Meghan Markle made a stunning appearance yesterday at the Whistler ski resort in British Columbia, thanks to the reappearance of her £140,000 engagement ring.
The duchess has not been seen publicly wearing the sparkling sash, made up of a huge diamond from Botswana and two from Princess DianaCollection since May 2023.
Her ring was conspicuously absent from recent events, such as the premiere of the Bob Marley biopic One Love in Kingston, Jamaica, last month, and her attendance at Variety’s Power of Women gala in November 2023.
According to people magazine The reason behind the ring’s long hiatus is that a setting came loose and needed to be repaired.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017, with the ring made up of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds, but Meghan has made several adjustments to the design since then.
Meghan Markle made a stunning appearance yesterday at the Whistler ski resort in British Columbia, thanks to the reappearance of her £140,000 engagement ring.
The duchess has not been seen publicly wearing the sparkling band, made up of a huge Botswana diamond and two from Princess Diana’s collection, since May 2023, but chose her visit to Whistler to reintroduce it.
The Duchess of Sussex smiled as she raised her hand to her face during an afternoon in Whistler, BC, showing off her engagement ring as she did so.
While hitting the slopes with Prince Harry (and his cameraman) and having fun skiing, the Duchess’ dazzling diamond complemented a chic winter outfit.
She wore a $295 cream quilted Calvin Klein coat over a $695 cashmere sweater from CO.
Ensuring her feet were toasty in Whistler’s frigid temperatures, the Duchess wore a pair of furry Sorel boots, curiously named the Joan of the Arctic design.
However, the Duchess’ stunning stone was the star of the outfit and instead of covering her hands with a pair of sturdy gloves, she proudly showed off the ring on her finger.
It is the first time mother-of-two Meghan has been seen wearing the band for around nine months amid reports it was being fixed.
Instead, she has been seen wearing different, subtle but elegant rings on her finger, like when she had lunch in California with her friends Cleo Wade and Kadi Lee. She believes them to be her wedding band and an eternity ring.
Pictured are Meghan’s hands without her engagement ring while at the Invictus Games in September 2013.
During the Invictus Games in Germany last September, the Duchess was still without her engagement ring, but she made up for its absence with a Shiffon and Co. pinky ring on her pinky finger.
In May, the duchess was seen walking without her husband, Prince Harry, near their $14 million Montecito mansion, hours after missing King Charles’ coronation.
Meghan was accompanied on the outdoor outing by her friends, Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak, in California after celebrating her son Archie’s birthday.
However, she was not wearing her sparkling diamond ring for the occasion.
Later that month, the jewelry went missing for a second time when she arrived at the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.
During the event, Meghan was simply wearing her wedding ring, which is yellow gold to match Prince Harry’s, and an eternity ring, which she began wearing after the birth of her son Archie. It is unknown why her ring disappeared.
Meghan Markle ditched her mystery pinky ring made by famed jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, for a 1972 tennis pinky ring by Shiffon and Co today (pictured)
The 18-karat pinky tennis ring, set in white gold, sells for $2,800.
At the time of their engagement, the Duke spoke about creating Meghan’s ring with the help of jewelers Cleave and Company.
The custom design featured a diamond originating from Botswana (where the couple took a trip for their second date) and two smaller stones from Princess Diana’s collection.
At the time, he said: “The ring is obviously yellow gold because it’s (Meghan’s) favorite and I got the main stone from Botswana and the little diamonds on either side are from my mother’s jewelry collection, to make sure may she be with us in the day.” this crazy journey together.’
Meghan called it “incredible” and explained: “Everything about Harry’s consideration and the inclusion (of Princess Diana’s stones) and obviously not being able to meet his mother, it’s very important for me to know that she is a part of this with us.”
‘It’s incredibly special to be able to have this (ring), which links your place of origin and Botswana, which is important to us. It is perfect.’
However, the Duchess decided not to wear her engagement ring at several public engagements in 2019 while she was pregnant with her son Archie.
When she appeared on Trooping the Color that year, it emerged that Meghan had altered the custom-made engagement ring that Prince Harry designed for her.
At Trooping the Color and at her photo shoot at Windsor Castle with Prince Harry and their newborn son Archie, the Duchess wore her three engagement diamonds set in a fine micropavé band.
At the time of their engagement (pictured), the Duke spoke about creating Meghan’s ring with the help of jewelers Cleave and Company.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017 with a sparkling ring comprised of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds (left). This was later changed to include a micropavé band in 2019 (right)
Jewelry expert Arabel Lebrusan confirmed that the ring had changed and suggested that it had been altered to make the original diamonds appear larger.
Arabel, owner of ethical jewelery brand Arabel Lebrusan, called the thinner band a popular trend, revealing: “Many celebrities do this as the center stone appears larger in comparison, giving them the wow factor.”
The jewelry expert highlighted the difference in the ring, saying: “You now have small diamonds set on the sides of your engagement ring and the ring also appears thinner than before.”
She also revealed that the sparkling band only emphasized Meghan’s diamonds, adding: “The diamond setting on the band looks like a micro setting, this means there is very little metal between the stones, maximizing the brilliance of the small diamonds.”
Arabel went on to say that she thought the new style suited the Duchess’ style “perfectly”, saying: “It suits her style perfectly and also suits her delicate fingers.”
Leora Moreno, owner of jewelry brand Leo With Love, said at the time that the changes could have been made to match Meghan’s eternity ring.
The Duchess of Sussex speaks on stage at the Friends @ Home event at Station Airport during day three of the Invictus Games.
She explained: ‘It looks like the eternity ring has a pave channel setting. The engagement ring appears to have an even smaller pavé setting, but it matches the eternity ring perfectly.’
The jeweler went on to explain that the change may have been complex, saying that it required “great skill and craftsmanship to change the band for something more delicate like a pave setting.”
She added that the modern style would suit Meghan for “years to come” and was “the perfect combination of bold and delicate.”
In 2022’s Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie claimed that it was the duke who altered Meghan’s ring.
In the biography, jeweler to the stars Lorraine Schwartz said: “‘He’s the loveliest person who ever lived. So romantic, so thoughtful.'”
The authors continued: “(So much so that Harry also thought about having Lorraine resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band.)”