Oval Cut Lab Grown Diamond Hidden Halo Engagement Ring with Pave Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An oval laboratory grown diamond in four claws, with a row of small round diamonds hidden around the basket beneath it and a line of pave running down both shoulders. From above, a clean oval outline on a diamond band. From the side, a second row of light you did not know was there.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Oval brilliant laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Four claw oval with a hidden halo, on a pave set band
• Accent stones: 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

Hidden halo or visible halo

A visible halo circles the stone on the top surface. It buys obvious size, but it also puts a ring of small diamonds between your eye and the outline of the centre stone, and once you have seen it you cannot unsee it. A hidden halo sits below the girdle on the outside of the basket, facing outward. The oval stays a clean, uninterrupted shape from above, and the extra light appears only in profile. If you want your stone to read as one large diamond rather than a cluster, this is the version to choose.

The pave band

Round diamonds run down both shoulders in shared claws with almost no metal showing between them. The band tapers slightly as it travels, which makes the finger look longer and the centre stone look larger. The pave stops at the shoulders so there is plain metal at the back for sizing.

Why an oval reads larger

An oval brilliant carries most of its weight in spread rather than depth, so at a given carat weight it covers more finger than a round. A 2 carat oval measures roughly 9 by 6.5 millimetres, and a 5 carat closer to 13.5 by 9.5 millimetres. Against a narrow pave band that difference in scale is what gives the ring its proportion.

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. Rose gold and white gold are both photographed here. In white gold the pave disappears as metal and reads only as light; in rose or yellow gold the hidden halo shows as a sharper contrast under the stone. 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 pave diamonds are matched to the same E and VVS2 grade.

About the bow tie

Every oval has the potential for a bow tie, a dark band across the centre caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. No certificate grades it. We check each oval by eye and reject the ones that show it, since on a hidden halo design there is no top halo to distract from it.

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 individual oval, because a halo even half a millimetre too wide will peep out from above and defeat the whole purpose. 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 is the part you will never notice getting dull, then work along both shoulders. 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 pave stones are matched to the same grade.

Does the hidden halo make the stone look bigger? Not the way a visible halo does. It makes the head look lighter and lifts 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? Very nearly. The head is raised, so a straight band tucks under the hidden halo with only a small gap on most fingers.

Can it be resized? Within about one size. The pave runs down the shoulders and the back of the shank is left plain for this reason.

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