1.75cttw Black and White Diamond Antique Filigree Ring in 14k White Gold

A round black diamond sits at the centre of this ring, prong-set high and cut with a full brilliant facet pattern, so it reads as depth rather than as a flat black disc — the facets pick up light around the edges while the middle stays dark. Around and beneath it the mount is pierced antique-style openwork, pavé-set with small white diamonds across every surface, including the scrolled panels running down both shoulders and the curls you only see from the side. The contrast is the whole design: one dark stone at the centre of a bright white lace of metal and small stones. At 3.10 grams it stays delicate while carrying 1.75 carats in total.

Black centre stones fell out of fashion for most of the twentieth century and have come back hard, because they do something a colourless stone cannot: they read as a silhouette. Set into pierced white metal like this the effect lands closer to a cameo than a solitaire — you register shape first and sparkle second. The openwork is also the tell that this is an antique-style mount rather than a modern one: the piercing carries on underneath and around the sides, where nobody would ever see it unless they picked the ring up and turned it over. Wouldn't you rather own the ring that rewards a second look?