Jewelry Judge Blog
July 27th, 2015
Rolene Strauss, the South African beauty who earned the Miss World 2014 crown in December, added some new bling to her bounty when she accepted a diamond engagement ring from her longtime beau D'Niel Strauss on Friday.

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The fourth-year medical student — who oddly shares the surname of her fiancé — proudly showed off her engagement ring with a selfie on Instagram. The photo instantly sparked international media attention and 6,579 likes.

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The oval diamond is set in a delicate diamond pavé band crafted in yellow gold. We're estimating that the white center diamond weighs 1 to 1.25 carats.

"I am so happy that I get to live my dream as Miss World whilst celebrating love," Rolene told the Miss World organization. "I look forward to the next five months continuing my journey as Miss World, spreading the message of unity, freedom, and most importantly, LOVE.”

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Rolene was among 122 contestants who competed for the coveted title this year in an extravaganza that was seen by a worldwide television audience of more than 1 billion.

The 23-year-old TV personality and model is currently traveling the world as the reigning Miss World and will reportedly marry her fiancé in 2016 once she has completed her pageant duties. D'Niel Strauss is a fellow South African and the founder of Orientis Venture Capital. The couple has been together for three years.

The new Miss World captioned her Instagram post with an inspirational verse from the Bible: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ~

The Miss World organization congratulated the couple with a post on the official Miss World web site. "On behalf of all of us at the Miss World office, many congratulations and we wish you both all the happiness in the future," wrote Miss World Chairman Julia Morley. "With love and best wishes from all of us at the Miss World Office."

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The Byzantine-style Miss World crown is an eye-catching combination of blue and white gemstones that evokes the sense of royalty. Unfortunately, the Miss World pageant has published no information on the value of the crown, the colored gemstones used in the design or the type of metal in which they're set. We might assume that the light blue stones are turquoise, the dark blue stones are sapphires (or a lower-cost simulant) and the white stones are likely cubic zirconia or crystals. The setting seems to be yellow gold.

"I don't know how to thank everyone for their kind messages and words of congratulations after announcing my engagement to the most wonderful person I know!" Rolene noted in a recent Facebook post. "It is an honor and privilege for me to share this joyful time with each and every one of you."

Credits: MissWorld.com; Instagram/Rolene Strauss; Getty Images.