BY Eva Armour
With the upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the nation is grasped by every detail of the 19th of May ceremony. While the attention on the day will focus on the bride’s wedding gown, the most enduring symbolism of the royal marriage will be Meghan’s engagement ring.
In November of last year, Prince Harry popped the question with a custom yellow-gold ring composed of one 2.5-carat cushion-cut diamond from Botswana, where the pair fell in love, and two smaller stones from the collection of his late mother, Princess Diana. Managing Director of ROX Diamond & Thrills, Kyron Keogh comments, “Part of the allure of royal engagement rings is the fact that there’s always a family connection – reinforcing the fact that engagement rings become cherished heirlooms.”
Meghan Markle's Trilogy Engagement Ring (Photo Credits: PA)
The sentiment of Princess Diana was also present in the engagement between Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, who wears the 12-carat blue sapphire ring originally purchased for Princess Diana by Prince Charles. Dan Dower, Creative Director of Dower & Hall remarks, “royal rings have used colour to express the character of the wearer...I always say that it would have been great if Kate could have had a piece of her own to wear every day to suit her own distinctive style and kept Diana’s ring for special occasions.”
Get the style of the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Diana with Laing's, Yellow Gold Sapphire and Diamond Cluster Ring, £1,995
This sentimental royal tradition has spanned many generations, the ring Prince Phillip gave the Queen featuring the diamonds from his mother’s tiara.
Get Queen Elizabeth's look with Dower and Hall's Platimum Halo Cluster Wedding Set, £10,560
Princess Eugenie also took inspiration from her mother’s ring when creating a bespoke padparadscha sapphire piece with fiancé, Jack Brooksbank. “Creating a bespoke engagement ring can be an exciting and romantic journey for a couple to embark on together”, says Richard Laing, director of Laings who offer a Bespoke Design Service for couples seeking to create a ring exclusive and personal to them. Laing continues, “It is a fantastic way to rebuild heirloom pieces or family stones into something more contemporary that the bride-to-be will enjoy wearing”.
Since the royal engagement, Meghan Markle has become an overnight fashion icon, with garments she is photographed wearing selling out online in record time. Keogh suggests the bride to be is having the same impact on the jewellery industry; “There’s no escaping the fact that royal engagements are a driving force behind engagement ring trends. It’s a glimpse into a world we read about in fairy tales so there’s always an undeniable buzz”.
Get Meghan's look with the ROX Diamond & Thrills Trilogy Diamond Ring featuring a 1.04ct cushion cut centre stone with two brilliant cut diamonds weighing a total of 0.46cts at either side, £9,995
While a level of sentiment is included in the design of royal engagement rings, unique meanings behind the design of each ring prevails, “highlighting the fact that the design of royal rocks aren’t set in stone” observes Keogh.
Shop the featured designers-
Dower and Hall; https://www.dowerandhall.com/
Laings; https://www.laingsuk.com/
ROX Diamond and Thrills; https://www.rox.co.uk/
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