The Duchess of Sussex has an extensive collection of rings, and they've been widely discussed by the public ever since she and Prince Harry got engaged in 2017. The 44-year-old has tweaked original designs, added extra bands, and even experimented with ring etiquette over the years, wearing her stack in non-traditional ways. And now, her special stones are back in the headlines once again.
After the royal couple appeared at the 75th All-Star NBA game on 15 February, royal style watchers couldn't help but notice the new ring on her right hand, which featured an even bigger pear-shaped diamond set into a gold band than her gorgeous engagement ring.
© Getty ImagesMonique Daniels Daw, the head of manufacturing at London-based jewellery house Queensmith who has 13 years of experience in the jewellery industry including designing her own jewellery, exclusively spoke to HELLO! about the ring, giving us her take on how it fits into current ring trends, as well as an estimated valuation.
She told us: "Meghan’s latest ring appears to be a trendy pear cut diamond. The stone looks on the warmer side, placing it within the lower end of the colour spectrum, and is estimated at approximately 5 carats.
"It is set on a sleek solitaire band, which appears to be yellow gold, complementing the warm tones of the diamond," the jewellery expert continued.
The jeweller noted that the diamond is on the "lower end of the colour grade scale," which means that it is much more likely to be a natural diamond than a lab-grown one, a sustainable choice that would align with the Duchess's eco-conscious values.
© Getty Images"A natural diamond of this size and colour would likely be valued in the region of £140,000 (or $189,519.40 USD)," she concluded. "If lab-grown, the cost would be significantly lower, around £8,000."
Meghan Markle's ring collection
The Duchess of Sussex's incredibly iconic ring stack is worth an estimated total of £210,000, according to Maxwell Stone, the jewellery expert at Steven Stone, who previously explained to HELLO!: "Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle in 2017 with a custom-designed three-stone engagement ring featuring a 3-carat cushion-cut diamond from Botswana and two smaller diamonds from Princess Diana’s jewellery collection."
He added: "Over a year later, Meghan updated the ring by replacing the original yellow gold band with a diamond-studded one. The ring features high-quality stones with exceptional clarity, thus, I’d value it at approximately £120,000."
