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

An emerald cut laboratory grown diamond in four claws, on a band narrow enough almost to vanish. From above it is a plain rectangular solitaire and nothing else. Turn your hand and a row of small diamonds appears in the collar beneath the stone, following the straight sides and the cropped corners exactly.

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: Four claw emerald cut with a full hidden halo, thin plain band
• Accent stones: Round laboratory grown diamonds in the hidden halo, E colour, VVS2
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

A rectangular hidden halo

Because an emerald cut is a rectangle with cropped corners, its hidden halo has to turn eight corners rather than follow a curve. Each one has to be square or the eye picks it up immediately from the side. Done properly it reads as a bright frame floating under the stone, while from above the emerald cut keeps its clean straight sided outline.

Why clarity matters most here

An emerald cut is a step cut. Long parallel facets and a wide open table give it those slow flashes of light, but they also mean the stone hides almost nothing. Any inclusion sits in plain view. This is exactly why every centre stone here is VVS2, a grade at which nothing is visible even under ten times magnification.

The thin band

Less metal beside the stone makes the stone look bigger, because the eye has nothing to measure it against except the finger. At 4 and 5 carat the shank nearly disappears and the emerald cut appears to float on its halo.

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 is photographed here and makes a colourless stone read even whiter by contrast. On a band this narrow we would suggest 10K or 14K, which are harder alloys and hold a thin shank better. 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. The halo stones go into the vertical wall of the basket one at a time under a microscope, before the emerald cut is set. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Turn the ring over and brush the hidden halo, then wipe the table of the emerald cut, which shows fingerprints more than a brilliant does. 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 halo stones are matched to the same grade.

Does an emerald cut sparkle less than a brilliant? Differently rather than less. You get long broad flashes instead of small rapid ones. The hidden halo adds a little brightness underneath without changing the character of the centre stone.

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? Very nearly. The halo lifts the centre slightly, so a slim straight band sits close beneath it.

Can it be resized? Yes, easily. There are no stones set anywhere in the shank.

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