Ariana Grande Inspired Oval Cut Moissanite and Pearl Toi et Moi Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An oval moissanite and a round white pearl set side by side on a slim band. Two very different gems, one bright and faceted, one soft and glowing, sitting together as a pair. It is romantic, a little unconventional and completely memorable.

At a glance

• Inspired by: The style Ariana Grande has been photographed wearing
• Centre stone: Oval Brilliant moissanite, colourless, VVS clarity
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat, centre stone
• Setting: Four claw oval set side by side with a white pearl
• Side stones: One, round pearl, white
• Band: Slim plain band, approximately 2 mm
• Metals: 925 sterling silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Ring sizes: 1.5 to 13, including half sizes
• Made: To order by hand in Surat, India

The Ariana Grande inspired look

The oval and pearl engagement ring Ariana Grande has been photographed wearing brought the pearl back into bridal jewellery almost overnight. We make that toi et moi pairing here, with the oval in colourless moissanite, in the metal and carat weight you choose.

This ring is designed and made by Mapple Gems and is inspired by a style Ariana Grande has been publicly photographed wearing. It is not the same ring, and Mapple Gems is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Ariana Grande. The centre stone is moissanite, not diamond.

What toi et moi means

Toi et moi is French for you and me. A toi et moi ring sets two stones side by side, each standing for one partner. The style goes back centuries and was famously revived in the Napoleonic era, and it has become one of the most searched engagement designs of the last few years.

Pairing a moissanite with a pearl makes the idea even clearer. The oval is all fire and brilliance, the pearl is soft lustre with no facets at all, and the contrast between them is the whole point of the design.

The band is kept slim and plain so the two gems sit close together on the finger and read as a single pair.

Why the oval cut

The oval cut is an elongated brilliant cut with about 56 to 58 facets. It carries roughly 10 per cent more face up surface than a round of the same weight, so it reads larger on the finger and lengthens the look of the hand. It is one of the most requested engagement shapes, and it is cut here to the same proportions we would use for a diamond of the same outline.

Is this style right for you?

Most toi et moi rings pair two faceted stones. Choosing a pearl as the second stone gives a softer, more romantic contrast and a ring that very few people will be wearing.

What moissanite actually is

Moissanite is silicon carbide, a crystal first identified by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893 in fragments of the Canyon Diablo meteorite in Arizona. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906, and the mineral was named after him. Natural moissanite is vanishingly rare, so every moissanite sold as a gemstone today is grown in a laboratory.

Here is what that means for a ring you will wear every day:

• Hardness 9.25 on the Mohs scale. Only diamond and a handful of laboratory materials are harder. It will not scratch from ordinary wear, and it is well suited to a ring worn daily for decades.
• Refractive index of 2.65 to 2.69, higher than diamond at 2.42. More light is bent back to the eye, which is why a moissanite reads noticeably brighter than a diamond of the same size under the same light.
• Dispersion of 0.104, against 0.044 for diamond. Dispersion is the splitting of white light into spectral colours. This is the origin of the rainbow fire moissanite is known for, most visible in direct sun or under spotlights.
• Doubly refractive. Under strong magnification a gemmologist can see facet edges doubled. To the naked eye it looks like extra brilliance.

Moissanite is not cubic zirconia and it is not glass. Cubic zirconia is far softer at 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale, it clouds and abrades within a few years of daily wear, and it has little resale value. Moissanite keeps its polish and its brightness indefinitely. It is also not a diamond, laboratory grown or mined, and we never describe it as one. It is its own gemstone with its own optical signature, chosen by people who want maximum presence on the hand for a fraction of the cost of a diamond of the same size.

Every moissanite we set is graded colourless, the top colour band for moissanite, and VVS clarity, which means any inclusions are extremely difficult to find even under ten times magnification. Nothing is visible to the naked eye.

Choosing your metal

This ring is made to order in ten metals, so the version you choose is the version we build. There is no plating over a base metal and no filled or bonded gold anywhere in the range.

• 925 sterling silver is the most affordable way to own the design. It is 92.5 per cent pure silver, bright white, and it takes a high polish. Silver is softer than gold and will pick up fine surface marks with daily wear. It can also tarnish, and a soft polishing cloth brings it straight back.
• 10K gold is 41.7 per cent pure gold. It is the hardest and most scratch resistant of the three gold alloys, a sensible choice for hands that work. The colour is a little paler than 14K.
• 14K gold is 58.5 per cent pure gold and it is what most engagement rings sold in the United States are made from. It balances a warm, convincing colour against real everyday durability.
• 18K gold is 75 per cent pure gold. It has the deepest, richest colour and the most weight in the hand. It is also the softest of the three, so it marks a little more readily.

Yellow gold is gold alloyed with silver and copper. Rose gold takes more copper, which gives the warm pink tone. White gold is alloyed with palladium or nickel and finished with rhodium plating, which gives it a bright white face. Rhodium wears thin over time and wants redoing roughly every one to two years, which any jeweller can do quickly. Every gold ring is stamped with its karat mark.

Choosing your carat size

This ring is offered in 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat centre stones. Carat is a unit of weight, not of width, and the photographs may show a different size from the one you choose. The version you select is the one we make.

