Antique Cushion Cut Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An antique cushion cut laboratory grown diamond held in soft claws on a plain band that tapers slightly as it rises to the setting. A square stone with rounded corners, large facets and an open centre, set the way these cuts were set before modern brilliants existed.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Antique cushion cut laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Claw set on a plain tapered band
• Accent stones: None
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

What makes a cushion antique

Modern cushions are cut with many small facets to maximise brightness, the crushed ice look. An antique cushion keeps the older arrangement: fewer, larger facets, a higher crown and a more open centre. It flashes slowly and broadly rather than sparkling finely, which is the effect people mean when they call old cuts warm or candlelit. It also makes the stone look like something inherited rather than bought.

Why a plain band suits it

An antique cut has character of its own, and it does not need a halo or pave to be interesting. The band here tapers gently so the metal narrows towards the stone, which lifts it visually without raising it far off the finger.

Claws shaped to the stone

The corners of a cushion are rounded, so claws have to be formed to the curve rather than clamped on a point. Ours are filed to match, which is why they look soft rather than spiky in the photographs and why they hold a rounded corner properly.

What laboratory grown means here

A laboratory grown diamond is a diamond. It is crystallised carbon with the same cubic structure, the same 10 on the Mohs scale, the same refractive index of 2.42 and the same dispersion as a mined stone. Ours are grown by chemical vapour deposition and high pressure high temperature methods, then cut and polished by hand. This is not moissanite, not cubic zirconia and not a simulant. A gemmologist testing it will read diamond, because it is diamond.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. This ring was photographed in yellow gold, which suits an antique cut better than the whites do, but every metal is made to order and priced above. White gold is rhodium plated and will want replating every one to two years.

Every centre stone arrives IGI certified

The centre diamond is graded by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, and the certificate comes with the ring at no extra charge. It states the carat weight, the E colour grade, the VVS2 clarity grade, the measurements and the girdle inscription, and confirms in writing that the stone is laboratory grown. With no accents anywhere, that report describes the entire ring.

Made to order in our own workshop

Mapple Gems is a family run workshop in Surat, India, where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. Cutting an antique cushion takes longer than a modern one and sacrifices more of the rough, because the proportions are deeper and the facets larger. We cut ours specifically for this setting rather than adapting a modern stone. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

About the photographs

One of the photographs on the hand shows this ring worn with a plain band. That band is a separate piece and is not included.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush, brushing underneath the stone. An antique cushion is cut deep, so there is more space behind it than you would expect for hand cream to gather. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity is the diamond? Every centre stone is E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight. On an open antique cut this is more visible than on a modern brilliant.

Will it sparkle less than a modern cut? It sparkles differently. Larger facets give slower, broader flashes rather than fine glitter. Look at the photographs in daylight rather than under shop lighting, which flatters modern cuts and flattens antique ones.

Is the certificate really free? Yes. The IGI report is included in the price on every variant.

Does it look smaller than a modern stone of the same weight? Slightly, because the cut is deeper. We will send millimetre measurements before you order so you can judge properly.

Will a wedding band sit flush? Yes. The band is plain and the stone sits clear of it.

Can it be resized? Yes, at the back. One or two sizes either way is straightforward.

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