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

An oval laboratory grown diamond in four claws that open outward like petals, with a ring of small round diamonds set around the basket underneath. On a plain band, seen from above, it is the simplest solitaire we make. Seen from the side it is not simple at all.

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 on a petal basket with a hidden halo, on a plain band
• Accent stones: Round laboratory grown diamonds in the hidden halo, E colour, VVS2
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The petal basket

Instead of four straight prongs rising from a plain seat, the claws here are shaped and flared where they meet the stone, so from the side the head reads as a small open flower with the oval sitting in it. It is a detail almost nobody notices in a photograph and almost everybody notices on the hand.

The hidden halo

Small round diamonds circle the outside of the basket, below the girdle, facing outward. They are invisible from directly above, which leaves the oval outline completely clean, and from every other angle they fill the space between the stone and the finger with light.

Why an oval reads larger

An oval brilliant spreads its weight along its length rather than down into the pavilion, so at a given carat weight it covers more finger than a round and the elongated outline lengthens the hand. A 2 carat oval here measures roughly 9 by 6.5 millimetres, and a 5 carat closer to 13.5 by 9.5 millimetres.

The plain band

No pave. With a diamond set basket already supplying detail, a pave shank would be one thing too many. A polished band also resizes easily and takes a straight wedding ring flat against 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 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 and rose gold are photographed here, and warm metal is what makes the petal claws visible as a shape rather than disappearing against 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 hidden halo 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 middle caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. It is not graded on any certificate. We check each oval by eye and reject the ones that show it, because on a plain solitaire there is nothing 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 basket is built to the footprint of your individual oval so the hidden halo stays completely out of sight from above. 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 not notice getting dull. 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 hidden halo 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? Yes. The band is plain and the head is raised, so a straight wedding ring tucks in close beneath the basket.

Can it be resized? Yes. There are no stones in the shank, so resizing does not touch the setting.

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