A diamond set into a signet ring is the most understated way for a man to wear a large stone. The face of the ring carries it, the diamond sits level with the gold, and from across a room it reads as a flash of light on a heavy ring rather than as jewelry.
Lab-grown stones have made that look reachable at sizes, 1.5 carats and up, that used to belong to very few buyers.
Lab-grown versus mined, plainly
A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. It is carbon in the same crystal structure as a mined stone, with the same hardness, the same refractive index and the same fire. It is grown one of two ways: HPHT, which recreates the high pressure and temperature that form diamonds underground, or CVD, which builds the crystal layer by layer from a carbon-rich gas. A trained gemologist cannot tell a well-made lab stone from a mined one without laboratory equipment.
What lab-grown changes is the price, by a wide margin. A 2 carat lab stone of good color and clarity costs a fraction of a mined stone of the same grade.
What it gives up is resale. Lab-grown prices have fallen as production has grown, and the secondhand market for them is weak. Buy a lab diamond to wear, not as a store of value. If resale matters to you, buy mined and accept the price.
Every LUCE stone is lab-grown, HPHT or CVD, and graded by IGI or GIA. None is cubic zirconia.
The two rings
The Signet takes a round or Asscher-cut stone of 1.5 to 2 carats, flush-set into a hand-finished oval face, in 18k yellow or white gold. It is made for the little finger or the ring finger.
The Pinky takes an emerald-cut stone of 1.5 to 2.5 carats in a handmade bezel, in 18k yellow gold.
Both are made to order and priced on request. Gold weight, stone size and grade all move the number, so a quote on your exact choices is the only accurate price.
Which cut
Round brilliant gives the most sparkle per carat, because its facets are arranged for light return. In a flush setting, where gold surrounds the stone and blocks some light, round is the cut that still flashes.
Asscher is a square step cut with cropped corners. Its fewer, larger facets give a hall-of-mirrors look instead of sparkle, and it suits a man who wants the ring to look architectural.
Emerald is the rectangular step cut, the long cousin of the Asscher. On a pinky in a bezel it reads clean and old school. Step cuts show inclusions more openly than brilliants, so with Asscher or emerald, aim higher on clarity.
For scale, a 1.5 carat round is roughly 7.3 mm across and a 2 carat round roughly 8 mm. On a signet face, either looks substantial without looking loud.
Which finger
The little finger is the traditional place for a signet. Wear it on the hand you do not write with, so it does not knock against door handles and barbells, and so it is not crushed in a handshake.
The ring finger works if you are unmarried or wear your wedding band on the other hand. A signet there is bolder, because that finger is longer and more central.
One heavy ring on a hand is a statement. Three is a costume. Keep the diamond signet alone on its hand, with a watch on the other wrist or the same, but no second ring beside it.
Sizing a signet
A signet is wider and heavier than a plain band, and wide rings fit tighter. If you know your size in a slim band, plan on a quarter to a half size up for a signet. The little finger usually runs two to three sizes smaller than the ring finger, so do not size a pinky from a wedding band.
Measure at the end of the day, when fingers are largest, and not right after cold weather or a workout. The ring should pass the knuckle with a little resistance and then sit without spinning. A signet that spins turns the stone toward your palm, which defeats the point.
Use a jeweler's ring sizer, not a strip of paper or string. If your knuckle is much larger than the base of your finger, say so when ordering, since the shank can be shaped to help.
Flush versus bezel
A flush setting, also called a gypsy setting, sinks the diamond into a drilled seat so its table sits level with the gold. Nothing protrudes. It is the most protective setting there is, right for a ring worn every day, and it gives the restraint a signet calls for. The trade: less light enters from the sides, so the stone shows as a bright point rather than a broad sparkle.
A bezel wraps a thin collar of gold around the edge of the stone. The diamond sits higher than in a flush setting, more light reaches it, and there are still no claws to catch on a sweater or a pocket lining. On an emerald cut, the bezel also guards the edges and corners of the step cut.
Claw settings are left off both rings on purpose. On a man's hand, claws snag and loosen.
On gold: 18k yellow is warmer and reads as classic, the color of a family ring. 18k white gold is cooler and makes the stone look whiter. Let your watch decide: a gold case points to yellow, a steel case to white.
If the ring is the start of a set, The Studs come in the same round and Asscher cuts. The full LUCE collection is on the diamonds page, and if the next piece is a chain, the tennis chain size guide covers length and link width.
The pieces
The best markdowns, before they sell out.