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

A marquise laboratory grown diamond in slim claws, with a collar of small round diamonds set around the basket beneath it, on a plain polished band. From above there is nothing but the marquise and the metal. Turn your hand and a line of light appears underneath the stone where there should be none.

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: Claw set marquise with a hidden halo beneath, on a 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 halo you cannot see from the front

A conventional halo surrounds the stone on the top face, which adds size but interrupts the outline. On a marquise, where the outline is the whole reason to choose the shape, that is a real cost. A hidden halo is set on the outside of the basket, below the girdle, facing outward and downward. The marquise stays a clean, uninterrupted lens from above, and the light sits underneath it.

The marquise shaped basket

Because the hidden halo follows the basket, and the basket follows the stone, the halo here is itself a long pointed oval rather than a circle. The small stones get tighter and smaller as they approach each point, which is fiddly work and the reason most workshops offer this only on rounder shapes.

The plain band

No pave on the shoulders. A marquise already stretches the finger and the hidden halo already supplies the sparkle, so a polished band is the restraint that keeps the ring from tipping into fussiness. It also resizes easily and takes a wedding band flat against it.

Why the marquise looks so large

Very little of a marquise's weight sits in depth. Almost all of it is spread across the face, which gives the marquise the largest visible area of any common cut at a given carat weight. Set lengthwise, as here, it stretches the finger further than any other shape.

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 the contrast between warm metal and the colourless hidden halo is what makes the profile view so effective. In white gold the effect is subtler. 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 hidden halo diamonds are matched to the same E and VVS2 grade.

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 to the footprint of your individual marquise, because one even slightly too wide will peep out from above and undo the whole idea. Both points of the stone sit inside a v claw. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush upward into the basket, since the hidden halo collects dust where you will not see it dulling. Check the v claws at both points now and then.

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 hidden halo stones are matched to the same grade.

Does a hidden halo make the stone look bigger? Not the way a visible halo does. It makes the head look lighter and raises the stone visually, which reads as refinement rather than added size.

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 stone runs along the finger and the band is plain, so a straight wedding band tucks in close under the halo.

Can it be resized? Yes. There are no stones in the shank, so resizing does not touch the setting.

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