Emerald Cut Lab Grown Diamond Halo Engagement Ring on a Plain Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An emerald cut laboratory grown diamond framed by a single row of small round diamonds, on a plain polished band. The halo is built as a rectangle with cut corners, following the outline of the stone exactly, so the ring keeps the hard geometry that makes an emerald cut worth choosing.

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: Claw set emerald cut inside a matching rectangular halo, on a plain band
• Accent stones: Round 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

A rectangular halo, not a rounded one

Wrapping round stones around a rectangle is harder than it looks. Done badly the corners fill with metal and the halo softens into an oval, which throws away the shape. Ours turns a true corner: the stones step around the angle and the cut corners of the emerald are echoed in the halo, so the frame is unmistakably rectangular.

Brilliant light around step cut light

An emerald cut is a step cut. Its long parallel facets act like mirrors, giving broad flashes of light and dark rather than fast sparkle. The halo is made of round brilliants, which do the opposite. Ringing a calm stone with busy ones sharpens both: the centre looks more still, and the frame looks brighter.

How much bigger it looks

A single row halo adds roughly one to one and a half millimetres all the way around. On an emerald cut that reads as perhaps half a carat to a carat of extra apparent size, and because the halo is rectangular it adds length as well as width.

Why clarity matters on an emerald cut

Step cut facets are large, flat and open, with nowhere for an inclusion to hide. It is the least forgiving shape in the trade. Our centre stones are VVS2, clean under ten times magnification, which is why we do not offer lower clarity grades on this cut.

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 and white gold are both photographed here. Yellow gold draws a warm outline around the halo and emphasises the rectangle; white gold lets halo and centre merge into one bright block. 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. The halo stones are matched to the same E and VVS2 grade, which matters here because they sit in direct contact with a very transparent centre stone.

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 halo is laid out around your individual stone, since emerald cuts vary in how elongated they are, and every accent is set by hand under a microscope. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Clean the table of the centre stone often, since a step cut shows any film immediately, and work the brush around the outside of the halo and underneath it.

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 halo stones are matched to the same grade.

Does the carat weight include the halo? No. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat options refer to the centre emerald cut. The halo is in addition.

Is the certificate really free? Yes. The IGI report for the centre stone is included in the price on every variant.

Does an emerald cut sparkle less than a brilliant? It sparkles differently. A brilliant gives fast small flashes; a step cut gives long broad returns of light and dark. The halo here supplies the fast sparkle if you want both.

Will a wedding band sit flush against it? A straight band sits close, though the halo overhangs the shank slightly. Some customers prefer a band with a shallow curve.

Can it be resized? Yes, easily. The band carries no stones.

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