Emerald Cut Lab Grown Diamond Bezel Solitaire Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An emerald cut laboratory grown diamond held in a smooth, unbroken bezel. There are no claws and no interruptions, just a clean rim of metal following the outline of the stone and a shank that runs straight into it. It is the quietest way to set a big diamond, and on a step cut it is also the most flattering.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Emerald cut laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Full bezel, also called a rub over setting
• Accent stones: None, this is a true solitaire
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

Why a bezel suits an emerald cut

An emerald cut is a rectangle with cropped corners, and those corners are the most vulnerable part of the stone. Claws leave them exposed. A bezel wraps the whole outline in metal, so the corners are protected by the setting rather than sitting proud of it. If you work with your hands, wear gloves, lift weights or simply do not want to think about your ring, this is the setting that asks the least of you.

There is a visual argument as well. A step cut is all straight lines, and a bezel is a straight line drawn around it. Claws break that outline into four interruptions. The bezel keeps it whole, which makes a 2 carat stone read larger than it does in a claw setting, because nothing crosses the edge of the diamond to tell your eye where it stops.

The emerald cut itself

An emerald cut is a step cut, not a brilliant. Instead of dozens of small triangular facets throwing light back in every direction, it has long parallel facets cut in steps down from the table. The effect is often called the hall of mirrors: broad flashes of white and dark that move in slabs as your hand turns, rather than the fine glitter of a round brilliant.

Because the table is large and open, an emerald cut shows its own inside. An emerald cut hides nothing, so the grade has to be right at the top. Every centre stone in this ring is E colour and VVS2 clarity. E is the second grade in the colorless range, so the stone reads white against any metal you set it in, and VVS2 means very very slightly included: whatever is in there takes a trained grader under magnification to find, and you will never see it across a table. That combination matters more on a step cut than on any other shape, because the open table gives you a clear window straight into the stone.

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. A bezel shows more metal than a claw setting does, so the metal you pick changes this ring more than it would change a thin solitaire. White metal disappears into the stone and makes the diamond the whole ring. Yellow gold draws a warm frame around a cool white stone. Rose gold sits between the two and reads softer. 10K gold is the hardest of the three 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 to stay bright.

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 cut the seat for your centre stone, build the bezel to the exact outline of that stone, then file, set and polish it by hand for your carat weight and your finger size. A bezel has to be made for one particular diamond, because the rim is shaped to its outline and nothing else will sit in it. That is why we make it after you order rather than before. 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. A bezel collects less behind the stone than claws do, but soap still gathers at the rim where metal meets diamond, so run the brush around that line. 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. It is not a range and it is not an upgrade you pay extra for. The IGI report in the box states both grades.

Does a bezel make the diamond look smaller? It is the opposite with a step cut. The unbroken metal outline reads as part of the stone, so the ring looks wider across the finger than the same diamond in four claws.

Does a bezel dull the sparkle? Not on an emerald cut. A step cut takes almost all of its light through the table, not through the sides, so covering the girdle costs you very little. On a round brilliant a bezel matters more.

Will a wedding band sit flush? Yes. This is the main practical reason people choose a bezel solitaire. There are no claws to foul, so a straight band sits flat against it.

Is it good for daily wear? It is the most hard wearing setting we make. Nothing catches on clothing and there are no claws to bend, lift or wear thin.

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

Which carat should I choose? An emerald cut carries its weight in length rather than spread, so it wears longer on the finger than a round of the same carat. 2 carat is a confident everyday size, 3 carat is noticeably a statement, and 4 and 5 carat cover most of the finger between the knuckles.

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