This is the message Meghan Markle is conveying through her jewellery

meghan markle jewellery
(Image credit: Getty)

The Duchess of Sussex, like other royals, has become adept at choosing jewellery (and clothes) with meaning, such as the Oprah interview necklace that is said to be a peace offering to the royal family.

However, one of Meghan's jewellery designers says there is actually a broader, and much more important, message she is trying to convey.

Erica Bianchini is the designer behind the label Ecksand, known for the pink sapphire ring the Duchess wore recently for Spotify's virtual event, paired with an Oscar de la Renta lemon print dress.

The Montreal-based brand is known for its ethical practices, such as using gold recycled in Canada which offers customers a 100 year warranty.

Meghan has long been an advocate of sustainable fashion, and by choosing to wear ethical jewellery brands, she is furthering her goal for a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Speaking to Insider, Bianchini said, 'By wearing an Ecksand ring she's reminding the world to be conscious of what we choose to wear when it comes to those sustainable values. Meghan Markle is a working woman, who is saying you should love what you wear and make sure it aligns with your values.'

'In one photo she may have literally educated more [people] than we could have in five years,' she added.

Bianchini added that Meghan would be true to her own style now that she's settled back in California.

'Now, more than we've ever seen in the past, she's just gonna do her thing, choose what she likes, and she won't be influenced by money, opinion, or stylists. She's going to be true to what she believes in, and I think that's really the message,' she added.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.