Round Cut Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring with Pave Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A round brilliant laboratory grown diamond in four claws on a slim band set with small round diamonds along the top and down both outer edges. It is the ring most people picture when they say engagement ring, made properly: nothing unusual about the design, and nothing wrong with any part of it either.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Round 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 round on an open basket, with a micro pave band
• Accent stones: Round laboratory grown diamonds, E colour, VVS2
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

The round brilliant

Fifty seven facets, arranged by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919 according to calculations of how light behaves inside a diamond. It returns more light to the eye than any other cut, which is why it has been the standard for a century and why it is the only shape where cut grade is measured against a mathematical ideal rather than judged by eye. A 2 carat round here measures roughly 8.1 millimetres across, a 5 carat about 11 millimetres.

Pave on three sides

The accents are not only along the top of the band. They continue down both outer edges of the shank, so the diamonds are visible from the side as well as from above and the metal seems to disappear behind them. It takes roughly three times as many stones as a single row and it is why this version of a classic reads as considerably brighter than a plain shouldered solitaire.

The open basket

Beneath the stone the setting is a cage rather than a cup, so light can enter from underneath and the round brilliant can do what it was cut to do. It also makes the ring easy to clean, which matters more than people expect: a dirty diamond loses more brightness than a lower colour grade ever would.

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. White gold is photographed here, which keeps the whole ring colourless and lets the pave read as an unbroken line of light. 10K is the hardest alloy, 14K the everyday balance, 18K the richest 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. The pave diamonds are matched to the same E and VVS2 grade.

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. Pave on three faces of a curved shank has to be set stone by stone at changing angles, all by hand under a microscope, so the line stays even as the band curves away. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Work along all three faces of the band and up into the basket from underneath. 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 pave is matched to the same grade.

Does the carat weight include the pave? No. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat options refer to the centre round brilliant. The pave is in addition.

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 shank is straight and the stone sits above the band line, so a plain or matching pave band sits close on both sides.

Can it be resized? The pave stops short of the back of the band, leaving plain metal to work with. One size either way is straightforward, two is usually possible.

Will the small stones come loose? Not if they are set properly. Each sits in its own beads of raised metal. We recommend a setting check every couple of years, as with any pave ring.

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