Diamond Oval Solo Ring

Shimell and Madden occupy the space where craft, art and fashion intersect. High quality and hand-crafted, their jewellery explores themes of science, nature and time. They have been creating jewellery in their London studio since 2010. Emma Madden’s expertise is in craft and conceptual design, inspired by the universality of mathematics. Luke Shimell’s extensive experience as a goldsmith enables him to develop their designs into intricate pieces of exactitude.

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Considered to be the ultimate token of love, the diamond has long been associated with feelings of eternity, invincibility and power. A naturally occurring substance so hard that Romans believed it would accompany the dead on their journey through the afterlife, the diamond’s power and allure is traced back to its immense strength, and the associated symbolism of eternal love.

White diamonds are seen as both the standard and the ultimate stone of choice for engagement rings. Their lack of colour makes them easy to wear on any skin tone, and the availability of different cuts, shapes and sizes means you can make unique and unexpected choices in design - it’s not just about the round solitaire.

All the diamonds used by our Designers are responsibly sourced through well established suppliers and trusted relationships. Always ask your Designer about the provenance of diamonds if this is important to you.

Diamonds are valued on their brilliance and beauty, based on the system of the 4 Cs - colour, cut, clarity and carat weight, and we always suggest choosing a diamond that has been selected for you by a trusted jeweller - even an untrained eye will be able to spot the most desirable diamond amongst a line-up of a few to compare, with the help of an expert.

For more detailed information on the 4 Cs and which factors are actually the most important, please take a look at our Guide to the 4 Cs.

Diamonds are traditionally the birthstone of April. See all diamond rings here.

Like the round diamond's sexier sister, the oval cut diamond is longer and slimmer than a classic round shape. But be cautious: the oval diamond can take various shapes and forms depending on the height to width ratio, and whereas it's a personal choice, the proportions are important to make sure the sparkle is maximised. For this reason you'll find that prices vary a lot even if the carat weight is the same, as more 'desirable' ratios will be more expensive.

The oval diamond is our choice for a solitaire engagement ring; more unexpected than a round diamond, and the longer height elongates the fingers.

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Gold is a naturally occurring metal with a warm, glowing finish when polished, and remains the most popular choice for engagement rings due to its natural beauty and hard-wearing strength.

Pure 24k gold is naturally a soft material, and considered too soft to create jewellery with, so it is mixed with small amounts of other metals to create an alloy.

As well as increasing the durability of the gold, adding alloys can also change the colour of the gold to produce rose or white gold, for example.

18k yellow gold is made up of 75% pure gold, and 25% alloy, which would usually include silver and copper.

18k rose gold is made up of 75% pure gold, 22.2% copper, and 9.2% silver.

18k white gold is made up of 75% pure gold and 25% palladium or platinum.