‘Heart-warming’ reason behind Zara Tindall’s ‘understated’ engagement ring, and how it set her and Mike Tindall up for wedded bliss

Zara and Mike Tindall are celebrating their 11th anniversary this weekend (July 30). As the couple celebrate another year of wedded bliss, we look back at the significance of the engagement ring Mike presented to Zara, and why its ‘understated’ vibe was a ‘heart-warming’ gesture that proved how well Mike knew his bride-to-be.

• Zara and Mike Tindall are celebrating their 11th wedding anniversary today (July 30), and diamond experts have reappraised the significance and value of Zara’s engagement ring
• Relatively understated, Zara’s ring was chosen specifically to fit around her active lifestyle
• In other royal news, the only people to leave tennis prodigy Emma Raducanu ‘starstruck’ were these two royals

Zara and Mike Tindall got married on this weekend back in 2011, but if their body language at Ascot is anything to go by, they’re still as mad about each other as the day they met.

As the two celebrate their anniversary, jewelry experts have looked back at how the choice of engagement ring said a lot about Mike’s understanding of his bride-to-be, and the “heart-warming” reason the relatively low-key ring showed a real concerted effort to think about what Zara would need.

Leading diamond expert, Maxwell Stone of Steven Stone, told woman&home, “It’s heart-warming to see how much thought Mike Tindall put into Zara’s engagement ring design – particularly the decision to have a low profile setting, ensuring that she doesn’t have to remove the previous gem to complete in equestrian events.”

“Boasting a 1.5 carat round diamond, Zara’s ring is a stunner, but like her mother’s engagement ring, it’s notably understated in comparison to other famous engagement rings – allowing her to wear it on a day to day basis, which is perfect for her active lifestyle.”

They estimated that Zara’s engagement ring has an estimated value of around $18,000.

The diamond experts also commented on the similarities between Zara’s ring and that of her mother’s, Princess Anne.

Maxwell explained, “Princess Anne's rings have a vintage, Art-Deco style, while Zara's is much more modern. However, the mother-daughter duo’s rings do have “one thing in common”.

“Both Princess Anne's and Zara's rings are notably understated in comparison to other royal engagement rings. They contain much smaller stones.” They use Catherine’s 12 carat ring and Meghan Markle’s 3.8 carat ring as comparison.

Zara took after her mother by competing at the Olympics, so their shared attitude towards jewelry could suggest an emphasis on functionality and practicality.