Old Mine Cut Lab Grown Diamond Fluted Split Shank Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An antique old mine cut laboratory grown diamond, oval in outline, held by four small rounded ball claws on a shank that splits into three fluted ribs as it approaches the stone. It is the most decorative and the most period accurate ring in this collection.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Antique old mine cut laboratory grown diamond, oval cushion outline
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: D to F colorless, VS1 to VS2
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Four ball claws
• Band: Fluted triple split shank
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The fluted split shank

Rather than a single round wire, the band divides into three parallel ribs on each shoulder, each one rounded and polished so it catches light separately. Between the ribs the metal is carved away, so the shoulders read as a run of highlights and shadows instead of one flat surface.

This is a shape that belongs to the turn of the twentieth century, to Art Nouveau and the early Edwardian years, when a shoulder was something to be modelled rather than a plain route to the setting. It gives the ring width and presence on the finger without adding a single accent stone, which is a genuinely different way of making a solitaire feel substantial and one that ages far better than a row of pave.

Ball claws

The four claws end in small polished spheres rather than the flattened tabs used on most modern rings. Ball claws were standard on antique jewellery and they do two things well. They are rounded in every direction, so there is no edge to lift or catch, and they read as four bright dots of light around the stone rather than as four pieces of metal covering 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 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. It is shown here in 14K yellow gold, which is where the carved shoulders show best. 10K gold is the hardest of the three alloys and the most resistant to knocks, 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 to stay bright. Sterling silver is the most affordable route into the design and takes the same certified centre stone.

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 colour grade, the 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 setting in the metal you chose, then file, set and polish it by hand for your carat weight and your finger size. That is how we can offer twenty one ring sizes across ten metals and four carat weights without holding a warehouse of stock. 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. Pay attention underneath the stone, because that is where hand cream and soap collect and dull the light coming back through the pavilion. 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

Will a wedding band sit flush? Not completely flat, because the split shoulders are wider than a plain band. A shaped or contoured band is the honest answer here, and it looks better with this design anyway.

Is the split shank comfortable? Yes. The ribs merge back into a single smooth band on the underside of the finger, so what you feel is an ordinary comfortable shank.

Can it be resized? Yes, within a size or two. The plain lower section gives room to work. Larger changes are better made by remaking the shank, which we can do.

Does the fluting collect dirt? The grooves are polished and open rather than deep and narrow, so they rinse clean easily under warm water.

How does this compare with your bezel solitaire? That one is quiet and modern and disappears into daily life. This one is decorative and historical and is meant to be looked at. They are opposite ends of the same collection.

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