Marquise Cut Lab Grown Diamond Split Shank Solitaire Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A marquise laboratory grown diamond on a band that parts beneath it. The shank runs as one thin line around the finger, then splits into a narrow V at the front and lifts the stone between its two arms. From above it is a plain solitaire. From the side it is something else entirely.

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 on a split shank with an open V beneath the stone
• Accent stones: None, this is a true solitaire
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

What the split does

Where a normal shank meets the setting in a single solid block of metal, this one divides and opens. Two things follow. The stone appears to sit higher and freer, because there is daylight under it rather than gold. And the gap draws the eye upward along the two arms to the point of the marquise, which lengthens the whole ring.

Why it suits a marquise

A marquise is the longest of the common outlines. The V of the split shank repeats the V of the stone's lower point, so the setting and the stone share a shape instead of arguing with each other. On a rounder stone the same split would look unrelated to what sits above it.

Thin, but engineered

The band is deliberately slim, which makes the centre stone read larger. Where it splits, the two arms are thickened slightly on the inside face where it does not show, so the fork carries the weight of a 5 carat stone without flexing. Both points of the marquise are protected by a v claw.

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 polished split catches light in two separate lines on either side of the stone. For a thin split shank we would suggest 10K or 14K, which are the harder alloys. 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 angle of the split is set from the actual length of your centre stone, so a longer marquise gets a longer, shallower V and a shorter one gets a tighter fork. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Run the brush through the open V, which is the one place on this ring where anything can lodge. 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 a split shank weaker than a solid one? Not as we build it. The two arms are reinforced on the inner face and rejoin into a full shank behind the setting.

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, very well. The split is at the front and the band meets an ordinary round shank at the sides, so a straight band sits flat.

Can it be resized? Yes. There are no stones in the shank, so it resizes like any plain band.

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