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Diamond ring for big birthday

33 replies

FilipeFlop · 13/01/2026 17:40

Hi, I’m looking at having a diamond ring made for a big birthday. It’s going to be yellow gold with platinum claws and in a toi and moi design. I want to incorporate as much bling (diamonds) as possible. I’ve seen hidden halos and like them, diamonds will be on the arms. Can anyone suggest any other ways to incorporate bling with photos for reference?

This will be a once in a lifetime purchase that I will save for as no other jewellery.

many thanks

OP posts:
Slothey · 13/01/2026 21:04

Psrsonally, I’d put my money into a bigger, higher quality main rock if you want bling.

Often, tiny little diamonds don’t give much sparkle and aren’t always very high quality. You can see them if you look, but they don’t give you much wow factor.

Arlanymor · 13/01/2026 21:08

I had a salt and pepper rose gold ring made for my 40th by the amazing https://www.aliceclarke.co.uk - the best way to approach a commission is to find a jeweller you click with and have a good conversation about your preferences - they are artists and will be able to give you a range of ideas and concepts that will meet your brief.

Alice Clarke - Shop the Latest Luxury Collections

Handmade in the Yorkshire, Available Worldwide. Handcrafted & Bespoke Fine Jewellery, Featuring Falkland Pearls, Rings & More.

https://www.aliceclarke.co.uk

Shinyandnew1 · 13/01/2026 21:10

Like a pp, if you want bling, I'd get as big a single diamond as you can. Often little diamonds don't look as shiny-you get a pave finish which isn't so sparkly.

DaydreamerBetty · 13/01/2026 21:14

Side stones can be sparkly but need to be good quality and not chip diamonds. Channel setting can achieve this.

MrsPositivity1 · 13/01/2026 21:17

Bigger single diamond looks much better as little chips are just that.

WeirdyBeardyMarrowBabyLady · 13/01/2026 21:21

Absolutely love those Alice Clarke rings @Arlanymor

Gentlydoesit2 · 13/01/2026 21:25

Arlanymor · 13/01/2026 21:08

I had a salt and pepper rose gold ring made for my 40th by the amazing https://www.aliceclarke.co.uk - the best way to approach a commission is to find a jeweller you click with and have a good conversation about your preferences - they are artists and will be able to give you a range of ideas and concepts that will meet your brief.

I'd love to know the thinking/story behind the "black hand picture" on their website... How odd!! Beautiful jewellery though 🫠

Alwayslurkingsometimesposting · 13/01/2026 21:28

FilipeFlop · 13/01/2026 17:40

Hi, I’m looking at having a diamond ring made for a big birthday. It’s going to be yellow gold with platinum claws and in a toi and moi design. I want to incorporate as much bling (diamonds) as possible. I’ve seen hidden halos and like them, diamonds will be on the arms. Can anyone suggest any other ways to incorporate bling with photos for reference?

This will be a once in a lifetime purchase that I will save for as no other jewellery.

many thanks

If its a once in a lifetime purchase are you sure about toi et moi design? I feel like that is quite a 'trendy' design that could date. I'd go classic, solitaire or trilogy setting

Thingsthatgo · 13/01/2026 21:28

Small diamonds can be extremely sparkly, but some cheap jewellers will use low quality small stones. The quality of the diamonds makes an enormous difference. It’s is also important to keep them clean, they will quickly loose their sparkle if they are full of hand cream or soap.
I love the way the diamonds are set on the bands of these rings, and think they would work with a toi et moi design in yellow
gold.

Diamond ring for big birthday
Diamond ring for big birthday
Diamond ring for big birthday
blankcanvas3 · 13/01/2026 21:35

Big single diamonds, always. You don’t need hidden halos etc if the stone is gorgeous and sparkly. Especially not if you’re having a toi and moi design. I’m currently sat in the dark in DD’s room whilst she falls asleep but I’ll post a pic of mine shortly to show you, it really doesn’t need anything extra

tarheelbaby · 13/01/2026 21:39

The top factor for sparkle in diamonds is cut - the more accurately the cut matches up the facets the more sparkle due to maximum refraction. It doesn't matter how big (carats) or clean (clarity) or 'white' (colour) the diamond is, if the cut is poor, the diamond will seem dull. Well cut diamonds dance in any light. (Alice Clarke has some exciting settings but the diamonds on her website are poorly cut ...)

