Designing a 1 Carat Round Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Ring

Our client came to us with a dilemma. His girlfriend at the time wanted a replica of her mother’s ring. Our client however wanted to add his own spin to it.

The original ring was a beautiful classic 0.5 carat round diamond engagement ring. It also had an 18 karat gold pavé band (which had diamonds running along the side).

From our first consult, our client mentioned the following:

“Tradition is important to me, but so is looking to the future. This what an engagement and ultimately a marriage represents to me. I want to add a modern flavour to an old design.”

This meant we had to pay particular attention to the original design, but also show alternatives so he could modernise his creation. This allowed our client to explore designs while also crafting something meaningful for his girlfriend.

Our Recommendations

During the design process, we suggested the following changes:

1. Upgrading from a 0.5 carat to a 1.0 carat Ideal Cut diamond.
2. Using 14 karat yellow gold, instead of the original 18 yellow karat.
3. Using 14 karat white gold for the diamond setting.
4. Larger melee diamonds with a stronger pave setting.

1 Carat Centre Stone

Leaving an impression was important to our client. So upgrading to a larger 1.0 carat stone was an easy way to achieve that. Upgrading stone sizes with lab grown diamonds doesn’t hurt the wallet as much compared with mined.

Beyond upgrading the stone, we also upgraded the cut to be an Ideal round diamond.

Most vintage engagement rings are not as sparkly as modern cut diamonds. This is because traditional methods to cut diamonds in the past were limited. Modern technology has perfected maximising the sparkle and shine of a round diamond.

This is also why all our diamonds at Four Words are an Ideal Cut. This ensures you will always get the best-looking diamond at the best price.

14 Karat Gold

We learned his partner was a vet. The ring we designed needed to be durable, scratch-resistant and last a lifetime. This is why we suggested 14k gold instead of the original 18k gold. While 18k is higher in purity (and more yellow) it has a higher risk of scratching, bending or warping.

White Gold Prongs and Setting

To add a unique point of difference, we suggested using 14 karat white gold for the diamond setting and prongs. This was a personal preference, adding a nice contrast against the yellow gold. By using white gold (or platinum) it can make the centre stone appear whiter when viewed from above.

Pavé Band

Lastly, the original pavé setting was at risk of becoming loose with everyday wear. So we decided to modify the original design so it would more secure while appearing the same.

Confirming the design

Our client was happy with the changes and decided to go ahead with the design recommendations. However, sometimes we notice that when designing a ring, some customers are not aware of what their partners like. So we put together a couple of guides on how to get more intel.

• How to design a custom engagement ring
• Surprise, or design an engagement ring together?

The Result

He proposed to his partner at a waterfall near their home. Our client and his fiancé loved their final creation.

His Fiancé Comments:

“I love the ring. It is a lot bigger than I expected and it is so shiny! I also love the fact that he went out of his way to design something that was similar to my mother’s ring but put his own twist on it.” ­

“I know you can’t buy or replicate tradition. But putting in the time to design a ring that paid respect to family, tradition and history; it built on that, which I really love. You can’t buy tradition but you can certainly make it.”

Their Wedding Bands

After creating her engagement ring, the couple decided to craft a bespoke pair of wedding bands.

Our client created a two-tone band using 14k gold and a solid line with 14k white gold.

While for his fiancé we created a beautiful complimentary wedding band. It used a milgrain set with diamonds along the band in 14k gold.

Just like with our bespoke engagement ring process, we also create custom wedding bands for you and your partner.

No matter what your budget or design challenge is, we’re ready to help with crafting your perfect ring.