You already know the look: one diamond, a slim band, nothing else. We sell solitaire diamond engagement rings ready to ship, and we make them to order too, at our showroom on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver.
Classic Solitaire Diamond Rings
A solitaire is the simplest engagement ring there is: one diamond held above a plain or lightly detailed band. No halo, no side stones. That's also why it's hard to fake. Every millimetre of the diamond is on show, so the cut, colour and clarity have to be right.
Most people who ask us for a solitaire diamond ring in Vancouver already know the look they want. What they're less sure about is the detail. Four prongs or six? How high should the stone sit? Will a thin band make the diamond look bigger? Honestly, those are our favourite conversations.
We've been fitting couples for solitaires at our Granville Street showroom since 2013, using GIA and IGI certified lab grown and natural diamonds.
Discover the perfect piece for every
Ring trends come and go. Halos had their moment, then hidden halos, then bezels.
The solitaire was there before all of them.
Tiffany & Co. lifted a diamond off the band on six prongs back in 1886, and jewellers have been playing with that idea ever since. Plain bands, pavé bands, cathedral shoulders, tiny diamonds tucked under the head. The bones stay the same.
It has stuck around for practical reasons too. Here's what our clients tell us they like about it:
Choosing Your Solitaire Setting
We get asked this almost every week. The honest answer is that it depends on the stone you pick and what your hands get up to.
Four prongs leave more of the diamond showing, and they sit nicely on the corners of a princess, cushion or radiant cut. Put four prongs on a round, though, and it can start to look a little square. Some people like that. Most don't notice until we point it out.
Six prongs grip harder. Knock one on a car door and bend it, and there are still five holding on. GIA's advice, if you can't make up your mind, is to go with six. We tend to agree, especially for rounds.
Pears and marquise cuts play by their own rules. Those pointy tips can chip if they're left bare, so we cover them with a V-prong.
Height matters too. Sit the stone up high on a cathedral and a wedding band slides straight under it. Keep it low and it won't snag your sweaters. Neither is wrong.
Easiest way to decide? Come in and try both on. It's usually obvious within a minute.
With one stone doing all the work, these are the details we check first.
On a solitaire there's nowhere for a dull stone to hide. We steer you toward Excellent or Ideal cut grades before we talk about carat size.
Four or six, round tips or claws, plain or with tiny diamonds on top. Small choices, but they change how the ring looks from across a table.
A high head shows more of the diamond from the side. A lower profile is kinder to gloves and knit sleeves. Most people land somewhere in between.
A slimmer band makes the centre diamond look bigger by comparison. Keep it plain and polished, go knife edge, or add a line of pavé.
Want a bit of extra sparkle without losing the solitaire look? A ring of small diamonds under the head only shows when you look from the side.
Choose 14K or 18K white, yellow or rose gold, or platinum. Platinum holds prongs well over the decades. Gold is lighter and easier on the budget.
Picking the Diamond Itself
A solitaire puts so much attention on one stone that the lab grown vs natural question matters more here than with almost any other style.
Both are real diamonds. Same hardness, same sparkle, graded on the same 4Cs. A lab grown diamond usually costs a good deal less, so a lot of couples use the difference to go up in size or up a colour grade. Others want a stone that formed underground over billions of years, and that history means something to them.
We carry both, and we'll set them next to each other on the counter. Most people know which one is theirs within a minute or two.
Here's how designing a solitaire with us works.
Bring photos, a budget, and anything you know about their taste. We'll narrow things down together, with zero pressure.
Compare certified stones side by side and see how each one looks in a solitaire head before you commit.
See a 3D model of your ring, sign off on it, and we'll make it in 14K, 18K or platinum.
If you like clean lines and want the diamond to carry the whole design, a solitaire is hard to argue with. Here's why it keeps coming out on top for our clients.
No halo or side stones to pay for, so more of your budget goes into carat, colour or cut.
Straight, curved or eternity, a solitaire leaves room for whatever wedding band you fall for down the road.
Fewer small stones means fewer things to check. Have the prongs looked at once a year and it stays secure.
See what our clients are saying about us
Crafted with Care, Guided by Integrity
A solitaire will sit on someone's hand every day for decades. We take that seriously, from the first sketch to warranty work years down the line.
Dive into our blog for expert advice, diamond-buying guides, and the latest trends in jewelry.
An oval faces up larger than a round of the same carat weight.
The round brilliant is cut for maximum sparkle, and it looks right on four prongs or six.
