Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Ring with a Cathedral Shank

Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Ring with a Cathedral Shank

A round brilliant lab grown diamond in four claws, on a plain polished band whose shoulders rise in two smooth arcs to meet the setting. There is no decoration anywhere on the ring. Everything it does, it does with the shape of the metal.

The rising shoulder is called a cathedral shank, after the arches it borrows from, and the reason for it is structural before it is decorative. In a straight shank the entire weight of the head is carried through the narrow neck where the setting joins the band, and that neck is the point where solitaires most often loosen after years of wear. A cathedral shank splits the load: the band divides into two arms that climb and meet the sides of the setting, so the stress is shared across two arcs of metal instead of concentrated in one join. It also raises the crown of the diamond slightly above the plane of the finger, which does two useful things at once. Light can enter the pavilion from the sides as well as from above, and a wedding band added later can tuck under the rise instead of leaving a gap. The visible effect is that a plain ring looks considered rather than merely simple.

Center stone details

• Stone type: lab grown diamond
• Shape: round brilliant cut
• Carat weight: 2, 3, 4 or 5 carat, selected at checkout
• Color grade: E
• Clarity grade: VVS2
• Cut and polish: excellent
• Symmetry: excellent
• Setting: four claws on a cathedral head

Band details

The shank is round in section, comfortable against the neighbouring fingers, and rises through two even arcs into the sides of the setting. The whole outer surface is left polished, which on a ring with no stones anywhere but the centre is what supplies the light along the band.

Metal options

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Every metal is fully hallmarked. White gold is shown in the photographs and is rhodium finished, which keeps the metal neutral so nothing is added to the colour of the diamond.

Ring size

The ring is made to your finger size. Select your size at checkout. If you are unsure, we will send you a printable size guide before we begin work, and we adjust the height of the arch so the proportions hold at any size in our range.

Custom orders

We can change the carat weight, the centre stone shape, the number of claws or the height of the cathedral rise. Write to us through https://mapplegems.com/pages/contact and our workshop will prepare a quotation and a rendering before any metal is cut.

Frequently asked questions

Is a lab grown diamond a real diamond
Yes. It is carbon in the same crystal structure as a mined diamond, with the same hardness and the same optical properties, graded on the same scales.

Does the ring come with a certificate
Yes. An IGI certificate for the center stone is included at no extra charge.

What is a cathedral shank
A shank whose shoulders rise in arches to meet the setting, sharing the load across two arms instead of one join and lifting the stone slightly clear of the finger.

Why is the round brilliant graded differently to other shapes
It is the only cut for which the major laboratories issue a full cut grade, because its symmetry can be measured against an agreed ideal. Every other shape is judged on polish and symmetry alone.

Does a plain band look too simple with a large stone
The opposite. With nothing else competing, the eye reads the diamond as larger than the same stone set on a decorated band of the same width.

Can this ring be resized
Yes, easily. There are no stones in the shank, so resizing is done entirely in plain metal.

How long does the ring take to make
Each ring is made to order. Production usually takes ten to fourteen working days before dispatch.

Why buy a lab grown diamond

A lab grown diamond gives you a larger stone and a higher colour and clarity grade for the same budget, with a traceable origin and no mining. On a solitaire, where the stone is the entire design, that budget goes exactly where it can be seen.

Our services

• IGI certificate for the center stone included at no extra cost
• Made to order in any size in our range
• Free resizing within the first year
• Insured worldwide shipping
• Lifetime cleaning and polishing
• Custom design service for changes to any element of this ring

About Mapple Gems

Mapple Gems is a jewellery workshop in Surat, India, the city where a large share of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. We grow, cut, grade and set in one place, which is why we can offer certified stones in fully hallmarked gold at workshop prices.

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