The 'round brilliant' is the best able to produce this because it has the best known geometry. The other cuts have very difficult geometry so are difficult to do well - perhaps you've seen a marquis, princess or emerald cut stone with a 'butterfly' or 'bowtie' - this is due to poor cut. And those cuts have fewer facets so are less sparkly.

For an eye-popping toi et moi - a less often seen but still traditional style with a long history, I'd go for the largest 2 diamonds with the best cut you can afford and match them for colour. H or I colour appears 'colourless' to most people and can go together. 'Warmer' colours on down the alphabet can work but should be matching - you don't want an H with an M b/c one will look 'warmer' than the other. Also SI, SI1 and even SI2 appear clean to the naked eye - no visible flaws unless you are using a loupe.

It's all very well having pavé on the shanks but these will be dust so don't let that drive up the price of your setting. Equally, halo settings can be lovely but the main function of a halo is to make the centre stone(s) look larger [illusion] so consider whether the halo will actually emphasise the smaller size of the main stones ...
(and created diamond have their own chemical signature so although they are less expensive, they will never pass for mined stones)

Georgiepud · 13/01/2026 22:08

That's very informative tarheelbaby.

So do you mean if the diamond is more rounded, than pointy edged, it is worth more and it shines better?

I fancy a pear shape but with a point, so was wondering how that would work with both shapes in the same stone?

FilipeFlop · 14/01/2026 07:09

Thank you so much for your comments!! Amazing info here. I’m thinking of white and pink pears.

OP posts:
FilipeFlop · 14/01/2026 07:22

Alwayslurkingsometimesposting · 13/01/2026 21:28

If its a once in a lifetime purchase are you sure about toi et moi design? I feel like that is quite a 'trendy' design that could date. I'd go classic, solitaire or trilogy setting

This is a good point. I like unusual and get bored with simple things so a solitaire has never been enough. I used to like trilogy styles but saw the toi et moi and it spoke to me!

OP posts:
Anonmousse · 14/01/2026 07:36

A white and pink pear shaped sounds great.😊 Are you planning lab grown or natural? Natural pink would be eye watering ££££££!
Im a jeweller and I would be a bit cautious of a hidden halo, on a practical level - sorry!! To set diamonds in the collet (the "basket" or structure holding the main diamond) means drilling into it and thus slightly weakens it. It can be done if its made substantially enough but it can affect the strength of it and make it easier to go out of shape or loosen the main diamond. Having diamonds on the shoulders (top part of the band) would be safer

FilipeFlop · 14/01/2026 07:40

Thank you, this is really helpful about the hidden halo and I’m going to focus on the main stones for effect and possibly consider them on the shoulders. Natural white and lab grown pink. Gold with platinum claws. I can’t work out which would be better bigger? I want one roughly 1ct and the other 2ct.

OP posts:
tarheelbaby · 14/01/2026 19:38

Georgiepud · 13/01/2026 22:08

That's very informative tarheelbaby.

So do you mean if the diamond is more rounded, than pointy edged, it is worth more and it shines better?

I fancy a pear shape but with a point, so was wondering how that would work with both shapes in the same stone?

Invest more in the natural diamond on all fronts because it will hold its value. The synthetic pink diamond will be pretty and possibly pricey but will not add to the longer-term value of the ring.

Regarding sparkly diamonds: What I mean is that diamonds are crystals (like topazes or garnets or amethysts but made of carbon) and they have internal structural planes which skilled diamond cutters can enhance by cleaving expertly. The better the cut, the more sparkly and thus more valuable, the diamond.

