Yahoo News Meghan Markle's 'Pinky Promise' Ring Has an Empowering Hidden Meaning
Charles McQuillan/Getty Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle has some added sparkle in a new cover shoot — with an impactful twist.
The Duchess of Sussex appears alongside husband Prince Harry in TIME magazine as part of the outlet's 100 most influential people of 2021 list. She sports Shiffon's flagship Duet Pinky Ring, which features a tiny diamond beside a larger one to represent one woman supporting another through a "pinky promise." Shiffon also donates half of their profits to fund female empowerment grants.
Keeping with the Duchess of Sussex's commitment to sustainable fashion, the company's diamonds "are ethically sourced and follow conflict-free and socially responsible practices."
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The brand, which sells just a handful of projects, already has a celebrity following including Nicole Kidman, Michelle Obama and Meghan's pal Serena Williams.
Shiffon Meghan Markle's ring
Shilpa Yarlagadda started the jewelry company in her Harvard dorm room with the mission to give women equal footing.
"Our mission at Shiffon is to close that gender gap, particularly in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is about taking action and learning quickly, and we want to give women the opportunity to do that while not being afraid to take risks or fail," Shiffon says on their website. "We are optimistic that we can begin making this change. Through our efforts, we aim to financially empower a million women across the globe by 2025."
Meghan, 40, and Prince Harry, who turned 37 on Wednesday, posed together for one of TIME's seven covers for their influential people issue. The new portrait marks the first time the couple has formally posed together for a magazine cover shoot.
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"Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame," José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, writes about the couple. The non-profit, which has now delivered more than 500,000 hot meals to earthquake-stricken Haiti, is an official partner of Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation.
"It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent," Andrés adds. "That's not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are.... In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don't know, the duke and duchess have compassion for the people they don't know. They don't just opine. They run toward the struggle."
