Eternity Rings: Meghan and Harry’s Inspiration

We love Meghan.

Her style, her poise and her glamour are seamless, even when she’s a new mum who has had barely any sleep but still manages to drag herself out of her pyjamas to get in a glittering carriage and face the world at the royals’ annual Trooping of the Colour.

And luckily for the Duchess of Sussex, it wasn’t just her chic navy outfit from her wedding dress designer Givenchy that got the public talking at her first appearance since giving birth, it was the stunning eternity ring she was wearing: a gift from her devoted husband Harry to celebrate the birth of their son Archie in May and a year of their marriage.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ride by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England.

Normally given at special moments in a relationship – the birth of a child or an anniversary – an eternity ring (or an infinity ring as it can also be known) is a seen as a symbol of a couple’s never-ending love for each other.

Originally developed by diamond merchants DeBeers in the 1960s as a design that was suited for smaller stones (of which they had many!) and would also allow for alternative gemstones. There was even a campaign slogan aimed at husbands: "She married you for richer or poorer. Let her know how it’s going."

Multicoloured diamond eternity bands in white, yellow and rose gold

Marilyn Monroe was one of the first women to wear an eternity ring during her short-lived marriage to Joe DiMaggio – and luckily despite the screen icon’s bad luck with men, the trend has continued and women (and now even some men) are wearing eternity rings, and many of our clients design their engagement ring and wedding bands with the intention of adding an eternity band in time.

Choosing an eternity ring can be a really special process for a couple and we work closely with our clients to ensure their design holds a deeper meaning that really symbolises their relationship.

Black & white diamond and green emerald eternity bands

For Harry, it wasn’t simply a gift (or ‘push present’ as they can also be known as). He worked on the design and chose stones for the ring to represent the birthstones of his new family – green emerald for Archie, blue sapphire for Harry and a green peridot stone for the Duchess. And aside from the hidden meaning in the gems, the stones also represented their own meaning and significance. Sapphires to protect those you love, peridots instil power in those that wear them and emeralds symbolise love.

All wonderful sentiments for a new family to take with them.

Introducing an eternity ring also meant a redesign for Meghan’s original wedding band, transforming it from a simple gold band to a pave diamond band to complement her new piece. Many of our clients have also refreshed their look when they introduce an eternity ring or designed their ring to match what is already existing.

Other design options we consider with our clients is whether they choose a full or half-eternity ring (stones that go all the way round or just on the face). Many find the full ring difficult to wear and keep clean while others enjoy a wave that sparkles (like Markle’s!).