There are specific, known ways to cut diamonds to maximise their potential. The 'easiest' of these, because the technique is constrained by the geometry of a circle, is the round brilliant and the proof that the facets are perfectly matched is that with a loupe 'hearts and arrows' are often visible - google for examples. The expert 'round brilliant' cut is well documented and a 'basic'.
Achieveing this level of mathematical perfection is much more difficult in other shapes/cuts.

Cuts other than 'round brililant' are very complicated. Adding the pointy part of the pear shape will require lots of maths and lots of accuracy. The better cut stone in a non-round brilliant shape will be much more expensive because it is more sparkly but also the non-round shape requires lots of extra effort. Read a little about diamond cuts and you'll see what I mean.

There are other shapes (e.g. princess, Asscher, Leo, emerald, marquis(e), old european, etc). Each of these cuts has pluses and minuses and good cutters can assess a stone and determine which cut will suit it.

The venerable Mr Asscher cut the lumpy, raw Cullinan diamond in to 'Granny's chips' - lots of different shapes. Reputedly, he studied the original, raw lump for over a year before he made a move and reputedly after he made his first cut, he collapsed.

@Anonmousse will confirm that a toi et moi with pear-shaped natural white and pink diamonds would be staggeringly expensive compared to a toi et moi with round brilliants in the H/I + SI range.

TalulahJP · 14/01/2026 20:46

go on the jewellery channel website (tjc) and see theirs. they are sky channel 662.

they are big lab created real diamonds for a good price. i bought a ring from them and took it to my jeweller who confirmed they are real.

Georgiepud · 14/01/2026 23:08

Thank you tarheelbaby. Very helpful.

Arlanymor · 16/01/2026 23:43

Gentlydoesit2 · 13/01/2026 21:25

I'd love to know the thinking/story behind the "black hand picture" on their website... How odd!! Beautiful jewellery though 🫠

It’s the hand that has made the jewellery, in the firing you get fumes. Like smoke from a fire or mining.

Anonmousse · 17/01/2026 14:17

Arlanymor · 16/01/2026 23:43

It’s the hand that has made the jewellery, in the firing you get fumes. Like smoke from a fire or mining.

What sort of firing? We use propane gas which can be smokey - the corners of the room are a bit grey....and my fingertips and nails get black and dirty from polishing but my hands have never got like this....

dicentra365 · 17/01/2026 15:39

blankcanvas3 · 13/01/2026 21:35

Big single diamonds, always. You don’t need hidden halos etc if the stone is gorgeous and sparkly. Especially not if you’re having a toi and moi design. I’m currently sat in the dark in DD’s room whilst she falls asleep but I’ll post a pic of mine shortly to show you, it really doesn’t need anything extra

I agree with this. Plus I don’t think the style of a toi et moi necessarily lends itself to a hidden halo or lots of small stones. However two amazing stones could look fabulous.

oneoneone · 18/01/2026 23:21

I think yellow gold with platinum claws and two different colours of diamonds might end up looking a bit costume jewellery-ish, especially if you also have diamonds on the band. Additionally, well cut pears are very hard to find and expensive.

Like others, I'd put your money in high quality main diamonds. I'd be sure to get someone to do a really good mockup of what it's going to look like before you go ahead.

notatinydancer · 19/01/2026 08:34

I love the Raindance rings. This is very expensive but I know a friend who had one made for much less. In this style you can have as many / sizes of diamonds as you’d like. <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.boodles.com/cdn/shop/files/Classic_Raindance_Ring.jpg?v%3D1702471199&tbnid=peJMs3jKdYflHM&vet=1&imgrefurl=www.boodles.com/products/classic-raindance-ring?srsltid%3DAfmBOopw4ySvODFZxC-BMiPIRJ3xHoTUp6X7lBfZnjZKDf0tWK7-Rtdq&docid=-siYy53RtRRLxM&w=1440&h=1920&hl=en_GB&source=sh/x/im/m1/5&kgs=adf5ec0982719ab3&shem=bdsle,isst,shrtsdl&utm_source=bdsle,isst,shrtsdl,sh/x/im/m1/5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://share.google/tIn9BAepb1N7IvhwE