Meghan Markle’s Royal Rings
Meghan Markle is a former actress, most well known for her role in the TV show Suits. She is now the Duchess of Sussex, married to Prince Harry of the British Royal Family. They began dating in July of 2016 and were engaged in November 2017. They got married on May 19, 2018, with the second royal wedding of the decade.
Engagement Ring
Prince Harry proposed to his now-wife with a trilogy ring, featuring a 2.5 carat cushion cut diamond as the center stone. The side stones, small round diamonds, come from Princess Diana’s private collection. That, plus Harry’s choice of a Botswana diamond, make this ring über personal for the couple.
Each side stone weighs just under one carat, perfectly in balance with the larger center stone. The yellow-gold band, originally plain, was Meghan’s choice. Although white gold is trendier right now, yellow gold is timelessly beautiful and perfectly suited to the Duchess’s style and role.
After Meghan’s first pregnancy, Harry took the engagement ring in to be resized, upgrading the band to have small pave stones.
If you want a ring that looks like Meghan’s, you have a few options. Keyzar’s round three-stone Liv resembles her original engagement ring. The Kristen ring has a similar look, with side stones extending around the band.
To complete Meghan’s style without a pave band on the engagement ring, you could pair it with a pave wedding band, such as Keyzar’s Sofia and Helen bands. Meghan herself wears a plain wedding band made of Welsh gold, which is very, very rare and very, very expensive. Keyzar sells a variety of wedding bands, including plain ones of 14k and 18k gold, all of which are more accessible than what the British royalty wears.
Cushion Cut Diamonds
Choosing a cushion cut diamond for the center stone shows that Prince Harry knows how to design a ring fit for a queen—er, Duchess, that is. The cushion’s large facets mean it has high levels of brilliance and fire, aka sparkle. It’s also very durable because of the rounded edges. They’re less likely to chip or crack than cuts with straight edges and sharp corners.
Cushion cuts date back to the 1700s, and were so popular in the 19th century that most stones were cut using this style. That means that some of the most famous diamonds, including the Hope Diamond and Regent Diamond, were cut using a version of the cushion cut. Modern day mining tools and abilities mean that today’s cushion cut diamonds aren’t exactly the same as early ones, but the end result is the same: a lovely, classic diamond that reflects light beautifully. Combine that with Meghan’s yellow-gold band, and you can easily design a ring with elements of vintage glamor that suit the modern bride.
Eternity Band
After the birth of her first child, Archie, in May 2019, Meghan began wearing an eternity ring with the family’s birthstones on the underside. Although the birthstones are personal to the family, you can emulate her channel-set ring with some options from Keyzar.
Channel settings have the diamonds set almost like they’re on a track, with the band on either side. This is different from a pave, where each stone is separated by prongs or bezels. But rest assured: the diamonds are held securely, even without prongs. Keyzar offers a few different styles of eternity rings, including a few that are similar to Meghan’s. Emma is channel set, while Jessica and Helen both look similar despite not being channel rings.
Things to Keep In Mind
Cushion cut diamonds are beautiful and durable. But because of its facets and structure, this cut shows color and flaws more clearly. This is great if you want a colored diamond; not so much if you’re going for colorless. Fortunately, these are easily avoidable problems. Pay attention to the ratings of the diamond you choose, and you can be sure to find the perfect stone.
Meghan’s center diamond weighs 2.5 carats, which is manageable even for those of us without a prince’s budget. Keyzar offers natural and lab grown diamonds as well as moissanite, so you can have options with various price ranges.
As for the eternity band, there are a few considerations. Many people find the circle of diamonds to be uncomfortable, and they aren’t resizeable like plain bands. And even if you can set those potential issues aside, a lot of ring wearers worry about stones loosening and falling out. And sure, that’s something to think about with any ring, especially ones with small stones. But Keyzar promises high quality materials and processes, as well as a lifetime warranty. If anything happens to your ring, we’ll make sure it gets back to tip-top shape. Keyzar’s website and simple online ordering make it easy to design your dream ring—why not base it off the Duchess of Sussex?
