How U.S. Women’s National Team Soccer Player Allie Long Replaced Her Stolen Ring

By Shayna Seid

This past summer, USWNT player Allie Long was riding a high from helping her team win another World Cup, receiving a key to New York City from Mayor Bill de Blasio, and accepting an ESPY when she realized after the awards show that someone had gone into her room at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles and stolen the N.Y.C. key, her cash, and her engagement ring! (P.S.A.: Get ring insurance!) Luckily, de Blasio replied to her Tweet—you can check out what he wrote below. As for her ring, Long worked with environmentally conscious and conflict-free diamond experts Great Heights to replace the one thing she thought was couldn’t be replicated or reproduced.

We chatted with the soccer star, who celebrated her third wedding anniversary in late October, to discuss her feelings upon discovering the ring was gone and the replacement process.

We cannot imagine how you felt when you discovered your wedding ring was stolen. Can you describe what happened and how you quickly realized it was missing?

“The emotions were surreal and everything in the moment happened so fast. I removed my ring because my finger was swollen after being kicked in the knuckle during the World Cup. I vividly remember running out of my room for a quick second and left the door unhinged. When I returned to my room, the ring was gone. Lesson learned, never leave your hotel door unhinged.”

 

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Take my ring but not my mans (or medal Thank God)

A post shared by Allie Long (@allie_long_) on

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So did you end up getting the replacement key from Mayor de Blasio?

“Yes, the city and the mayor were kind enough to surprise me with a new key to the city. It meant so much to me because I was born and raised in New York so to be honored again with a new key left me speechless.”

How long after it was stolen did you think about replacing your ring?

“I thought about replacing my ring right away; however, I did not want to rush the process.”

How did you choose who to work with to create your new ring?

“I am a big believer in eco-conscious alternatives to help save our planet. Following the incident in L.A., I was introduced to the lab-grown diamond brand Great Heights by my marketing agent, Ted Yeschin at Wasserman, and was compelled by their mission to hold the diamond industry to a higher standard, with a new, environmentally conscious, and conflict-free process.”

Did you want something new in design or to recreate your stolen ring?

“I designed something new but kept lots of elements the same. My stolen ring was a rectangle princess-cut, but I wanted an emerald this time. I was able to make it a little different by adding two trapezoid side stones.”

What was the process like?

“The Great Heights team made the process very seamless. We worked collaboratively to design my ring from start to finish. We went to the drawing board to find inspiration for the design and went through several rounds of sketches, until we found the perfect ring. From there, my vision was brought to life. I am so grateful.”