Pear and Round Cut Lab Grown Diamond Drop Toi et Moi Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut and a round brilliant laboratory grown diamond hung below the band on two dropped arms, so the stones sit under the line of the finger rather than on top of it. The band itself stays plain and unbroken. Worn, the two diamonds look suspended, as though they have been caught mid fall.

At a glance

• Stones: One pear cut and one round brilliant laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat total between the two stones
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Two stone drop design, both diamonds hung below a plain band
• Accent stones: None, the two centre stones stand alone
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

Stones below the band

Almost every engagement ring puts the diamond above the finger. This one drops both stones underneath the shank on short arms, at different lengths, so they hang like two pendants. It is an unusual way to wear a ring and it changes how the hand reads: the eye goes down and across rather than straight up.

Two shapes, two weights

The pear hangs lower and is the larger of the two. The round sits higher and smaller, off to one side. The asymmetry is the design: matched stones at equal heights would make a pair of earrings, while this arrangement makes something that only works as a ring.

Toi et moi, rearranged

The two stone idea goes back to 1796, when Napoleon proposed to Josephine with a pear diamond beside a pear sapphire, and it has always meant you and me. This version keeps the two stones and throws away the symmetry, which is why it reads as contemporary rather than historical.

The pear point is guarded

The tip of the pear sits in a v claw that wraps both edges meeting at the point rather than pressing down on it. Hanging below the finger, the stone is also naturally more sheltered than one raised above the knuckle.

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. All three golds are photographed here. The dropped arms carry the weight of the stones away from the band, so a harder alloy is the sensible choice for everyday wear: 10K or 14K rather than 18K. White gold is rhodium plated and will want replating every one to two years.

Both stones arrive IGI certified

Both diamonds are graded by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, and the certificates come with the ring at no extra charge. Each 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 two are matched for colour before they are set, since they hang side by side in the same light.

About the bow tie

Every pear can show a bow tie, a dark band across the widest part of the stone caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. Beside a bright round brilliant it would be more obvious than usual. No certificate grades it. We check every pear 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 two arms are formed at set lengths and angles for the stones you choose, so the pear hangs clear of the round at every carat weight. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Clean around both arms where they meet the band and behind each stone. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity are the diamonds? Both stones are E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight, and they are matched to each other.

Does the carat weight cover both stones? Yes. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat options are the combined weight of the pear and the round, weighted toward the pear so it stays the dominant stone.

Is the certificate really free? Yes. IGI reports for both stones are included in the price on every variant.

Will a wedding band sit flush against it? Yes, on the side away from the stones. The band itself is plain and straight, so a second ring sits against it normally.

Can it be resized? Yes, at the back of the band. The dropped arms are fixed to a particular point on the shank, so tell us your size and we will position them correctly.

Do the stones swing? No. Both arms are rigid. The stones only look suspended.

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