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Stone & metal guide

Our guide to stone and metal options for your dream ring. Choose your stone, the cut and preferred metal or ask us to help you with the selection.

The rings in ‘Our Collection’ can be modified with any of the options below.

Stone, shape & metal guide

Select:
stone options
diamond
About diamond

Diamonds have been a symbol of purity and loyalty for thousands of years.

Through history they have represented love and commitment. Their supreme strength and clarity makes diamond a perfect stone choice.

Diamonds grow in natural octahedrons and have been used in their raw form in jewellery dating back as far as Ancient Roman times.

To find out more about diamonds, refer to our 4C’s guide below.

black diamond
About black diamond

Black Diamonds, sometimes known as carbonados are one of the toughest forms of natural diamond. The black colour comes from a mixture of graphite and carbon within the stone.

It’s name is derived from the Spanish word 'Platina' meaning 'little silver'.

Black Diamonds are incredibly tough and more porous than white diamonds, making them harder to cut but very long lasting. Black diamonds do not sparkle like other colours - but they look incredible set into jewellery on their own or aside other stones.

Since they are completely opaque, they do not vary in intensity or colour. Truly natural black diamonds are very rare and expensive making them a popular choice for unique jewellery.

sapphire
About sapphire

For centuries Blue Sapphires have been associated with royalty and romance. The Ancient Roman kings and queens believed them to protect their owners from envy and harm.

Sapphires are readily available in different shapes and colours making them an excellent choice for your ring. Sapphires come in a whole rainbow of colours ranging from blue, black, green, pink, purple, white and yellow.

Blue Sapphires are incredibly popular as they thought of as regal, deep and pure, sitting perfectly surrounded by white diamonds.

ruby
About ruby

Rubies are highly prized in different cultures across the world for their beauty and powerful properties.

In the ancient language of Sanskrit, the Ruby is called ‘ratnaraj’ which means ‘King of precious stones’.

For centuries, the deep red colour of rubies has been associated with love.

In ancient times, ruby was used as a wedding stone to signify passion and commitment.

morganite
About morganite

Morganite is the pretty, peachy-pink variety of beryl, cousin to more familiar beryls like emerald and aquamarine.

Morganite's beautiful, feminine colors are a result of the presence of manganese. Morganite represents purity of being and is believed to help you realise your potential.

Morganite is a timeless stone as its hues compliment all skin types and metals creating the effect of understated glamour.

emerald
About emerald

Emeralds have been admired for centuries, with historians estimating the Egyptians to be the first to discover them as early as 3500 BC.

Known as the stone of ‘successful love’, Emeralds are thought to enhance unity and unconditional love within partnerships and friendships.

The intensity of the colour of Emeralds have fascinated people for centuries, looking especially radiant set with yellow gold.

shape options
round
About round cut

The round cut accounts for more than half of the diamonds sold in the world today and is by far the most popular diamond shape.

The modern round brilliant cut diamond was developed from its predecessor the ‘single cut’.

A round brilliant diamond is most versatile in terms of value and style.

Clean and effortlessly timeless, this shape offers optimum fire and brilliance, serving as the ideal cut for the 4 C’s.

oval
About oval cut

Somewhere in between a round and pear shape, the oval cut is the best of both worlds.

Oval cut is ideal for those who enjoy the sparkle that a round brilliant provides but in a more distinctive, elongated form.

This shape optimises on carat weight, meaning that the drawn out and symmetrical shape can make it appear larger than round stones of a similar weight.

When choosing oval for a central stone, symmetry and ratio of the shape is important as these are the little details the eye picks up on.

pear
About pear cut

Pear or teardrop as its sometimes called, is the feminine stone shape associated with the actress Elizabeth Taylor.

It is the combination of a round brilliant cut and the elongated, curved shape of the marquise.

This cut captures the brilliance and elegance of both shapes. When choosing a pear cut, it's important to note that both curved sides of the pear are equal and join to the point in a symmetrical union.

As colour is often more visible towards the tip of the pear shape, it’s advisable to opt for colours H and above so that you are more likely to get a stone that is even in tone.

rose
About rose cut

The rose cut is named after its resemblance to an opening rose bud.

Rose cuts have a characteristic flat base that rises to a single apex to form a dome or hemisphere that is covered from anywhere between 3-24 small facets.

The rose cut can be traced back to the 1500s and is the cut of choice to make the most of the stone’s carat weight.

The rose cut is perfect for that touch of old world romance.

asscher
About asscher cut

Developed in 1902 by the Asscher brothers, known as the timelessly cool Art Deco style cut.

The Asscher is best described as a stepped square shape with cropped corners. When choosing an Asscher cut diamond, the ideal shape would show concentric squares through the table.

This means that all the facets below are properly placed and cut. This results in the optical illusion of prismatic brilliance known as ‘The Hall of Mirrors.’

cushion
About cushion cut

The cushion cut, as its name suggests, resembles a pillow shape - either square or rectangular, with rounded corners.

The large facets on a cushion allow for maximum light dispersion, creating a stone that has the ability to show what is known as the ‘crushed ice’ or ‘sparkling water’ effect.

