Cushion Cut Lab Grown Diamond Hidden Halo Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A cushion cut laboratory grown diamond lifted on a hidden halo. From above you see a plain cushion solitaire. From the side you see a second ring of small diamonds tucked underneath the centre stone, set into the collar that holds it, catching light from an angle nobody expects.

At a glance

• Centre stone: 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: Hidden halo beneath a cushion centre
• Accent stones: Round brilliant laboratory grown diamonds, E colour, VVS2
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

What a hidden halo is

A conventional halo surrounds the centre stone at the same level, so from above the diamond looks bigger. A hidden halo sits below the girdle instead, wrapped around the collar of the setting, facing outward rather than upward. It does nothing at all for apparent size when you look down at your hand.

What it does is change the ring in profile. The side view of most solitaires is a plain metal basket. Here it is a band of diamonds, so the ring is interesting from the angle you actually see most often, which is across the back of your own hand rather than straight down. It is a detail aimed at the wearer more than the audience.

Why a cushion suits it

A cushion cut is a square with rounded corners and a deep pavilion, which means it sits taller in a setting than a flat spreading shape like an oval. That height is what makes room for the hidden halo. On a shallow stone there is simply nowhere to put one without the ring standing off the finger.

The cushion also has soft edges all the way round, so the collar beneath it is a continuous curve rather than a set of corners. The hidden halo can follow that curve unbroken, which is why it reads as a band of light rather than four separate runs of stones.

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 stone pulled out of the ground. The only difference is where it grew. Ours are produced by chemical vapour deposition and high pressure high temperature growth, then cut and polished by hand. This is not moissanite, not cubic zirconia and not a simulant of any kind. 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. The hidden halo is the one place where metal colour really shows, because the small stones sit against the collar in shadow rather than open light. In yellow or rose gold the warm metal behind them makes the hidden band glow rather than sparkle. In white metal it reads as a cooler, sharper line. 10K is the hardest of the gold alloys, 14K is the balance most people choose for daily wear, and 18K is the richest colour but the softest metal. White gold is rhodium plated and will want replating every one to two years.

Every centre stone arrives IGI certified

The centre diamond in this ring is graded by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, and the certificate travels with the ring at no extra charge. The report states the carat weight, the E colour grade, the VVS2 clarity grade, the measurements and the laser inscription on the girdle, and it confirms in writing that the stone is laboratory grown. You are not asked to take our word for any of it. Every certificate is included free with every metal and every carat weight, and it is the same document an independent appraiser or an insurer will ask to see.

Made to order in our own workshop

Mapple Gems is a family run workshop in Surat, India, the city where the majority of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. Nothing here is pulled off a shelf. When your order arrives we build the collar to the exact girdle of your centre stone, set the hidden halo into it, then seat the cushion on top and finish the whole thing by hand for your carat weight and your finger size. The hidden halo has to be set before the centre stone goes in, because once the cushion is seated there is no access to those stones at all. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, a drop of mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush will keep it bright. The hidden halo is the part that needs the attention, because it faces sideways into the space where hand cream and soap collect and it is the hardest area to reach. Work the brush around the collar from underneath. Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth. Take it off for the gym, for gardening and before swimming, and keep it away from bleach and chlorine, which attack the alloys in gold rather than the diamond itself.

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. The hidden halo diamonds are matched to the same grade. The IGI report in the box states both grades for the centre.

Does a hidden halo make the stone look bigger? No. That is a normal halo. A hidden halo sits under the stone and changes the side profile, not the view from above.

Is it worth having if nobody sees it? You see it. Every time you look at your own hand from the side, which is most of the time. That is the argument for it.

Does it sit higher on the finger? Slightly. The collar has to be deep enough to hold a row of stones, so the centre sits a little above where it would in a plain basket.

Will a wedding band sit flush? Yes, better than with a conventional halo, because nothing projects sideways at the level of the band.

Can it be resized? Yes. The shank is plain, so it resizes without heat going near the hidden halo.

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