Oval Cut Lab Grown Diamond Cluster Ring with Marquise Accents in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An oval cut laboratory grown diamond at the centre of a cluster built from marquise accents rather than the usual round ones. The marquise stones radiate outward from the centre like petals, which gives the head a shape of its own instead of the plain disc a round halo produces.

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: Cluster of marquise cut accents around an oval centre
• Accent stones: Marquise cut 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

Why marquise accents and not round ones

Almost every cluster ring you will see uses small round brilliants, because they are the cheapest accent stone to buy and the easiest to set. Marquise accents are neither. Each one is a small boat shaped stone with two points that have to be seated without chipping, and each has a direction, so the whole layout has to be planned rather than simply filled in.

What you get for that trouble is a head with movement. Round accents sit as a ring of dots. Marquise accents point outward, so the eye travels from the centre stone to the edge of the head and keeps going. The design reads as something that opens outward, closer to a flower than a frame, and it looks considerably less like every other halo on the high street.

The oval in the middle

An oval is a brilliant cut stretched along one axis, so it shows more surface area from above than a round of the same carat weight, usually around ten percent more. Set in a cluster, that spread combines with the reach of the marquise accents to give a head that covers a good deal of finger. It is not a subtle ring and it is not trying to be.

The oval also shares a family resemblance with the accents. Both are elongated shapes with rounded or pointed ends, so the centre and the cluster belong to each other rather than looking like two different rings stuck together.

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. On this design the metal shows as fine ribs between the marquise accents, which is what gives the head its petal structure. White metal lets the whole cluster read as one field of diamond. Yellow and rose gold pick out each individual accent, so the flower shape becomes far more obvious. 10K is the hardest of the gold alloys, 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.

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 E colour grade, the VVS2 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, then lay out every marquise accent around it by hand, setting the angle of each one so the pattern stays even as the head grows or shrinks with your chosen carat weight. A cluster like this cannot be cast in advance, because a 2 carat oval and a 5 carat oval need completely different accent layouts. 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. The gaps between marquise accents are narrower than between round ones, so soap sits in them more readily. Brush along the length of each accent rather than across the head, and do the underside as well. 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

What colour and clarity is the diamond? Every centre stone is E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight. The marquise accents are matched to the same grade. The IGI report in the box states both grades for the centre.

Do the marquise accent points chip? They are the part we spend the most time on. Each accent is seated so the points sit below the level of the surrounding metal rather than standing proud, which is what protects them.

How big does the head sit? Wider than a round halo of the same centre stone, because the marquise accents reach further out. Expect it to cover most of the width of the finger.

Will a wedding band sit flush? A straight band will leave a gap, because the cluster is both wide and raised. A curved band is the usual answer, and many people wear this one on its own.

Can the accents fall out? It is uncommon when the seats are cut properly, which is a hand operation and the reason we do it in house rather than buying in cast heads.

Can it be resized? Yes. The lower half of the shank is plain specifically so it can be resized without heat reaching the cluster.

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