Pear Cut Moissanite Vintage Milgrain Marquise Band Engagement Ring in Sterling Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut moissanite in six claws on an antique style band. Along each shoulder the metal is worked into a repeating pattern of marquise shaped panels outlined in milgrain beading, each holding a marquise cut moissanite, with a small round accent set between every pair. Milgrain runs along both edges of the band as well, and the shoulders carry fine engraved detail behind the stones.

We make it to order in our workshop in Surat, India. Family run, every ring finished and checked by hand.

Why this looks like an heirloom

Three things together give a ring its antique character, and this design has all three.

Milgrain beading, which is a row of tiny raised beads worked along an edge with a knurling wheel. It appears here on both edges of the band and, more unusually, outlining each individual marquise panel.

Shaped settings rather than plain ones. Each marquise sits inside a marquise shaped frame of its own, so the outline of the setting repeats the outline of the stone. Modern settings tend to be plain cups. Edwardian and Art Deco work framed everything, and that is what makes the pattern read as period rather than contemporary.

Engraving behind the stones, which fills the metal that would otherwise be blank and stops the band looking sparse between accents.

None of these is expensive material. All three are time at the bench, which is why a ring like this costs more than a plain pave band carrying the same weight of stones.

How this compares with our other antique pear rings

Our Bezel Set Marquise and Round ring uses the same alternating marquise and round arrangement, but each accent sits in a plain smooth bezel with no beading and no framing. Cleaner, more graphic, less obviously period.

Our Milgrain Bezel ring puts beading around the centre stone itself and leaves the band completely plain.

This ring is the fully worked one. Beading on the band edges, beading around every panel, engraving behind. If you are looking for the most antique looking pear ring we make, this is it.

The stones

The centre is a pear cut moissanite, sometimes called a teardrop. It is a brilliant cut, so it returns light as sharp flashes of white and coloured fire, and its point elongates the finger.

The accents are marquise and round moissanite. Every stone in the ring is Colorless in body colour and VVS in clarity, matched before setting.

Moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamond, which is why it fires so hard, and at 9.25 on the Mohs scale it holds up to daily wear.

Choose the centre from 2 carat up to 5 carat, with the band pattern scaled to keep its proportion.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Shown in yellow gold, which is where this design belongs, because milgrain and engraving both depend on shadow and warm metal holds shadow better than white. Rose gold gives it a softer, later Victorian feeling. In white metal the detail is present but quieter, closer to a platinum Deco piece. Silver takes milgrain very well and is the most affordable route into this much handwork. 10K is the hardest gold and keeps beading crisp longest. 14K is the everyday balance. 18K has the richest colour. White gold is rhodium plated and needs replating every one to two years.

Made to order

Nothing is taken off a shelf. We cast, engrave, apply the milgrain, set, file and polish each ring for your chosen metal, centre size and finger size after your order arrives, which is how we can offer twenty one ring sizes and forty combinations.

Care

This ring rewards regular cleaning more than most. Warm water, a drop of mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush, worked along the beading and into the engraving. Milgrain that has filled with polish residue and skin oil reads as a smooth line instead of a row of beads, and engraving that has clogged looks flat. Both come back completely with a gentle brush. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming pools, and keep it away from bleach.

Questions we are asked

Will a wedding band sit flush? Reasonably. The band edges carry milgrain, so a flat band touches the beading rather than smooth metal. Over many years that can soften the beads where they meet. A slightly curved band or wearing this one alone avoids it.

Can it be resized? Within a narrow range. The set panels and the pattern both limit how far the shank can be worked without interrupting the repeat. Please try to get the size right.

Are the marquise points protected? Yes. Each marquise sits in a shaped frame that encloses both of its points, which is one of the practical advantages of framed settings over plain claws.

Will the milgrain wear away? Slowly, and mostly on the underside. The beading on the top and shoulders, which is what you see, will stay crisp for decades.

Is the point of the pear protected? Yes, it has its own claw.

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