There are a lot of ring styles on the market. Two very popular ring styles are solitaire vs halo. This article explores the key differences between a solitaire ring and a halo ring.
What is a Solitaire Ring?
A solitaire ring is one where it features just one gemstone, such as a diamond, sapphire or ruby. There are no other gemstones surrounding the centre stone. It is usually set in the ring by prongs.
The beauty of the solitaire ring is that it is elegant and minimalistic. It is purely about the beauty of the centrepiece stone.
If you prefer the solitaire style of engagement ring, then having a beautiful diamond or sapphire as the centrepiece will not disappoint. If you wish to feature accent stones, these can be built into the ring band, rather than surrounding the gemstone.
The best shape of stone for a solitaire style ring is round brilliant, princess or emerald cut. These shapes are truly elegant and offer a beautiful classic centrepiece for the solitaire ring that will catch the eye of every onlooker.
What is a Halo Ring?
A halo ring design is where the centrepiece gemstone is surrounded by a āhaloā of smaller accent stones, usually diamonds.
The benefit of the halo ring is that is can often increase the perceived size of the centre stone. The accent diamonds surrounding the centrepiece stone allows for flashes of light and sparkle to enhance the beauty of the centre stone.
The Halo style of engagement ring is very popular. It allows smaller accent diamonds to showcase the beautiful centre stone. The famous engagement ring of Princess Diana is a Halo style sapphire engagement ring. Round brilliant, princess and emerald cut gemstones work equally well if you are considering a halo ring, especially when surrounded by brilliant cut round diamonds.
Is halo better than solitaire?
Look, this is obviously personal preference, however one of the styles will definitely be better for you.
If you are after simplisity and elegant, then the solitaire is better for you. It will also come at a lower cost than a halo ring, due to the lack of diamond side stones and accent stones.
If you want but sparkle and beauty, then the halo is better for you. As mentioned above, the halo ring will have many more side and accent diamonds surrounding the centre stone, so this will make the halo much more expensive than a solitaire ring.
Does a halo make diamond look bigger?
Absolutely it does. Onlookers will simply see a big sparkle with a halo ring. A 1 carat round brilliant diamond measures approximately 6.5mm in diameter. The halo can add between 2-6mm extra width to the centre stone, which causes the diamond to look much bigger than it is.
So there is a look at the halo and solitaire ring styles. One of those styles will definitely be best for you. You just need to know which of the benefits you are after. Do you want simplisity, elegance and affordability? Go the solitaire. Do you love showing off a big sparkle? Go the halo.