Oval Cut Lab Grown Diamond Hidden Halo Solitaire Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An oval cut laboratory grown diamond on a thin plain band, with a halo of small diamonds set into the basket underneath where you cannot see it from above. From the top it looks like a plain solitaire. From the side the hidden halo appears as a line of light under the stone.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Oval cut 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 solitaire with a hidden halo in the basket
• Accent stones: Round brilliant laboratory grown diamonds, E colour, VVS2
• Band: Thin plain round band
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The halo you only see from the side

A conventional halo surrounds the stone on the top face and changes its outline. A hidden halo sits below the girdle, inside the basket, so the view from above is a clean oval with nothing around it. Turn your hand and a row of small diamonds catches the light under the centre stone. It is a detail for the person wearing the ring more than for anyone looking at it.

Why it makes the stone look bigger

Light entering the pavilion from below bounces off the halo stones and back up through the oval, so the centre reads brighter and slightly larger than the same stone in a solid basket. It also lifts the diamond a fraction higher off the finger, which suits a long shape like an oval.

A band kept thin

The shank is a plain round wire with nothing set into it. The interest in this ring is all underneath the stone, and a decorated band would compete with it. Keeping the metal thin also lets the oval overhang slightly at the sides, which makes the stone look wider than it is.

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. This ring was photographed in yellow gold, and every metal is made to order and priced above. 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. Every halo accent is matched to the same E and VVS2 grade, which matters here because the light from the halo passes up through the centre stone and warm accents would tint 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 halo is set into the basket before the head is joined to the shank, since it is impossible to reach once the ring is assembled. The claws are placed at the sides of the oval rather than the tips, where the stone is thinnest. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush, brushing upward into the basket from underneath. A hidden halo collects hand cream in a place you cannot see, and when it is dirty the centre stone goes dull for no obvious reason, so clean from below regularly. Take the ring off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity are the diamonds? The centre oval and every halo accent are E colour and VVS2 clarity, on all metals and all carat weights.

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

Can you see the halo when you are wearing it? Not from directly above. You see it from the side and at an angle, and so does anyone looking at your hand from across a table. That is the point of it.

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? Yes. The band is thin and plain and the basket is narrow, so a straight band sits against it without a gap.

Can it be resized? Yes. The shank is plain all the way around, so one or two sizes either way is straightforward.

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