At the 71st Miss Universe pageant in January, not only will a winner be announced, but she will get to wear a new crown, crafted by Lebanese jewellery brand Mouawad.
The crown, called Force for Good, was unveiled at a glitzy event in Bangkok on Monday by Fred Mouawad, the "co-guardian" of the Beirut-founded brand, as well as the Miss Universe Organisation's new Thai owner Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip.
Former Miss Universe title holders Natalie Glebova (2005) from Canada and Thailand's Apasra Hongsakula (1965), also attended the event.
"The Force for Good crown is a work of extraordinary craftsmanship. It's a crown filled with symbolism. And we hope it will inspire not only the winners, but all of you to be a force for good," Mouawad said at the presentation, adding that the crown represents "a future forged by women who push the limits of what's possible".
Embedded with 110 carats of blue sapphires and 48 carats of white diamonds, the Force for Good crown features wave-like curls at the base, that emulates a serpent's head, "symbolising the challenges involved in swaying opponents," a description by Mouawad reads.
The colour gradiant of the predominantly white diamond base then changes to the blue of sapphires towards the top where a blue pear-shaped sapphire sits at the pinnacle, representing hope for a brighter future.
Founded in 1908 in Beirut and now with its headquarters in Geneva, Mouawad has been crafting one-of-a-kind pieces for royal families as well as the wealthy for four generations. It became the official jeweller for Miss Universe in 2019 when it crafted the crown for the winner of the title, South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi.
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Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe -
Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa 2019, is crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, USA. Miss Universe
Called The Power of Unity, the crown, estimated to be between $4 million and $5 million, has been passed on to successive winners. Miss Universe 2021, India's Harnaaz Sandhu will be the last one to wear it.
"We thought, 'What can we do that's in line with our heritage, something majestic that would have a very wide exposure?'," Mouawad told The National in a previous interview, referring to how his company's relationship with the Miss Universe Organisation began.
"And we thought of Miss Universe, because we are, after all, jewellers to royalty. So why don't we use our know-how to also create a crown for the most beautiful women in the world?"
Estimated to be worth $5.5 million, the Force for Good crown comes amid a host of changes at the 70-year-old Miss Universe competition.
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Miss Universe 2021, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, wearing the Power of Unity crown crafted by Lebanese jeweller Mouawad. EPA -
Featuring interwoven petals, leaves and vines all crafted in 18-karat gold and set with white diamonds, the highlight of the Power of Unity crown is a 62.83 carat canary diamond placed in the centre. Photo: Mouawad -
The Miss Universe Power of Unity crown is valued at between $4 million and $5 million. Photo: Mouawad -
Fred Mouawad is the co-guardian of Mouawad, in partnership with his brothers Alain and Pascal. Photo: Mouawad -
Mouawad also designs the crown for Miss Universe Thailand. For 2022, its creation is named the Power of Resilience crown. Photo: Mouawad -
Fred Mouawad at the unveiling of the Power of Resilience crown for Miss Universe Thailand. Photo: Mouawad -
Miss Universe Thailand 2022, Anna Sueangam-iam, wearing the Power of Resilience crown. Photo: Miss Universe -
Miss Universe 2020, Andrea Meza, right, crowns India's Harnaaz Sandhu as Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant in December. AP -
Andrea Meza winning the Miss Universe 2020 crown at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on May 16, 2021 in Hollywood, Florida. Getty Images -
Miss Universe 2020, Andrea Meza of Mexico, at the Empire State Building in New York May 2021. AP -
Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa, was the first to wear the Mouawad Power of Unity crown. Photo: Miss Universe -
Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi with the Power of Unity crown. Photo: Mouawad
The organisation made history in August when it announced it was making one of the biggest changes to its selection process. Starting next year, the annual competition will accept married women and mothers. Previously, only single women, aged between 18 and 28, who have never been married or had children were allowed to apply.
In October, Jakrajutatip acquired the Miss Universe Organisation from IMG through her company JKN Global Group where she serves as chief executive.
JKN, which owns a portfolio of broadcast and media titles, said the deal will build on the pageant's legacy and further its commitment to inclusivity. There are also plans to expand the Miss Universe brand, including the launch of MU Lifestyle, a new licensing and merchandising arm.
Miss Universe has changed ownership a number of times since the first pageant was held in 1952. Former US president Donald Trump bought it in 1996 and sold it to global events and talent company IMG in 2015.
The global event is one of the longest-running and most-watched beauty competitions in the world; it is broadcast in 165 countries and seen by more than half a billion people annually.
Scroll through the gallery below for Miss Universe 2022 beauty queens who have been crowned so far, everywhere from Turkey to Italy
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Miss Universe Turkey 2022 is Aleyana Sirin. Photo: Instagram / Aleyanasirinn -
Miss Universe Italy 2022 is Virginia Stablum. Photo: / Instagram / Virginia.Stablum -
Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan 2022 is Altynai Botoyarova. Photo: Instagram / botoyarova_altynai -
Evlin Khalifa, 24, is the second Miss Universe Bahrain. Photo: Miss Universe Bahrain -
Miss Universe Spain, Alicia Faubel, comes from Alicante and has lived in Dubai and the Philippines. Photo: Instagram / alicia.aliccia -
Divita Rai, 23, winner of India's Miss Diva Universe 2022. Photo: Miss Diva -
Sophiya Bhujel was crowned Oriflame Miss Universe Nepal 2022. Photo: Miss Universe Nepal -
Ndavi Nokeri, winner of Miss Universe South Africa 2022. Photo: Miss South Africa -
Anna Sueangam-iam was named Miss Universe Thailand 2022. Photo: Miss Universe -
Balsam Hussein when she was declared Miss Iraq 2022. Azhar Al-Rubaie for The National -
Yasmina Zaytoun after being crowned Miss Lebanon 2022 at Forum De Beirut. EPA -
Noky Simbani was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain 2022. Photo: Instagram / Miss Universe Great Britain -
Miss Ukraine 2022 is Viktoria Apanasenko, first runner-up from last year's contest. There was no pageant held this year owing to the war in the country. Photo: Instagram / Viktoria Apanasenko -
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau has been named Miss Universe Vietnam 2022. Photo: Facebook / Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau -
Filipino-Italian beauty queen Celeste Cortesi was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 in Manila. EPA-EFE -
Bhutan is marking its pageant debut this year and Tashi Choden is the country's first beauty queen. Photo: Tashi Choden -
Laksmi Suardana took the Puteri Indonesia 2022 crown, becoming the first contestant from Bali to enter Miss Universe. Photo: Laksmi Shari De Neefe Suardana -
Miss Universe Ghana 2022 Engracia Afua K Mofuman was one of the first women to be crowned in 2022, in order to compete in the 71st Miss Universe pageant. Photo: Engracia Mofuman -
Hanna Kim, from Seoul, will represent South Korea in the next Miss Universe pageant. Photo: Hanna Ming -
The first and last time the Seychelles competed in Miss Universe was 1995 and so, after that 27-year hiatus, Gabriella Gonthier, from Mahe, will be representing her home country. Photo: Gabriella Gonthier/ Miss University Africa -
Amelia Tu, from Vancouver, winner of Miss Universe Canada 2022. Photo: Miss Universe Canada -
Miss Universe Jamaica 2022, Toshami Calvin, 26, is the cousin of Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh. Photo: Instagram / officialmissuniversejamaica