• 2 carat is the most chosen size. It is unmistakably a statement stone and still sits comfortably under a glove or a coat sleeve.
• 3 carat is a clear step up in presence and photographs beautifully. This is where most people land when they want the ring to be the first thing anyone notices.
• 4 carat covers the finger generously and suits longer fingers and larger ring sizes particularly well.
• 5 carat is a red carpet stone, the closest to the celebrity look. It is the size people ask about across a room.

If you are between sizes, order the smaller centre stone in a richer metal rather than the larger stone in the cheapest one. A well made ring in 14K or 18K gold ages far better than an oversized stone on a thin shank.

Made to order in our own workshop

Mapple Gems is a family run jewellery workshop in Surat, in Gujarat, India. Surat is where roughly nine out of every ten diamonds in the world are cut and polished, and the bench skills that grew up around that trade are what this ring is built on. We do not hold finished stock. When your order comes in, a goldsmith casts your metal in your size, a setter places every stone by hand under a microscope, and the piece is polished, checked and photographed before it leaves us.

Making takes ten to fourteen working days for most orders. Shipping is free worldwide and fully insured, and it is normally three to seven working days once the ring has left the bench. Buying direct from the bench is the reason a ring like this costs what it does here rather than several times more on a high street.

Caring for your ring

The pearl needs gentler care than the moissanite. Do not soak this ring or put it in an ultrasonic cleaner. Wipe the pearl with a soft, slightly damp cloth, and clean the moissanite with a soft brush and a little warm soapy water, keeping the pearl out of the water. Put the ring on after perfume, hairspray and lotion, never before.

Take the ring off before the gym, gardening, swimming pools and hot tubs, and before using bleach or oven cleaner. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold over time and does nothing good to sterling silver. Store it on its own rather than loose in a box with other pieces. Have the claws or setting checked by a jeweller once a year. White gold will want its rhodium refreshed every one to two years.

Questions people ask about this ring

Is this the same ring Ariana Grande wears?

No. This is our own ring, made in our workshop and inspired by a style Ariana Grande has been publicly photographed wearing. It is set with moissanite rather than diamond, and Mapple Gems is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Ariana Grande.

What does the carat option refer to?

The carat option is the weight of the oval moissanite. The pearl is set in addition to it.

Is a pearl durable enough for an engagement ring?

A pearl is much softer than moissanite, around 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, so it needs more care. Put the ring on after perfume, hairspray and lotion, take it off for washing up, cleaning and the gym, and wipe the pearl with a soft damp cloth. Treated this way it will stay beautiful for many years, and a pearl can always be replaced if it is ever damaged.

How should I clean the pearl?

Never soak it or use an ultrasonic cleaner. Wipe it with a soft, slightly damp cloth and let it air dry. You can clean the moissanite gently with a soft brush, keeping the pearl out of the water.

What colour and clarity is the moissanite?

Every moissanite centre stone is graded colourless with VVS clarity. Colourless is the top colour band for moissanite, and VVS means inclusions are extremely difficult to see even under ten times magnification. The grades are the same on every metal and every carat weight.

Will people be able to tell it is not a diamond?

Not by looking. Both stones are colourless and brilliantly cut, and at arm length they read the same. In direct sunlight moissanite throws more rainbow coloured fire than a diamond does, which is the only tell most people would ever notice. Telling the two apart with certainty needs a conductivity tester, or a loupe and the training to read facet doubling.

Does moissanite get cloudy or lose its sparkle over time?

No. At 9.25 on the Mohs scale it is one of the hardest gem materials there is, and it does not abrade, cloud or dull with wear the way cubic zirconia does. What makes any ring look dull is a film of skin oil, soap and hand cream, and a gentle clean restores it completely.

What ring sizes can I order?

We make sizes 1.5 to 13, including every half size. Choose your size at checkout. If you are unsure, measure a ring that already fits the correct finger, or ask a local jeweller to size you, and remember that fingers run slightly larger in hot weather and late in the day.

How long will it take to arrive?

Every ring is made to order in our workshop in Surat. Allow ten to fourteen working days for making, plus three to seven working days for insured worldwide shipping. If you have a proposal date, tell us when you order and we will confirm whether we can meet it.

Is the metal solid, or is it plated?

It is solid throughout. 925 sterling silver is 92.5 per cent pure silver, and the gold options are solid 10K, 14K or 18K alloy stamped with the karat mark. Nothing in this range is gold plated, gold filled or gold bonded. White gold carries a rhodium finish on the surface, which is standard for all white gold.

Is the wedding band included?

No. The price is for the engagement ring alone. Wedding bands are sold separately, and we are happy to advise which of ours sits best beside this design.

Do you offer engraving?

Yes, and there is no charge for it. Tell us the wording when you order and we will engrave the inside of the band. Most people choose a date, a set of initials or a short phrase. Allow up to about twenty five characters.

What is your returns policy?

Returns are accepted within thirty days of delivery on an unworn ring in its original packaging. Because every piece is made to order, engraved rings and rings made to a non standard specification are handled case by case. Write to us and we will sort it out.

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