Oval Cut Lab Grown Diamond Sculptural Swirl Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

An oval laboratory grown diamond held inside a band that leaves the shank, rises into an S curve, catches the stone top and bottom and falls away again. No claws across the face of the diamond and no accent stones anywhere. The metal is the setting, and the ring reads as one continuous line with a diamond caught in it.

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: Sculptural swirl, the band curving up to cradle the stone at two points
• Accent stones: None, the centre stone stands alone
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

How it holds the stone

Each end of the swirl closes over the narrow end of the oval, gripping the stone where the curve is tightest and leaving both long sides completely open. Nothing crosses the table. The result is that the diamond looks as though it has been dropped into the loop rather than mounted on top of a shank.

A ring that changes as the hand turns

From above the swirl reads as a single asymmetric line passing through the stone. From the side it lifts and drops. From behind it closes into a rounded band. Very few rings look this different from three angles, and that is the argument for a design like this over a conventional solitaire.

Why an oval works here

An oval has two narrow ends and two long flanks, which gives the swirl somewhere to grip and somewhere to leave alone. The stone also spreads along the finger, so it fills the loop rather than sitting in the middle of it with space to spare. A 2 carat oval here measures roughly 9 by 6.5 millimetres, and a 5 carat closer to 13.5 by 9.5.

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 gold is photographed here, and on a design that depends this much on the line of the metal the alloy is worth choosing carefully: 10K holds a polish hardest, 14K is the everyday balance, 18K gives the deepest colour. 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.

About the bow tie

Every oval can show a bow tie, a dark band across the middle of the stone caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. No certificate grades it, and with no pave on this ring there is nothing to distract from it. We check every oval by eye and reject the ones that show 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 swirl is formed and polished before the stone goes near it, because a curve like this cannot be corrected once a diamond is in place, and both ends are closed over your particular oval by hand. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Follow the inside of the curve where it passes behind the stone, which is the one place you cannot see. There is no pave, so the rest is simple. 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.

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? No, not flat. The swirl crosses the band at an angle. A curved or open band nests against it, or wear this ring on its own.

Can it be resized? Only slightly, because the curve is formed to a specific finger size. Please measure carefully and we will build to your size.

Is the stone secure without claws? Yes. The metal closes over the two narrow ends of the oval, which is where the stone is thickest and best anchored. It takes longer to make than a claw setting and holds at least as well.

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