Live Like the Royal Family with a Regal Cluster Halo Setting

The cluster halo - so special we had to set it aside from our halo blog (for a more general approach with some historical background). 

In short, it's one of the best and popular ways of adding more sparkle to an already sparkly ring. It means you can have more of a style element without splurging on a large center stone; optically, your eyes are tricked into thinking that a smaller stone with stones around it, looks larger than it is. Click on any gifs for more info on the rings!

A sure romantic way to think about it is: our planet doesn't seem so lonely without the all-encompassing bright stars that light up the dark, night sky.

Or you know, something poetic like that. The cluster halo originated from the 1700s in Europe. It was new then, but no trend, as it only gained more popularity over time. It further evolved from the Art Deco Era into a design more symmetrical with a strong balance of a composition, becoming the jaw-dropping red-carpet-rolling halo style that we see here today.

Round cuts are more popular to frame because of the equilateral symmetry that there's more room for play, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't opt for a fancy cut in a round's place.

In fact, the late Princess Diana smartly chose an 18-carat Oval sapphire as center piece to a surrounding cluster of diamonds for her engagement in 1981. (You can catch up on that in our blue sapphire - natural v. lab-grown blog.)

We'd like to think of it as a starburst setting because of the very prominent prongs at the surrounding edges, creating a really bold look that guides you right back home where that amazing center stone lives, no matter what the size or shape it is!

You can even go with an alternating sized accent stone variation for a dynamic, radiating feel of an ensemble. At this point, I don't know why you say goodbye, I say halo.