Halo Engagement Rings

The Halo design is one of the most popular engagement ring settings. As it sounds, the halo engagement ring is shaped like a halo of diamonds surrounding the main, central diamond or gemstone. The presence of the diamond halo causes the center gemstone to appear larger and more sparkling. The Halo ring is relatively new, first appearing during the “Art Deco” period, circa the 1920′s and 1930′s.

Traditionally, the Halo was round shaped, but today the most popular shape is the cushion style, known by its distinctive “cushiony” rounded corners. Below, are two examples using a cushion cut diamond as the center stone.

Cushion style halo engagement rings are not limited to using a cushion cut diamond as the center stone, also popular are cushion styles using a round cut diamond or princess cut diamond.

Coming in a close second to the cushion style is the traditional round halo design. Two designs are shown below…

Somewhat less popular are the square halos featuring a princess cut diamond as the center stone…

To accent the halo and add uniqueness to your ring, designs with twisted bands, split shanks and infinity bands are becoming increasingly popular. Below are two sparkly examples…

At the high end are beautiful settings by renowned designers such as Verragio, Vatche or Ritani. These rings, paired with a top-quality diamond from a high-end boutique jeweler such as Whiteflash offer the ultimate in style, sparkle and brilliance…

There are a few more choices to make when selecting a halo engagement ring. One of which is whether the girdle of the diamond sits flush with the halo (below left) or is raised above it (below right). When the center diamond is flush with the Halo the two “blend” together making the center diamond appear larger and more sparkly. When the center diamond is raised above the halo it becomes the center of attention with the halo acting as an accent.

The other choice to make is whether there is a gap between the Halo and the center diamond. Known as an “airline” gap, settings with no gap (below left) make the center diamond appeared larger, while designs with a gap (below right) will emphasize the center diamond with the halo once again acting as an accent.

Another popular setting option is to include diamonds along the shank of the band. These “pave” diamonds add extra sparkle and brilliance to the ring (above left).

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