle and the Princess of Wales have all followed in her footsteps, to name a few. However, with more royal weddings over the years, there was increasing concern that this long-standing tradition would cease to exist with the dwindling amount of mined gold.
© GettyThe mine that produced the Princess of Wales' wedding ring had been largely inactive since the 1990s, but that all changed with the announcement of the first gold production from Clogau in over 25 years.
Alba Mineral Resources plc and its subsidiary Gold Mines of Wales Limited have embarked upon an extensive underground exploration since they acquired the rights to the Mine in 2018.
© GettyAs a result, they minted three limited edition "Tyn-y-Cornel" gold coins in December 2025 which are being auctioned between 30 March and 3 April.
According to the company, each coin contains 1oz of pure, 24-carat Welsh gold and features a Welsh dragon sitting astride Cadair Idris on the front, and a historical photograph of miners standing outside the Tyn-y-Cornel adit entrance at Clogau on the back.
© Tim GrahamGold was first discovered at the mine in the Snowdonia National Park in 1854, and it quickly became the United Kingdom’s most prolific source of domestic gold production with around 80,000 ounces of gold extracted. However, this slowed down significantly in recent years, raising "concerns" about future production.
Gold production 'concerns'
© GettyClogau's Managing Director Ben Roberts told HELLO!. "With gold mining currently inactive, we know there’s a concern about gold supplies eventually running out.
"Welsh gold is possibly the rarest in the world, so we carefully make sure to include only a small amount within each piece of Clogau jewellery. Our goal is to help preserve the longevity of Welsh gold, whilst keeping Clogau affordable and accessible."
He noted the ties with the British royals, who have "personally customised" wedding bands.
"The symbolism of Welsh gold within the royal family is a subtle nod to the proud and noble heritage of Wales, and highlights how important the country is to them," Ben explained.
"Each wedding band worn by the royal family is unique, and personally customised to act as a beautiful reminder of their big day. But this does not take away from the storied history and use of Welsh gold."