This means the shape allows for a brighter sparkle and displays a greater range of the colours of the rainbow.

emerald
About emerald cut

The emerald cut is one that resonates with vintage glamour, favoured by classic style icons such as Grace Kelly.

The emerald cut highlights the clarity of the diamond and its natural crystalline rectangular growth- featuring a large centre flat plane and truncated corners.

The best emerald cut has parallel sides and even corners.

baguette
About baguette cut

The rectangular baguette cut was first developed in the 1920s and is now the most popular form of a step cut.

Due to its straight clean lines and geometric form, the baguette was a favourite during the Art Deco period.

With its slender nature and focus on the centre rectangular ‘table’, this shape allows for great lustre and is favourable for stones that have a high clarity or to show off a dark coloured stone.

metal options
platinum
About platinum

A precious silver-grey metal found naturally in the earth’s crust.

It’s name is derived from the Spanish word 'Platina' meaning 'little silver'.

Because of its scarcity, Platinum has become highly valuable.

It’s resistance to tarnish with everyday wear makes it an ideal choice.

yellow gold
About yellow gold

Yellow gold has a long history, since it was one of the first known metals discovered.

Its name is derived from the old English word for yellow, 'geolu'. Gold is unique for its ability to not rust or corrode, making it practical for everyday wear.

Gold can be further categorised into different karats. Pure 100% gold being 24 karats by definition.

18 karat gold is the most popular, with 750 parts per thousand parts. Yellow gold is an ideal choice because it wears well and ages beautifully.

rose gold
About rose gold

Rose gold is created by mixing gold with copper.

Rose Gold is feminine and soft with a warm blush hue with a look that is pleasing against many skin tones.

Rose gold looks best with white or champagne coloured diamonds.

white gold
About white gold

White gold is a mixture of gold and other white metal components such as silver and palladium.

Because white gold’s natural colour is a light grey colour, rhodium plating is used to make the metal more white and shiny.

This plating is hard wearing but will eventually wear away with time so to keep white gold looking at its best it can be re-plated with rhodium every 12 to 18 months.

If you are deciding between white gold or platinum, ask for a quote for both.

rhodium plating
About rhodium plating

Rhodium plating is a process that coats over silver or white gold to give it that extra boost of durability and shine.

The life of the plating is dependant on the wearer and their lifestyle. On average a re-plating should be done every 12-18 months.

Rhodium plating is available in a white or black finish.

Diamond guide

Carat

Diamonds are measured in terms of weight not size, ‘Carat’ is the weight measurement of a precious stone, with one metric carat equalling to one fifth of a gram. Gem cutters will always analyse a diamond in its rough form and try to make sure they cut stones that retain the most carat weight.

Two diamonds of equal weight can still end up with different value, as the quality is determined by, colour, clarity and cut.

Cut

Diamond cutting began when Indian craftsmen found that by grinding diamonds together, they could create new depths of light and shimmering reflections. Modern technology can turn a raw diamond into any shape with maximum sparkle. A skillfully cut diamond creates brilliance, fire and scintillation - the three optical properties this gem has and its relationship with light.

Brilliance - The combined effect of all of the reflections of light on the facets internally and externally.

Fire - if the diamond is cut well, the interaction of white light and facets will produce fire showing all colours of the rainbow with red being the best colour you can get.

Scintillation - How well the diamond sparkles - no matter the angle of the piece.

The proportions and symmetry of facets have a dramatic take on how well light interacts and performs on a diamond. These are all small details that Zoe & Morgan take into consideration when designing the perfect ring for you.

Colour

When we refer to colour, we are referring to the diamond colour grading scale. D-F are the most desired colours, with D being colourless, and going down the scale to a light yellow.

During their formation underground, diamonds can attain a structural defect or pick up chemical impurities. A clear diamond means that it's free of these imperfections.

These factors change how a diamond absorbs light and its spectral colours, giving diamonds an almost chameleon like nature.

On a D to W scale, a diamond's value is relative to its absence of colour.

Clarity

Clarity is an indication of a diamonds purity. Inclusions are the internal characteristics of a diamond. They are what makes each stone unique and special to the wearer. They tend to be clear, white or black and can be in the form of pinpoints or clouds.

It should be noted that most flaws are not visible to the untrained eye. When choosing a diamond, you want to choose a diamond that has no inclusions in the table (the top centre face), as this will be the most noticeable place for imperfections.

Explore 
modern love

The rings in ‘Our Collection’ can be modified with any of the options above. Enter any additional changes or requests in the form when you select your chosen ring.

Fall in
love with our
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Eros Engagement Ring

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Diamond & 18k Yellow Gold 
Mon Cheri Engagement Ring

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Blue Sapphire & Diamonds

 

Silas 6mm Band

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18k Yellow Gold

 

Ae Engagement Ring

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Platinum & Diamonds

 

Claridad Engagement Ring

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18k Yellow Gold & Diamonds

 

Freya Engagement Ring

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18k Yellow Gold & Diamonds

 

Mon Cheri Ring

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18k Yellow Gold & Diamonds