Marquise Cut Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring with Leaf Shoulders and Hidden Halo in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

Look at this ring from directly above and you see a marquise laboratory grown diamond with small leaf shaped accents curling down each shoulder. Turn it to the side and a second row of diamonds appears, set around the basket where they sit hidden from the front. It is two designs in one, depending on the angle.

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 and marquise and round leaf accents on both shoulders
• Accent stones: Marquise and 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

The hidden halo under the leaves

A collar of small round diamonds is set around the outside of the basket, below the girdle and facing outward. From above, the marquise outline stays completely clean, which is the entire reason to choose a hidden halo over a visible one. From the side, the light sits underneath the stone and the whole head looks lifted rather than planted.

Why it works with leaf shoulders

Botanical accents can make a ring look busy from above and empty from the side, because all the detail lives on the top surface. Putting a hidden halo under the head fixes that. The profile gets its own interest, and the two elements meet at the basket instead of competing on the same plane.

The shoulders

Small marquise diamonds angle outward like leaves, with round stones filling the joints between them, set flush into the metal. The stones are placed at shifting angles rather than in a straight row, which is what makes the sides read as grown rather than assembled.

Both points guarded

The centre marquise has two tips, the thinnest part of the stone. Each sits inside a v claw that wraps the edges either side of the point rather than pressing down on it.

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 side view worth having. Rose gold gives a softer version of the same effect. 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 and leaf accents 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 hidden halo is built to the exact footprint of your centre stone, because one even slightly too wide will show from above and defeat the purpose. Every leaf accent is placed 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. Brush upward into the basket to keep the hidden halo bright, since that is the part you will not notice dulling, then work along both shoulders between the leaves. 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 and leaf accents are matched to the same grade.

Does the carat weight include the accents? No. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat options refer to the centre marquise. The hidden halo and leaf accents are in addition.

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? Not flat, because the leaf sprigs reach down the shoulders. A contoured band follows the line properly, and many customers wear this ring alone.

Can it be resized? A little. The accents stop part way down the shoulders, leaving plain metal at the back of the shank.

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