Marquise Cut Lab Grown Diamond Cluster Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A marquise cut laboratory grown diamond set at the centre of a cluster of smaller round diamonds. The marquise already draws the eye to a point at each end, and the cluster carries that shape outward so the whole head reads as one long, tapering form rather than a stone sitting on a band.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Marquise cut laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Cluster, centre stone framed by round accents
• 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 cluster does for a marquise

A marquise is the most elongating shape you can put on a finger. It is a boat shape with a point at either end, and worn up and down the finger it makes the whole hand look longer. The difficulty is that a marquise on its own can look narrow, because all the weight is in the length and very little of it is in the width.

The cluster solves that. Round accents set around the centre stone fill out the shoulders of the head, so the ring gains width without losing the point at each tip. You get the length of a marquise and the presence of a much larger stone, and the sparkle of the small rounds sits against the long flat facets of the centre in a way that makes both read brighter.

The points are the part that matters

Every marquise lives or dies by its two tips. They are the thinnest part of the stone and the easiest place to chip, which is why we set each point in its own V shaped claw rather than a standard round one. A V claw wraps the tip from both sides and covers the very end, so nothing is left exposed to a door frame or a kitchen counter. It is more work to make than a plain claw and it is the single most important detail on a ring like this.

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. On a cluster the metal between the stones is doing real work, because it is what holds the accents and what your eye reads as the outline of the head. White metal makes the cluster disappear into one continuous field of diamond. Yellow and rose gold draw the outline of the head more clearly and make the design read as a shape rather than a spread. 10K is the hardest of the three 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 cut the seat for your centre stone, build the cluster around it, then file, set and polish it by hand for your carat weight and your finger size. A cluster has to be laid out for one particular centre stone, because the accents follow its outline and a longer or shorter marquise changes every seat around it. 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 cluster has more places for soap to gather than a plain solitaire, so work the brush between the accent stones and underneath the head. 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 accent diamonds are matched to the same grade. The IGI report in the box states both grades for the centre.

Do marquise points chip? They can on a badly set ring. Ours are held in V shaped claws that cover the tip from both sides, which is the standard answer to the problem and the reason we do not use round claws at the ends.

Which way should it sit on the finger? Most people wear a marquise pointing up and down the finger, because that is what creates the elongating effect. Set across the finger it becomes a very different and much wider looking ring.

Will a wedding band sit flush? A straight band will leave a small gap at the points, because the head is longer than it is wide. A curved or chevron band follows the taper and fits neatly.

Can the small accent stones fall out? It is uncommon when the beads are raised properly, which is a hand operation and the reason we do it in house rather than buying in cast heads.

Can it be resized? Yes. The lower half of the shank is plain specifically so it can be resized without heat going near the cluster.

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