Halo Engagement Ring Guide: Styles, Pros and Cons

A halo engagement ring sets the centre diamond inside a frame of small diamonds, and the frame is what makes the ring look bigger. On our Oval Halo Pavé Ring it adds about 1.4 mm to every side of an oval of 8.3 × 5.7 mm, so the stone sits in a head of roughly 11 × 8.6 mm. The price of that look is upkeep: more small stones to keep clean and to have checked.

What a halo does to apparent size

A halo is a frame, so what changes is the outline. The workshop's gem report for the Oval Halo Pavé Ring lists an oval of 8.26 × 5.72 mm inside 22 round diamonds of 1.00 mm. Measured on its drawing, the frame adds about 1.4 mm on each side. The head comes to roughly 11 × 8.6 mm, close to twice the face-up area of the stone alone. Our designer draws about a millimetre a side; on the real ring the halo adds about 1.4 mm.

Two things the frame does not do. It adds no weight to the centre: on the gem report the 22 halo stones weigh 0.1 ct together, and the centre diamond is unchanged. Nor does it change the centre's colour or clarity. GIA's guide to ring settings says a halo can make the centre appear larger, and that halo rings, with so many small stones, may need more maintenance. For centre sizes at other weights, see our diamond size chart in mm.

Classic, hidden and double: the halo styles compared

Style	From above	Size effect	Upkeep	At Mazimo
Classic	One row of small diamonds follows the centre's outline	Biggest gain: about 1.4 mm each side of our oval	Frame and band stones to clean and check	Oval, Pear, Cushion and Oval Bold Halo Pavé, and the Oval Halo Solitaire and Cushion Octagon Halo Pavé
Hidden	A solitaire; the small diamonds sit under the stone	None from above	Plain band, 22 tiny stones under the centre	Oval Hidden Halo Solitaire
Double	Two rows of small diamonds	A second row adds further width	The most stones to clean	Not ready-made; ask the boutique

Classic. One row hugs the centre's outline and usually carries on down the band: the biggest change in apparent size, and many small stones to look after. Stone size is the variable. The Oval Halo Pavé Ring is the finest: 22 diamonds of 1.00 mm in the halo and 18 of 1.40 mm on the band. The Pear Halo Pavé Ring uses 21 of 1.10 mm and 16 of 1.70 mm. The Oval Bold Halo Pavé Ring, a smaller oval (7.93 × 5.64 mm), and the Cushion Halo Pavé Ring use the same stone sizes as the pear: 20 of 1.10 mm and 16 of 1.70 mm. On the workshop's drawing the 1.10 mm stones frame the centre and the 1.70 mm stones run along the band.

Hidden. The small diamonds sit under the centre stone instead of around it, so from above the ring reads as a solitaire and the sparkle shows from the side. Our Oval Hidden Halo Solitaire Ring holds an oval of about 10.5 × 7.3 mm over 22 diamonds of 0.90 mm, on four claws and a plain band. It suits a wearer who wants a quiet ring with a private detail.

Double. Two concentric rows: the loudest version, and the one with the most stones to clean. We do not list a double halo among the ready-made rings and our designer draws a single row, so ask the boutique whether a double halo can be made as a bespoke design.

Which diamond shapes suit a halo

Oval. The halo follows the outline and lengthens the finger, and the rounded ends leave no corners to protect. It is the shape in seven of our eleven halo and hidden halo rings. Our oval engagement ring guide measures the centre stones of all seven, and our other oval rings, in millimetres.

Pear. The frame wraps the point, the most vulnerable part of a pear. The Pear Halo Pavé Ring sets a pear of 9.01 × 5.72 mm, plus one 1.20 mm diamond under the head.

Cushion. The Cushion Halo Pavé Ring sets an elongated cushion of 7.62 × 4.95 mm in a rounded-rectangle frame: longer and narrower than the square cushion most people picture.

Pavé band or plain band

A halo ring usually carries the diamonds down the band. That makes it brighter from the side, but every band stone is one more setting to check, and stones set along the band limit resizing. A plain band is easier to clean and resize, as on our hidden halo ring.

The band also decides how a wedding band sits. A halo head usually pushes a straight band away, so choose a contoured band or test the pair first. Diamonds rubbing on diamonds can chip stones and wear the gold that holds them, so a plain wedding band suits best beside a pavé ring. Our wedding band guide covers the fits.

Cleaning, checking and resizing a halo ring

• Clean it weekly. Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, as GIA advises for most rings. Our guide to cleaning a diamond ring at home gives the steps, the push test for a loose claw and what to avoid.
• Have it checked yearly. Bring it to the boutique once a year for a check of the claws and a complimentary clean. Our warranty repairs manufacturing defects in settings free for the life of the ring, but excludes wear and accidental damage, such as a stone knocked loose on a door frame.
• Keep it from chlorine and perfume. Take it off for the pool and the gym.
• Settle the size first. Made-to-order rings are final sale, so measure before we make yours; sizes run from UAE 46 to 62.

Halo pros and cons, and when to skip it

• Pro: a bigger look. About 1.4 mm more on each side of our oval, from 0.1 ct of small diamonds rather than a heavier centre.
• Pro: a shielded edge. The frame takes knocks before the stone's edge does, though the claws still do the holding.
• Con: more stones to look after. More to clean, to check and to set along the band.
• Con: a louder look. A straight wedding band may not sit flush against the frame.

Choose something else if you want a bigger diamond: a halo changes the look, not the stone. If your ring goes to the gym, the kitchen and the school run, a solitaire or a hidden halo on a plain band has fewer stones to catch and loosen. On a very small centre the frame can overwhelm the stone; the centres in the five halo rings described here run from about 7.6 × 5.0 mm to about 10.5 × 7.3 mm. Our settings guide compares the halo with the other four settings on the same diamond.

Halo engagement rings at Mazimo, Dubai

Eleven of our 48 diamond rings have a halo or a hidden halo. The five described in this guide are made to order in 18K white, yellow or rose gold, with a natural or lab grown centre diamond. Mazimo confirms the price on WhatsApp for the metal and diamonds you choose, during opening hours.

Most ring pages offer "Try it on with your camera" on phones and computers with a camera; the size on your finger is approximate, so go by the photos for detail. To design your own, open the ring designer with an oval in a halo, browse all diamond rings, or book a time to try them at Al Manal Center, Deira.

Questions people ask

Does a halo make a diamond look bigger?

Yes, in outline: about 1.4 mm on every side of the oval in our Oval Halo Pavé Ring. The diamond's weight and grades do not change.

Is a halo ring harder to look after than a solitaire?

Yes, because it has more small stones to clean and check, which is why GIA says halo rings may need more maintenance. Our advice is to rinse yours weekly with warm soapy water and a soft brush, and to bring it in once a year for a check of the claws and a complimentary clean.

Halo or hidden halo for everyday wear?

A hidden halo on a plain band, as on our Oval Hidden Halo Solitaire Ring, has no frame on top, so there is less to catch and clean; the classic halo gives the bigger look. Both need the yearly check.

Do the small diamonds in a halo have a grading report?

Not individually. GIA issues its Diamond Grading Report for loose natural diamonds of 0.15 ct or more, and every small stone in our halos is far below that: the 22 halo stones in the Oval Halo Pavé Ring weigh 0.1 ct together. A grading report accompanies the centre stone where applicable.

Can a halo ring be resized?

Yes: the first resizing of a Mazimo ring is complimentary. Stones set along the band limit how far a goldsmith can go, so give us your size before the ring is made.

A hidden halo on the shoulders of a 3.5 ct oval is one of the ten new diamond rings at Mazimo.