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

An antique cushion cut laboratory grown diamond, set low in a scalloped head with an openwork gallery beneath it, on a thin plain band. The stone has the small table and high crown of a nineteenth century cut, so it throws broad flashes of coloured light rather than the fine even sparkle of a modern brilliant.

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: Low scalloped head with a pierced decorative gallery, on a thin plain shank
• Accent stones: None, the centre stone stands alone
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The antique cushion

Before electric light, diamonds were cut for candlelight: a small table, a tall crown, a deep pavilion and large facets that returned a few big flashes instead of many small ones. The cushion was the standard shape for most of that period. An antique cushion keeps those proportions rather than the modern ones, which is why it looks softer and warmer than a contemporary cut and why it does so much more under a low lamp than under a shop light.

The pierced gallery

Underneath, the head is cut through with arches instead of left solid. Openwork like this was routine on Victorian and Edwardian rings. It lets light into the pavilion of the stone from below, and it turns the side view, which most settings ignore, into the most worked part of the ring.

Set low, worn easily

The head sits close to the finger rather than lifted on a tall basket. That makes the ring steadier, stops it catching on clothing, and lets a wedding band sit flat against it. It also puts the stone and the shank on one plane, so the ring reads as a single piece rather than as a diamond mounted on a hoop.

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. Yellow gold is photographed here and is the honest choice for an antique reference, since old rings were rarely white. 10K is the hardest alloy, 14K the everyday balance, 18K the deepest colour. 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. An antique cut has a large open table and a shallow crown angle, so colour shows readily in it, which is one reason we fix the grade at E rather than offering a range.

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. The gallery is pierced and filed by hand after the head is formed, and the claws are drawn onto the rounded corners of the cushion where the stone is thickest. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush up through the pierced gallery from underneath. An antique cut has a deep pavilion, so dirt under the stone dulls it faster than it would a shallow modern cut. 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.

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

Will a wedding band sit flush against it? Yes, unusually well. The head sits low and the shank is straight.

Can it be resized? Yes, freely. The band is plain all the way round.

Does an antique cushion look smaller than a modern one? At the same carat weight, slightly. An antique cut carries more of its weight in depth rather than spread, so it faces up a little smaller but with noticeably more character.

Will it sparkle less? It sparkles differently. Fewer, larger flashes and more coloured fire, rather than the fine continuous glitter of a modern brilliant.

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