Incorporate This Secretive, Hidden Design Into Your Engagement Ring

When it comes to an engagement ring, people generally know the basics, like their dream diamond cut or carat size. (If you have no clue, then the current ring trends can provide you with inspiration.) When it comes to ring settings, however, this is where the selection process can become convoluted. Pavé, flush, hidden halos — this all might ring a bell (or not) — the choices are truly endless. For brides who are looking for that secret sparkle, in particular, you’ll want to gravitate toward the latter: a hidden halo engagement ring.

According to Olivia Landau, the founder and CEO of The Clear Cut, hidden halos are when you essentially add small pavé diamonds to the structural part of the ring’s basket (where the prongs and wire uplift your center stone). Even better, every ring that is set in a basket can have a hidden halo attached to it and it works for all cuts.

Unlike regular halos, which make the appearance of a ring bigger by encasing the center stone with a circle of tiny diamonds — hidden halos are more visible to the wearer than anyone else. This minor but impactful detail adds another dimension so that when you look at it from the side, you see diamonds instead of metal. Also, it shines beautifully when the light hits it right. “It’s definitely a ring that is preferred by trend-forward brides, [more] than those who prefer vintage or modern jewels,” Landau shares. “However, hidden halos are loved by a wide age range of people.”

For those wondering if hidden halos will cost extra to design, Landau assures that the price to add the setting doesn’t need to break the bank. “The number of diamonds in a hidden halo depends on the size of your center stone,” Landau says. “The larger the diamond, the more pavé diamonds you will have around it. Jewelers will also match the hidden halo diamonds to the quality of the center diamond based on the four C’s [cut, color, clarity, and carat], so it’s as cohesive as possible.” Landau gives an example based on The Clear Cut’s own offerings: a two-carat oval ring might have an average of 18 small diamonds, but it might vary based on stone size. She says, on average, to include these hidden diamonds, the price ranges from an additional $300 to $500.

If you want to know where the hidden halo trend came from, you can thank Blake Lively. Landau says, “She is notably the first celebrity who started the oval trend too, as she has a 5-carat oval with a hidden halo and a three-sided pavé band.” Other celebrities who have this setting design are Paris Hilton and Hailey Bieber. Hilton has an emerald cut with trapezoid side stones, while Bieber has an oval cut set on a simple yellow gold solitaire, both with hidden halos. Unlike most ring trends that go out of style and come back years later, Landau is confident that the hidden halo engagement ring is one that is here to stay. If you’re curious what this setting looks like on more diamond cuts, scroll through the picks ahead.

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