The jewellery designer Shaun Leane has had quite a day of fielding phone calls after news dropped this morning that he had been personally chosen by Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi to design Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring. But he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. He’s heard from the groom and the bride, thankfully, is ‘over the moon’. ‘My first question is always, ‘Are they happy and does it fit?!’ says Shaun. ‘She loves the ring and she’s so happy.’
Edoardo found Shaun after a friend’s recommendation. ‘He was suggested to me by a very close friend of his, who I made an engagement ring and wedding ring for,’ he tells me and describes the commision as ‘an honour’. ‘This was special, I must admit, this was special,’ says Shaun. ‘Edo was a lovely gentleman and was so passionate about it.’
It’s certainly a special ring, with a round diamond at the centre and twin baguette diamonds set either side. ‘He knew that he wanted a round stone and he really wanted me to incorporate elements of them both into the ring,’ says Shaun. ‘That’s why the design ended up being a fusion of two eras because Princess Beatrice likes the Victorian aesthetic in jewellery and Edo likes the Art Deco.’
Shaun has been a firm favourite of the fashion pack since working with Alexander McQueen for 20 years and crafting pieces like a white-gold diamond glove for Daphne Guinness, but has since attracted a royal fan club.
The Duchess of Sussex is a repeat-wearer of his Talon earrings, in silver and gold vermeil, and his Serpents Trace bracelet. ‘Meghan is so elegant, so confident, so beautiful - she’s everything the Shaun Leane woman is,’ says Shaun, while also admitting that getting the royal assent was a game-changing moment for his business. ‘When you have celebrities wearing your jewellery, you get these spikes and this amazing attention. When someone like Meghan or Princess Beatrice wears your work, it’s a totally different energy. You obviously get a spike, but that spike lasts a lot longer. It really does reach a much larger global audience.’
Now the ring's sorted, there's only one question worth asking. Who's going to design the dress?
Celebrities who don't wear wedding rings
1 of 6Prince William
Prince William doesn't wear a wedding ring, apparently, according to the palace, because of 'personal preference. His brother Harry does however wear one.
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2 of 6Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Neither Will nor Jada wear wedding rings, but they've been married since 1997, so it doesn't seem to be causing them any major problems.
3 of 6David Cameron
David and Sam Cam have been married since 1996, but he doesn't wear a wedding ring. When he was PM people made quite a lot out of the fact that he wore neither a ring nor a watch.
4 of 6Beyonce and Jay-Z
Neither Bey nor Jay wears a wedding ring. They've never said why.
5 of 6Olivia Palermo
Olivia Palermo doesn't wear a wedding ring, though she does wear her canary yellow engagement ring. It's possible that the stone on the engagement ring is too big to fit a wedding band with it.
6 of 6Ivanka Trump
Donald Trump doesn't wear a wedding ring, and neither does his daughter Ivanka. She does wear a ring on her right ring finger, which may well serve the same purpose. In some cultures the right ring finger is for your wedding ring, rather than the right.