Solitaire Engagement Ring

A solitaire engagement ring is built around a single centre stone, with no accent diamonds on the band or around the stone, and the name comes from the French word for alone. Because nothing else competes for attention, the cut, the proportions and the clarity of that one diamond carry the whole design, which means the stone you choose matters more here than it would in a busier setting. A solitaire works with every diamond shape and looks at home in a four-prong, six-prong, bezel or cathedral head.

A solitaire suits anyone who wants a clean, restrained ring that reads as an engagement ring at a glance. It is a natural choice if the centre stone matters most to you, if you want a design that will stack easily with a wedding or eternity band later, and if you would rather have a ring that holds up well as tastes change.

Round brilliant is the most popular and the easiest to compare, since it is the one shape with a formal cut grade. Ovals, cushions and emerald cuts also look at home in a solitaire, and the more elongated shapes have the bonus of lengthening the finger.

The classic plain band is the most common, but a knife-edge band, a gently tapered band or a twisted band all keep the solitaire look while adding a little detail. A hidden halo of small diamonds tucked under the centre stone adds sparkle from the side without changing the view from above, and a diamond-set gallery is another way to work in detail while keeping the clean solitaire outline.

A solitaire stacks neatly. A matching plain band sits flush against it for a classic two-ring look, while a diamond eternity band adds sparkle without changing the outline of the engagement ring, and flanking the solitaire with a band on each side builds a fuller stack. Band width sets the proportion too, so a 1.5 to 2 mm band makes a smaller stone look larger, while a 2.5 mm band balances a larger one.

Almost the whole budget goes into the centre stone, so a solitaire usually buys a larger or better-cut diamond than a busier setting would at the same price. A lab-grown diamond or moissanite stretches the spend further again, which is why many buyers choose a lab-grown solitaire when they want more size for the money. For more on the stone itself, read the lab-grown diamond and 4Cs guides.

The modern solitaire took shape in 1886, when Tiffany & Co. introduced the six-prong Tiffany Setting that raised the diamond above the band so light could reach it from the sides. Before that, most diamonds sat low in closed-back settings that held the light in and dulled the stone, so lifting the diamond up changed engagement ring design for good. The solitaire has been the most requested style in the world ever since.