A lapis lazuli cabochon opens up this vintage-styled engagement ring almost like a window onto the night sky. The stone's smooth, domed surface draws out a deep, saturated blue that shifts here and there into dark purple, while fine golden flecks of pyrite scatter across it like points of light with no set pattern. The cabochon cut keeps this colour from being broken up into facets, holding it instead in one calm plane, which gives the stone weight and focus. In ancient cultures lapis lazuli was linked to intuition, harmony and idealism, a meaning that suits a ring meant to mark a new beginning.

Every stone is assessed before it is set, checking the depth of colour and how evenly it spreads across the surface. Silver and good coloured stones get more expensive year on year, so a ring of this quality at today's price is a sound choice to make now. The setting is refined European silver, pure and nickel-free, so it can be worn without worry about skin reactions. The metal bears the French maker's mark, which attests its origin, while the 925 fineness guarantees a stable alloy composition. At 5.1 g, it has a solid, palpable presence on the finger, typical of rings with a vintage look.

On the hand it looks best among simple, everyday things: with jeans and a white shirt, a leather jacket thrown over the top. The gesture of a raised hand, brushing back hair or reaching for a cup of coffee, naturally reveals the stone's navy glow against light cotton. In the evening the same ring holds its own against a dark sweater and the cool grey of a coat, where the lapis lazuli colour becomes the main point the eye keeps returning to.