Round Cut Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Ring on a Plain Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A round brilliant laboratory grown diamond in claws on a thin plain band. This is the engagement ring in its simplest form, and it is the design everything else is measured against. There is nothing here except the stone, the claws that hold it and the metal that goes round the finger.

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: Claw solitaire on an open basket
• Band: Thin plain round band, no accent stones
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

Why the round brilliant is still the standard

The fifty seven facets of a round brilliant were worked out mathematically to return the maximum amount of light back through the top of the stone. No other shape does it as efficiently. That is why a round sparkles more than any fancy cut of the same weight and colour, and why it is the one shape where cut quality can be measured objectively rather than argued about.

Nowhere for a flaw to hide

Because the stone is symmetrical and there is no setting detail to look at, a plain round solitaire puts everything on the diamond. A poor cut shows as a dull centre, a warm colour grade shows as yellowness against the white metal, and an inclusion shows because there is nothing else to look at. E colour and VVS2 clarity is not marketing here, it is the grade that makes this design work.

The claws

The claws sit on the girdle, evenly spaced, and are filed low so they read as small points rather than bands of metal across the stone. The basket underneath is left open so light reaches the pavilion from below as well as above, which is where a large part of a round brilliant's brightness comes from.

A band kept thin

The shank is a plain round wire with nothing set into it. Thin metal makes the stone look larger by comparison, and a plain shank is the easiest of all to resize and the easiest to pair with a wedding band.

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. This ring was photographed in white metal, and every metal is made to order and priced above. 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 cut grade, the measurements and the girdle inscription, and confirms in writing that the stone is laboratory grown.

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 head is made to the diameter of the individual stone, the claws are cut down after setting so they finish at the same height, and the basket is soldered to the shank last so the stone sits level. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush, brushing up through the open basket from underneath where hand cream collects. A round brilliant loses more of its brightness to a dirty pavilion than any other shape, because so much of its light comes back from below. Take the ring off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity is the diamond? E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight.

Why choose a round over a fancy shape? Brightness. A well cut round returns more light than any other shape, and it is the only cut with a universally agreed grading standard, so what you are buying is easier to verify.

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? Yes. The band is thin and plain and the basket is narrow, so a straight band sits against it without a gap.

Can it be resized? Yes. The shank is plain all the way around, so one or two sizes either way is straightforward. This is the easiest of all our designs to resize.

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