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

A marquise laboratory grown diamond set upright along the finger in six claws, on a slim polished band with nothing else on it. The stone does all the work. At two carats and above a marquise set this way covers a remarkable amount of the finger, and a plain band is what lets you see that.

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: Six claw marquise with v claws at both points, on a thin plain shank
• Accent stones: None, the centre stone stands alone
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The largest face up size of any cut

A marquise spreads its weight into a long, shallow boat shape rather than down into the stone, which means it covers more of the finger per carat than any other cut. A 2 carat marquise here measures roughly 13 by 6.5 millimetres, considerably longer than a 2 carat oval and nearly twice the length of a 2 carat round. Worn upright it runs from knuckle to knuckle and makes the finger look longer.

Six claws, two of them v shaped

Four claws hold the sides of the stone where it is widest. The two at the ends are v claws, wrapping around both edges that meet at each point rather than pressing down from above. Those points are the thinnest part of any diamond shape and the part that chips, so covering them is not decoration, it is the reason the ring survives daily wear.

Why nothing else

A marquise already has a strong, unusual outline. Put a halo round it and the shape softens; add pave and the eye stops at the band. On a narrow polished shank, the stone is the only thing there is to look at, which is the point of choosing a marquise in the first place.

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. White gold is photographed here, which keeps the setting invisible and the stone the only colour on the hand. On a band this narrow, 10K and 14K hold their round shape better over the years than 18K. 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. On a plain solitaire there is nothing else on the ring, so the grade of the stone is the entire specification.

About the bow tie

Every marquise can show a bow tie, a dark band across the waist caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. No certificate grades it, and on a plain solitaire there is nothing to distract from it. We check every marquise by eye and reject the ones that show it. This matters more for a marquise than for any other shape, because a long shallow stone is the easiest to cut badly.

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 v claws are shaped to your particular stone, since no two marquises meet at quite the same angle at the tip. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush up through the open gallery from underneath, which on a long stone is where most gets trapped. 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.

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? Along the straight sides, yes. If you want a band that follows both points as well, choose a contoured or chevron shaped one.

Can it be resized? Yes, freely. The band is plain all the way round, which makes this one of the simplest rings we make to resize.

Do the points catch on clothing? Not when they sit in v claws, as they do here. The metal meets the world before the diamond does.

Should I wear it upright or east west? This setting is built for upright wear, running along the finger. If you want the stone set sideways we make that as a separate design.

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