Meghan Markle and Prince Harry returned to New York this week to headline the Archewell Foundation’s Parents’ Summit.
Meghan Markle was once reluctant to be seen without her £270,000 engagement ring as she and Prince Harry discussed the importance of protecting children online.
The Duke of Sussex personally designed the piece, which he presented to the former actress when he popped the question in 2017.
The ring features a large centre-cut diamond and two smaller diamonds from the iconic jewellery collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Duchess of Sussex has repeatedly sparked speculation about the state of the piece after she was photographed on several occasions without the iconic ring on her left ring finger.
However, gemologist and design expert Joanna Wyganowska argued that Meghan’s decision not to wear the precious piece for her visit to New York could simply be pragmatic.
She suggested the Duchess probably sees the ring as “too precious” to wear every day, and instead only wants to wear it on “special occasions”.
Wyganowska said: “Meghan Markle’s engagement ring was one of the most anticipated and widely celebrated pieces of jewellery in recent years, when Harry proposed in 2017.
The three-stone diamond ring is a triumph of classic yet contemporary design, featuring a large, elongated cushion-cut diamond, estimated to be between 3 and 4 carats, flanked by two round brilliant cuts.
“Meghan Markle’s engagement ring is estimated to have cost between £200,000 and £270,000.”
The Queensmith expert noted that Meghan could also be concerned about “damage or loss”, given the “extremely sentimental” nature of the ring.
Wyganowska also suggested the piece could simply have been serviced, as she said the diamonds needed regular checks – or Meghan may have needed to have her ring resized.
She added: “It’s very common for us to need to have our engagement rings serviced as we change throughout our lives. It’s not uncommon for engagement rings to need to be resized over the years.
“An engagement ring is something that can be worn on a daily basis and therefore can be damaged, for example a setting can come loose.
“As Harry proposed to Megan 6 years ago, it may well be that she is simply having the ring serviced.”
The Duke is believed to have started searching for a potential ring for Meghan as early as May 2017, and was looking for conflict-free stones during a visit to Botswana.
