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

An antique cut oval laboratory grown diamond held low in a scalloped setting, with an openwork gallery underneath that is cut through in arches so light passes right under the stone. The band is thin and plain. Seen from above it is quiet; seen from the side it is the most decorated part of the ring, which is exactly how rings were made before the middle of the last century.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Antique cut oval 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

What an antique cut oval is

A modern oval is cut to maximise the light returned straight back through the table. An antique cut oval is proportioned the older way: a smaller table, a higher crown and larger, fewer facets. It gives broader, slower flashes and more visible fire, the coloured light that modern cutting tends to trade away for brightness. Held still it looks calmer than a modern oval. Moved under a lamp, it does considerably more.

The pierced gallery

Under the stone the setting is cut through with arches rather than left as a solid wall. Openwork like this was standard on Edwardian and Victorian rings, partly to save metal and partly because it lets light into the pavilion of the stone from beneath. It is the kind of detail that is invisible when the ring is worn and obvious when it is taken off.

Set low

The head sits close to the finger rather than lifted on a tall basket. A low setting is steadier, catches on nothing, and keeps the ring on one plane so the stone and the band read as a single object. It is also more comfortable under gloves and sleeves than a raised solitaire.

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 it is the right choice if you want the antique reference to read clearly: old rings were almost never 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.

About the bow tie

Every oval can show a bow tie, a dark band across the middle of the stone caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. Antique proportions can make it more or less visible depending on the individual stone, and no certificate grades it. We check every oval by eye and reject the ones that show it.

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, which is why no two are identical under close inspection. 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, which is both the prettiest part of the ring and the part that collects the most. 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, so a plain band lies flat against it on both sides.

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

Is an antique cut less brilliant than a modern one? It returns light differently rather than less. Expect fewer, larger flashes and more coloured fire instead of the fine even sparkle of a modern cut. Some people prefer it precisely because it does not look machine made.

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