3/4cttw Marquise Shaped Round Diamond Cluster Ring in 14k Yellow Gold

The head of this ring is a long pointed navette, and every stone in it is a round brilliant — there is not a pointed stone on the piece. The shape comes from the rows: one stone at the top tip, then three, then five across the widest part, then back down to a single stone at the bottom. Each one is individually prong-set in white metal, so the head reads bright and separate from the band rather than sinking into it. The 14k yellow gold shoulders are scooped into a deep concave polish that sweeps up to meet the cluster from both sides. Three quarters of a carat total across the head, 6.30 grams in all.

Making a pointed outline out of round stones is a drawing problem before it is a setting problem. A round has no point, so the tips of the navette have to be implied — each row stepped in by exactly the right amount and closed with one stone standing alone at each end. Step them wrong and the head reads as a blob with a bump on it instead of a shape. The concave shoulders are the other half of the same discipline: a hollow surface gathers light into a bright line down its length, which flatters a good polish and advertises a bad one, so nobody scoops a shank unless they intend to finish it properly. Would you rather a ring that hides its work or one that invites you to look?