VI
Chapter six
Your story
Every ring we make starts with a conversation. Tell us about the two of you.
Zero Degrees Atelier · Engagement Ring Guide
Everything worth knowing before you choose: metal, stone, size, meaning and budget. Prepared for one conversation, and one person.
Contents
We'll take each one in turn. Plain language, honest numbers, and real pieces we've made, so you can decide with confidence.
I
Chapter one
The band is the part she'll feel every day. Its purity decides the colour, how it wears, and how it ages.
Purity
Every piece is hallmarked with its purity. The rest of the metal is alloy, mixed in for strength and colour.
Hallmarks shown as stamped inside the band. Gold karat out of 24; silver and platinum in parts per thousand.
The trade-offs
Higher is better, except price. Ratings are relative to each other, for a ring worn every day.
Colour
All three are the same gold. Colour comes from what it's alloyed with, which is why the same karat can come in any of the three.
Living with it
Drag across to see how each metal looks after months of everyday wear. Purity is what you're really paying for here.
New
After ~6 months
The finishing touch
A final micro-thin layer gives a brighter shine and protects against light scratches. It wears slowly with daily life, and we re-plate it so it looks new again.
Bright white, slows tarnish.
The signature chrome-white shine.
A deeper, even colour and gloss.
A consistent blush tone.
II
Chapter two
Three ways to sparkle. Up close, almost no one can tell them apart. The difference is in what each one means to you.
Lab-created gem
A different gem (silicon carbide), not a diamond. More rainbow fire than a diamond, extremely durable, and the most size for your budget.
A real diamond, grown
Chemically and optically identical to a mined diamond, graded and certified by IGI. A real diamond at a fraction of the mined price.
Formed by the earth
Billions of years in the making. Rarity and tradition, at the highest price: smaller for the same money, but one of a kind.
Side by side
Which is right for you?
If you want
Moissanite
Spend on size and on the custom details that make it yours.
If you want
Lab-grown diamond
The same diamond, certified, for a fraction of mined prices.
If you want
Natural diamond
Smaller for the same money, but formed by the earth.
III
Chapter three
Carat is weight, not width. Here's what each one actually looks like on a hand.
True to scale
Round brilliant · about 6.5 mm across
Drawn at true scale against an average ring finger, about 17 mm wide. The right size depends on her hand, her style and her daily life.
IV
Chapter four
From across the room, a beautiful ring. Up close, your story, hidden in the places only she knows to look.
i.
A symbol sculpted under the stone, where only she knows to look: a handshake, a pet, a shape that means something.
ii.
The basket that holds the stone, designed around your heritage, your culture, or a memory you share.
iii.
A small scene sculpted along the bridge on either side of the stone, telling your story in relief.
Also possible: engraving inside the band, birthstones and hidden stones, or a meaningful number of accent diamonds or prongs.
Recent commission · 01
His Sri Lankan sapphire on top. Her Peranakan heritage in the gallery. A hidden handshake underneath, and ten accent diamonds for a date that keeps returning to them: the 10th.
Recent commission · 02
14K gold and a pink centre stone. Kenyah-inspired engraving runs all the way around the band, and a hornbill is hidden on the inside, for her eyes only.
Recent commission · 03
Made for a fifth anniversary. From above, a clean solitaire held by five prongs, one for every year. Underneath, hidden stones in the gallery: a heart-shaped diamond, or both of their birthstones side by side.
V
Chapter five
Honest ranges from rings we've actually made, so the design starts in the right place.
Typical investment
The same ranges, on a scale · ■ moissanite · ■ lab-grown · dashed line = budget
Estimated ranges for a fully custom design, including the design drawing and 3D model. The final price depends on detail, accent stones, ring size and stone grade. Platinum and natural diamonds are quoted per design.
About the stacking set
The set as pictured: a six-prong solitaire with a 1 ct centre stone, and a matching winged pavé band that hugs it. Here's what each piece costs, and what the pair adds up to.
| Engagement ring1 ct moissanite | Engagement ring1 ct lab diamond | Winged bandlab pavé | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9K | RM1,750 | RM2,900 | RM2,250 |
| 14K | RM2,750 | RM3,850 | RM3,200 |
| 18K | RM3,450 | RM4,550 | RM3,850 |
The set, together
| Moissanite set | Lab diamond set | |
|---|---|---|
| 9K | RM4,000 | RM5,150 |
| 14K | RM5,950 | RM7,050 |
| 18K | RM7,300 | RM8,400 |
Green fits a ~RM5,000 budget; red is over. Prices for the design exactly as pictured: a classic solitaire with no custom design work. Adding engraving, hidden details or a bespoke gallery moves each ring into the custom ranges above.
Our honest advice
Now
The full budget, around RM4,500 to 5,000, into one ring done properly: better metal, a better stone, and the details that make it yours.
Later
For the wedding, an anniversary or a milestone. We design the first ring so a band sits perfectly against it.
VI
Chapter six
Every ring we make starts with a conversation. Tell us about the two of you.
What happens next
Your story, metal, stone and budget.
Our designer draws the concept by hand.
See every angle before anything is made.
Cast, set, polished and plated.
Ready for the moment.