Take a look at the mystery of Meghan's missing engagement ring. Meghan Markle is known for her loveof pricey, highly personalized jewelry, but one significant piece has been missing from her collection in recent weeks.
The Mystery Deepens - Meghan Markle's Missing Engagement Ring Leaves Fans Puzzled
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, accepted a feminist award at a gala in New York yesterday night, wearing a strapless $1,850 goldJohanna Ortiz gown with scalloped pattern embellishment.
However, as she posed on the red carpet, it was clear she wasn't wearing her £140,000 diamondengagement ring.
Meghan was seen without the ringfor the second time this month, having previously been photographed walking in Los Angeles without the custom-made jewel.
While the reason for the ring's disappearance has not been revealed, the Duchess previously enhanced the engagement ring by adding a diamond band to the piece.
In November 2017, Prince Harry proposed to Meghan with a sparkling ring made of a solid yellow gold band adorned with three diamonds.
Prince Harry mentioned constructing Meghan's engagement ring with the help of jewelers Cleave and Company at the time of their engagement.
The unique design included a diamond from Botswana as well as two lesser stones from Princess Diana's collection.
At the time, he said: 'The ring is obviously yellow gold because that's [Meghan's] favorite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds on either side are from my mother's jewelry collection, to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together.'
Meghan called it 'incredible', explaining:
“„Everything about Harry's thoughtfulness and the inclusion of [Princess Diana's stones] and obviously not being able to meet his mom, it's so important to me to know that she's a part of this with us.- Meghan
'It's incredibly special to be able to have this [ring], which sort of links where you come from and Botswana, which is important to us. It's perfect.'
However, while pregnant with her son Archie, the Duchess chose not to wear her engagement ring to a number of public appearances in 2019.
When she arrived at Trooping the Colour that year, it was revealed that the Duchess had altered the custom-made engagement ring designed by Prince Harry for her.
The Duchess wore her three engagement diamonds set on a delicate micro-pavé band to Trooping the Colour for a photo call with Prince Harry and their newborn boy Archie at Windsor Castle.
Arabel Lebrusan, a jewelry expert, agreed the ring had changed and indicated it had been adjusted to make the original diamonds appear larger.
Arabel, owner of the ethical jewelry brand Arabel Lebrusan, called the thinner band a popular trend, revealing: 'Many celebrities do this, as the central stone looks bigger in comparison getting the wow factor.'
The difference in the band was noted by the jewelry expert, who stated, 'She now has little diamonds set down the sides of her engagement ring and the band also seems thinner than before.'
She also stated that the brilliant band only served to highlight Meghan's gems, saying, 'The diamond setting on the band looks like micro-set, this means there is very little metal in between the stones maximizing the sparkle of the tiny diamonds.'
Arabel continued that she thought a new style suited the Duchess' style 'perfectly', saying: 'It does suit her style perfectly, and it fits her dainty fingers as well.'
The alterations may have been made to match Meghan's eternity ring, according to Leora Moreno, owner of the jewelry firm Leo With Love.
She explained: 'It looks like the eternity ring has a channel pavé setting. The engagement ring looks to have an even smaller pavé setting, but perfectly matches the eternity band.'
The jeweler went on to state that the adjustment was complex, requiring 'fine skill and craftsmanship to change the band to something more delicate like a pavé setting.'
She added that that the modern style would suit Meghan for 'years to come' and was 'the perfect combination of eye-catching and dainty'.
Omid Scobie said in 2022's Finding Freedom that the Duke changed Meghan's ring.
In the biography, jeweler-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz said:
“„He's the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.- Lorraine Schwartz
'So much so that Harry also considered to have Lorraine adjust and reset Meghan's engagement ring with a new diamond band,' the authors wrote.
However, observant royal fans have noticed that Meghan's engagement ring has gone missing once again in recent weeks.
The Duchess of Cambridge was observed jogging alone near their $14 million Montecito mansion last week, just hours after King Charles' coronation.
Meghan was joined by friends Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak on a fresh-air adventure in California on Sunday, after celebrating her son Archie's birthday on Saturday.
The mystery of Meghan's missing engagement ring
She was not, however, wearing her gleaming diamond ring for the event.
The gems went stolen for the second time Friday night when she arrived at the Ms. Foundation for Women's 50th anniversary celebration at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.
Meghan wore only her wedding band, which is yellow gold to match Prince Harry's, and an eternity ring, which she began wearing after her son Archie was born.
It's unclear why the ring, which had long been a permanent feature on Meghan's hand save during her second pregnancy, went missing.
The Duchess of Cambridge was attending her first public engagement with her husband Prince Harry after missing her father-in-law King Charles III's Coronation in London 11 days ago, which the Duke attended alone on May 6.
She stole the Queen's phrase last night, celebrating 'everyday acts of service' as she exhorted women to 'be the visionary of your own life' while accepting a feminist award at a New York event - a boost to her relaunch in the United States.
'It's never too late to start,' the Duchess reminded the audience. You have the ability to be the visionary of your own life.
You can chart a course in which what you repeat in your daily acts of service, kindness, advocacy, grace, and fairness become the very things recognized by the next wave of women, young and old, who will also choose this moment to join the movement and make our vision for an equitable world a reality.'
Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, accompanied the couple yesterday in California.
And the Duchess' views on service were noteworthy, given that her brother-in-law, Prince William, paid tribute to Charles'service' during the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle the day after the event on May 7.
William had said: "For all that celebrations are magnificent, at the heart of the pageantry is a simple message. Service."
"My father's first words on entering Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a pledge to continue to serve."
On May 8, at the end of the bank holiday weekend, Charles delivered a message declaring that he and Queen Camilla would rededicate our life to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the kingdoms, and the commonwealth'.
And Queen Elizabeth II famously declared on her 21st birthday in 1947, still Princess Elizabeth, in a speech broadcast on the radio from South Africa:
“„I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.- Princess Elizabeth
Meghan's statements also recalled when she and Harry delivered a statement in February 2021 after Buckingham Palace declared they would step down as working royals, saying: 'We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.'
The Duchess's relaunch, called 'Meghan 2.0,' has already seen her speak about mental healthwith children in Santa Barbara and dine with Hollywood heavyweights such as Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow.