Elongated Cushion Cut Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring with Step Cut Cluster Shoulders in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An elongated cushion cut laboratory grown diamond with a small stepped cluster of straight edged diamonds running away from it on each shoulder. A trapezoid sits against the centre stone, then a narrower baguette beyond it, so the shoulders descend in flat planes down to the band. Soft curved centre, hard straight sides. That tension is the whole design.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Elongated 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 elongated cushion with graduated step cut clusters on both shoulders
• Accent stones: Trapezoid and baguette step cut 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

Brilliant against step cut

The cushion is brilliant faceted, so it breaks light into small bright flashes. The trapezoids and baguettes are step cut, long parallel facets that behave more like mirrors and stay comparatively still. Setting the two next to each other is an old bench trick. The calm step cut sides make the busy centre read brighter than it would surrounded by matching brilliants.

Where the deco look comes from

Nineteen twenties and thirties jewellery loved symmetry, straight lines and stones arranged in descending steps. That is exactly what these shoulders do. If you like period shapes but do not want milgrain, filigree or hand engraving, this is the cleaner route to the same feeling.

Why an elongated cushion

A square cushion reads as a soft square. Stretched, it becomes a long rounded rectangle that lies along the finger and lengthens the hand, and it gives a larger face up size for the same carat weight because less of the stone is buried in depth.

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, as photographed, gives the warm antique reading. White gold or silver pushes the same design towards a colder, more modern deco. 10K is the hardest alloy, 14K is the everyday balance, 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 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.

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. Step cut stones are unforgiving to set, because one sitting even slightly crooked is obvious against a straight line of metal. Every one is aligned by hand. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush along the steps of the shoulders, following the line rather than across it. 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. The trapezoids and baguettes are matched to the same grade.

Do step cuts show inclusions more? They can, because their facets are large and open and hide far less than a brilliant. That is precisely why we use VVS2 here rather than a lower clarity.

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. The cluster steps down to band height, so a straight band meets it cleanly on both sides.

Can it be resized? Yes. The stones finish at the shoulders and the rest of the shank is plain.

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