Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has explained to her fans the story behind the breakage of her $250,000 USD Mikimoto Crown.
In a video posted last Tuesday, March 19 on the Miss Universe Facebook page captioned “The moment you’ve all been waiting for: The Story Behind The Broken Crown,” the 25-year-old Filipino-Australian elaborates that it was her excitement during her homecoming parade at the Araneta Center that caused part of the 500 diamonds of almost 30 carats, 120 South Sea and Ayoka pearls to fall apart.
The beauty queen stated, “So one of the things I love about the parade is that they have this moving band and they have the drums that makes me want to dance, so I end up dancing although I am not a very good dancer. But I have a confession. The Mikimoto has seen better days as a result of my dancing. I’m so sorry.” The Miss Universe Twitter page was quick to answer to their own post on social media, saying, “Don’t worry, it will be fixed in no time.”
Prior to Catriona’s admitting to breaking the crown at the parade to the public, videos already circulated of the piece falling off and the beauty queen catching it with her arm. She then hands it to Miss Universe Organization manager Esther Swan, who was morbidly surprised.
The Phoenix Mikimoto Crown is one of the prestigious pageant’s favorite prizes, named after its creator, Japanese jeweler Mikimoto. The design itself is inspired by the Fenghuang phoenix. There is no word yet whether or not the broken crown is the original or the replica, since a copy of the crown is usually used for public events.