Solitaire rings · By stone
Natural diamond solitaire rings
A natural diamond formed deep in the earth over a span measured in hundreds of millions of years and came up in volcanic rock. For some people that origin is part of what the ring means, and that is a real reason that does not need defending. This page is for them: how to buy one well, what the grades actually show on a hand, and how we keep the choice honest.
Quoted on the stone · No list price · Last updated 2026-10-05
What matters in a natural solitaire, in order
Cut first. A well-cut stone of a lower colour outshines a badly cut stone of a higher one, every time, and cut is the one grade the certificate describes least well. We look at the actual stone, not the paper. Then shape, because it sets the character of the ring and cannot be changed later. Then carat, colour and clarity together, because they trade against each other inside a budget and the right balance depends on the shape.
Natural diamonds have more variation than lab-grown, which is part of their appeal and part of the risk. Two stones with identical certificates can look different. We send you photographs and video of the actual stone, in daylight, before you decide.
- Colour
- D to F is colourless. G to H reads white on a hand in gold or platinum and is where most of the value is. Below that, yellow gold flatters a warmer stone.
- Clarity
- VS and above is clean to the eye in every shape. For step cuts, emerald and Asscher, which hide nothing, go VS1 or better. For brilliant cuts, SI1 can be eye-clean and we will tell you honestly whether a particular stone is.
- Carat
- Shape changes how big a carat looks. An oval or a pear reads larger than a round of the same weight. A cushion reads smaller. Choose the look, then the number.
Certification and where it is mined
Every natural diamond we set is certified by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, with the report number inscribed on the stone's girdle. You look it up on IGI's own site before the ring is made. That is the one check that does not require trusting us.
If you want a stone with a documented country of origin, say so when we talk: it narrows the choice and can affect the quote, and we would rather tell you that up front than discover it later.
Colours: D to J, and the natural fancy colours
On the white scale, D to F is colourless and the difference between them is only visible side by side under a lamp. G to H is near colourless and reads white on a hand in any metal, which is where most of the value is. I to J shows a trace of warmth that yellow or rose gold absorbs completely. Below that the stone reads tinted, and we would rather tell you so than sell it as white.
Beyond the white scale are the natural fancy colours, graded Fancy Light to Fancy Vivid. Yellow is the most available and the most affordable; a good fancy yellow in yellow gold is one of the warmest solitaires there is. Champagne and cognac browns are affordable and have come back strongly. Salt and pepper, a grey diamond full of visible black and white inclusions, is the opposite of everything above and is loved for exactly that. Natural pink and blue are among the rarest things on earth, priced far above colourless, and we will say so plainly rather than quote one and hope.
- Fancy yellow
- Canary to deep gold. Reads best in yellow gold, which the labs call a colour-enhancing setting. The natural fancy colour most people can actually buy.
- Champagne and cognac
- Warm browns, from pale fizz to deep cognac. Affordable for the size, suited to rose and yellow gold, and increasingly chosen for solitaires.
- Salt and pepper
- Grey, moody, every stone different. Usually cut as a rose cut or a cushion. Not graded for clarity in the usual way, because the inclusions are the point.
Carat: what each size looks like
With a natural stone the carat is where the money goes, so it pays to know what each weight actually looks like. A well-cut one carat round is 6.5 millimetres across and is the classic solitaire. One and a half carats is a visible step up. Two carats is a serious stone on any hand. Three carats and above are made to order and sourced for each commission, because stones that size are not sitting in anyone's drawer.
Shape changes how a carat reads. The table gives the usual face-up size for each. Just under the round numbers, 0.90 rather than 1.00, 1.80 rather than 2.00, is where a natural stone is noticeably better value for a difference nobody can see.
| Carat | Round | Oval | Cushion | Emerald | Pear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 ct | 5.1 | 6.0 x 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 x 3.5 | 7.0 x 4.5 |
| 0.75 ct | 5.8 | 7.0 x 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 x 4.5 | 7.5 x 5.0 |
| 1.00 ct | 6.5 | 7.7 x 5.7 | 5.5 | 7.0 x 5.0 | 8.5 x 5.5 |
| 1.50 ct | 7.4 | 8.5 x 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 x 5.5 | 9.5 x 6.5 |
| 2.00 ct | 8.2 | 9.5 x 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 x 6.5 | 10.5 x 7.0 |
| 2.50 ct | 8.8 | 10.0 x 7.5 | 7.5 | 9.0 x 7.0 | 11.0 x 7.5 |
| 3.00 ct | 9.4 | 11.0 x 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 x 7.5 | 12.0 x 8.0 |
| 4.00 ct | 10.4 | 12.0 x 9.0 | 9.0 | 10.5 x 8.0 | 13.0 x 9.0 |
| 5.00 ct | 11.0 | 13.0 x 9.5 | 9.5 | 11.5 x 8.5 | 14.0 x 9.5 |
How a ring is made here
The process is the same for every ring. We talk, by video or in person in Bengaluru. We source the stone for you and send its certificate. A designer draws the ring and you approve the renders before any metal is poured. The makers we work with cut and set it in 18k gold or 950 platinum. You see photographs of the finished ring before it ships, insured and tracked, with an insurance valuation in the box.
Every stone comes with its certificate: GIA for lab-grown diamonds, IGI for natural diamonds and GRA for moissanite. The report number is yours to look up on the lab's own site before the ring is made.
Questions people ask
Natural or lab-grown: which should I choose?
Choose natural if the origin is part of the meaning for you. Choose lab-grown if you would rather the money went into size or clarity. Both are diamonds, both are certified, and neither is the wrong answer. We will not push you either way.
Which certificate do natural diamonds come with?
IGI. The report grades cut, colour, clarity and carat, and the number is inscribed on the girdle so the stone and the paper can always be matched. You verify it on IGI's own website.
Do you make coloured natural diamond solitaires?
Yes. Fancy yellow, champagne, cognac and salt and pepper diamonds are sourced on request, IGI certified. Natural pink and blue can be sourced but are priced far above colourless stones; a lab-grown pink or blue is the realistic route for most budgets.
What colour grade should I buy?
G or H in platinum or white gold reads white and is the best value. D to F if colourless matters to you and you accept paying for a difference only visible side by side. In yellow or rose gold, I or J reads warm rather than tinted and saves more.
Does a natural diamond hold its value?
Better than lab-grown, but not as well as people are told. A ring bought at retail will not resell for what it cost. Buy it because you want a mined stone on your hand, not as a store of value.
Can you source a specific stone I have found elsewhere?
Often, yes. Send the certificate number and we will tell you whether we can get that stone or an equal one, and quote it. Every ring here is made around a stone chosen for one person, so that is normal rather than unusual.
Is the gold hallmarked?
Yes. 18k gold carries the BIS hallmark for purity and platinum is 950. The hallmark is inside the band and is yours to check.
Start with the stone
Tell us the shape, the size and the budget, and we will send real IGI-certified stones to choose from, with photographs in daylight and a quote on each. No obligation and no charge for the design work.