Welcome to another episode of everything has meaning with Meghan Markle . Just when it seems conceivable that the royal might actually firmly retire her Emilia Wickstead cape dresses and Audrey Hepburn-inspired Givenchy for a quiet life of jam-making in Anine Bing shirts and La Ligne jeans, Meghan hops back on the public circuit once more. This time around, the Duchess is in Colombia with Prince Harry, where the couple is expected to learn about projects safeguarding young people from online harm, while enjoying a few of South America’s cultural highlights.
For a stop-off at the Delia Zapata National Arts Center in Bogota, Meghan wore a striking geometric Johanna Ortiz dress honouring the weaving work of the Native American Navajo tribe. While the richly woven design showed the level of research that Team Markle had undertaken to nod to her host region (Ortiz is one of Colombia’s most celebrated fashion talents), Meghan’s accessories represented the Montecito mogul-in-the-making through and through. A pair of Jimmy Choos is a prerequisite in any A-lister’s suitcase, while a smattering of Cartier jewellery is a subtle signifier of wealth that’s loaded with meaning.
Markle rarely takes off her Tank watch – the same timepiece worn by Princess Diana – or her Love bracelet – the ultimate status symbol for a certain kind of aspirational woman – but her Juste Un Clou choker is a more recent addition to her jewellery box that’s saved for certain occasions, such as the Invictus Games. Emulating the look of a nail wrapped around the skin, the Juste Un Clou collection started life as simply “the nail bracelet” in 1971, and demonstrated the jeweller’s dexterity at transforming a simple household object into a precious treasure. Channelling the rebellious spirit of the decade was remarkable at the time for Cartier designer Aldo Cipullo, who rebuked traditional jewellery processes by stripping things back and practising a minimalism not yet popularised.
The bracelet enjoyed a new surge in popularity in the 2000s, when it was renamed “Just un Clou” (which translates as “just a nail”) in honour of its punk undertones, and joined by necklaces, rings and brooches. Today, Markle’s choker (hers is the small yellow gold version set with 57 diamonds totalling 0.20 carats) retails for upwards of £12,000, which when coupled with her Tank and Love pieces is not an insignificant sum – particularly on a state visit when every personal effect is scrutinised for its deeper significance.
The hybrid Cali-CEO-meets-thoughtful-traveller look followed the neat navy Veronica Beard coords Meghan wore to touch down in Colombia. Teamed with Manolos, a Loro Piana tote and Lorraine Schwartz diamonds, as well as her keepsake Cartier watch and bracelet, Markle’s business separates once again signalled an ambitious entrepreneur, who has always gone her own way. Her carefully curated jewellery shows this more than ever.
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