At Lauren B we are a big fan of split band style rings because of the special detail it adds to the ring. Split band styles can give a nice amount of finger coverage and create the illusion of a very polished, structured ring design. There are lots of ways to approach this design and each one comes with different details. Generally speaking, split band engagement ring designs work better with elongated stones and for people with longer fingers because it allows more room for the design to take shape. There are of course many varieties of split which give you the versatility to include with most any center diamond shape and overall engagement ring design. From wide splits to tight splits, halos and non-halos, the options are endless and we will try to break it down here with insight from our in house designer.
The first one shown here to the left is a more modern style split (model# RS-144 from our website). With it's clean parallel lines this design offers a modern and sleek take on the split band where the shanks remain completely separate throughout. This design complements the edgy appearance of square or rectangular shapes of cushion, radiant, emerald, and princess cut. This non-halo design also allows a lot of attention to be placed on the center diamond.
Another one of our favorite designs is the more curved style split bands that are wider throughout and come to a close at the bottom, metal portion of the shank. RS -177 is the perfect example where the bands stay separate throughout the ring and meets at the bottom of the wearer's finger. Oval and pear cut diamonds work best with this design because the curved split works perfect with the naturally rounded appearance of these diamond cuts. The addition of the halo adds more surface area to the top portion of the ring and allows more room for the split to occur.
Note on the RS-120 style ring shown to the left. This is a similar design though the diamond bands merge at the bottom instead of staying continually split. They meet midway through the finger and the bands end with one larger stone to gracefully taper off the look of the band. This gives the ring a slightly bolder appearance with added sparkle because of how the diamond bands come together.
If you love the look of the split band but don't want to commit to having it be the focal point of the entire ring, consider the RS-166 and RS-191 style split bands. Both of these shanks have a very tight split that only reaches a few stones down the shank. This design allows the shank of your ring to appear thinner while still adding profile detail of the delicate split. We love the tapering effect this look gives with the double shank gradually streamlining to the single row of diamonds at the base of the ring. The added bonus for this design is that it will usually allow for a wedding band to sit nearly flush against it.
A simple split not enough for your liking? Some of our more elaborate engagement ring designs such as RS-65 (shown to the left) or RS-186 feature a tight split band with pave along the edge that merges into one band with three rows of diamonds on it. These highly detailed handmade designs are extremely difficult to create but the results are magnificent. The split is just an accent in this case while the pave diamonds on all sides add to the show.
A split band is the exception and not the rule when it comes to selecting an engagement ring. On average less than approximately 20% of our ring designs feature some nature of a split band. The tighter, narrower splits are more common and because of their more subtle appearance can look great with most any center diamond and on anyone's hand. In contrast, the wider/more dramatic ones are more client specific and tend to look better with either more elongated stones or those with halos around them. Whatever the case may be, make sure YOU love it as that is all that matters at the end of the day when it comes to such a personal piece of jewelry.
