Domed Starburst Cluster Ring with 12 Rubies and 19 Round Diamonds, 1/2cttw, in 14k White Gold

Thirty-one stones, each one on its own stem. A round diamond sits highest at the centre of this ring, ringed by six more diamonds a step lower, then twelve rubies a step lower again, deep purplish red, and finally twelve round diamonds around the rim. Every stone is held in its own four-prong head on a slim white gold wire, with open air between the stems, and the stems are cut to three heights so the whole head rises to the middle. The nineteen diamonds total .50 carat. The shank is slim, plain and polished. 7.50 grams of 14k white gold.

A starburst is mostly empty space, and that is the point of it. Pack these same small stones flat against metal and they only get light from above; put each one up on a stem with air all round it and light reaches them from the sides as well, which is why a cluster like this looks livelier than its carat weight suggests it should. The colour does the other half of the work. One ring of red set between two rings of white reads as a target from across a room and as a spray of tiny flowers when you look down at your own hand. It was made to be noticed. Count the stems before you count the stones.