Large Oval Amethyst Solitaire Ring with 8mm Polished Band in 14k Yellow Gold

One large oval amethyst, four heavy yellow gold prongs, and an 8mm polished band — that is the entire ring. The stone is set north-south so its long axis runs along the finger, and it stands taller than the band is wide, which is what gives it the proportions of a signet rather than a solitaire. The purple is deep and saturated, with the faint zoning you can see through the table when the light moves. The band is straight-sided and high-polished with no engraving, no texture and no accent stones anywhere on it. It weighs 9.70 grams of 14k, and almost all of that is the band.

A wide plain band is the hardest mounting to get away with, because there is nothing on it to look at except the finish and the line. Any dent, any wave in the edge, any dullness in the polish shows immediately — which is exactly why goldsmiths use a broad polished shank when they want the stone to be the only event. Here the band is doing two jobs: it carries enough metal to balance a stone this size on the hand, and its brightness is what makes the purple read as dark. Put the same amethyst on a thin wire shank and it would look like it was floating. Which would you rather wear — a ring with a lot going on, or one thing done properly?