Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement, along with celebration and cheer, brought with it a beautifully crafted piece of jewelry adorning Markle’s finger, an artisan piece befitting the new Duchess of Sussex. The keen observers amongst you may have noticed that the engagement ring has been altered slightly, but what was the reason for its adjustment?
Meghan Markle hasn’t commented on her reasons for changing her wedding ring but potentially made the change to suit her other rings. The amendment of the ring came together with the receiving of her eternity ring.
The debut of Markle’s original engagement ring had everyone following the royal wedding in awe, a custom-designed piece by her husband-to-be, regarded by everyone to be nearly perfect. That’s why it was a little bit of a shock when Markle was suddenly showcasing an entirely different design on the band of the ring.
The Original Ring
Almost everyone loves to see a royal wedding, it’s a cultural phenomenon that draws eyes from all across the globe. It’s an event that keeps on giving, at least in terms of the news, with every significant detail of the wedding being thoroughly documented and reported by the media.
Naturally, one of the most important nuggets of information about the happy couple, not only to jewelry aficionados but the public at large, was the engagement ring that Markle received. An inspiring piece painstakingly planned to the last detail by Harry himself, the ring was a huge hit with Markle.
The ring was adorned with a symbolic three diamond arrangement, symbolic of past, present, and future. In addition to the symbolism, the diamonds were pieces from Harry’s mother Diana’s collection, a thoughtful way to include his late mother at the wedding celebrations.
Although she eventually had the ring altered, it certainly wasn’t for any feelings of unhappiness about the jewelry. Markle was overwhelmingly happy with the ring, glowing with positivity when talking about how much both the ring and her husband’s efforts meant to her.
So if that was the case, why would Markle get the ring altered?
Matching Styles
Markle hasn’t directly commented about the change in the ring, but various sources indicate that the style switch-up was a joint effort between herself and Harry. It also coincided with her receiving a new eternity ring, commemorating both the anniversary of her marriage and the birth of her first child.
The band of the ring was originally a thick gold but was changed to look slimmer and decorated with extra diamonds. The main attraction of the ring, Diana’s diamonds, remain exactly as they were.
While the original was a gorgeous piece of jewelry, it’s hard to deny that the new design matches her newest additions perfectly, so much so that it’s easy to see why that would be her primary reasoning for the redesign.
There is one other potential theory about the reasoning behind the change, mainly stemming from the fact that it’s unknown when exactly the ring was altered. Since Markle was pregnant around the time that the new ring was unveiled, it’s within the realms of possibility that her body had simply changed in a way that made the ring uncomfortable to wear.
Tradition and Controversy
Unfortunately, when you’re as prolific a public figure as Markle is, in a post with decades of rules and traditions to follow, even doing something as simple as changing up a piece of jewelry isn’t an easy task.
Her accessories choices stirred up a little bit of controversy and ire from various public figures and news outlets, all on the basis that jewelry worn by a member of the royal family becomes a piece of history.
If you’ve got the public eye on you, then a lot of the time it doesn’t matter how big or small the decision that you make is, even when it’s involving something as personal to you as your own wedding ring.
Whether or not Markle changed the ring out of necessity, out of a change in style, or just on a whim, at least it’s still looking as elegant as ever. If she modifies it again or keeps it the same, it’s likely that the dazzling three-diamond feature of the ring will never go out of fashion.