The Montare Standard
The Montare Diamond Standard
What every Montare diamond is guaranteed to be — and why we made it the floor.
Every Montare diamond is held to one standard regardless of price, shape or setting: D–E colour, VVS1–VVS2 clarity, Triple Excellent cut with ideal proportions for its shape, a 3-carat minimum centre stone, and an IGI certificate on every stone. Lab-grown is the standard. There is no lower tier to opt into and no upgrade to pay for — we removed the compromises, so there is no wrong choice to make.
The standard at a glance
Most jewellers quote a “starting” quality and let cost pull you down from there. Montare starts where most stop. Here is the floor most retailers offer next to the bar every Montare stone already meets:
| Spec | Common retail floor | The Montare standard |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Mined or unspecified | Lab-grown as standard · mined by commission |
| Colour | G–J (near-colourless) | D–E (colourless) |
| Clarity | SI–VS | VVS1–VVS2 |
| Cut | Very Good+ | Triple Excellent + ideal table & depth |
| Carat | 1ct+ | 3ct minimum |
| Certification | Varies / sometimes none | IGI on every stone |
Every option in the configurator already meets this standard. There is no lower tier to choose.
Build your ringBook a consultationColour
GIA/IGI scale, D (colourless) → Z (tinted)Clarity
FL (flawless) → I (included)FL–IF flawless grades are available by special commission — VVS1–VVS2 is our standard floor.
Cut
graded on cut, polish & symmetryTriple Excellent, with ideal table & depth calibrated to each shape.
Carat
1 ct → 5 ct+Below 3 ct is special order only — presence is part of the standard.
Cut & proportions, calibrated to each shape
Cut is what makes a diamond return light, so it is the spec we hold most precisely. Every Montare diamond is Triple Excellent — top grade for cut, polish and symmetry — and cut to the ideal table, depth and length-to-width range for its shape:
| Shape | Ideal table | Ideal depth | Ideal L : W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 54–57% | 59–62.5% | 1.00 |
| Oval | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.35–1.50 |
| Cushion | 60–62% | 61–67% | 1.25–1.35 |
| Emerald | 62–66% | 61–67% | 1.30–1.50 |
| Radiant | 62–66% | 61–67% | 1.20–1.35 |
| Pear | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.45–1.70 |
| Marquise | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.85–2.10 |
See how proportion changes the look of each cut in the diamond shapes guide.
Origin — lab-grown as standard
Lab-grown is what we build to, and it is the reason a colourless VVS stone at three carats is attainable at all. A lab-grown diamond is chemically, physically and optically identical to a mined one — the same material, the same hardness, the same light return — so nothing about the standard is given up by choosing it. It is simply grown above ground rather than dug out of it. Lab-grown vs natural sets the two side by side.
Mined diamonds are available as a special commission. If you want a natural stone, we will source one — held to exactly the same floor: D–E colour, VVS1–VVS2 clarity, Triple Excellent cut with ideal proportions for its shape, three carats or more, and independently certified. It is a longer search and it is priced differently, because that is what the mined market costs at this quality. Ask in your consultation and we will quote it honestly beside the lab-grown equivalent.
Flawless FL–IF clarity and centre stones below three carats are likewise commission work rather than catalogue options. Everything on the site is built to the standard floor; the exceptions are made to order.
Certified, and approved by you before it is set
Every stone is IGI-certified (International Gemological Institute) to the proportions above. Before your diamond is set, you receive its certificate and a 360° video and approve the exact stone — you are never asked to take our word for it.
Transparent diamond pricing
The stone is priced separately from the setting, by the carat, at a published rate — so you can see exactly what you are paying for. All prices in CAD:
| Clarity & colour | Price per carat (CAD) |
|---|---|
| VVS2 · E | $750 / ct |
| VVS1 · E | $1,100 / ct |
| VVS2 · D | $1,260 / ct |
| VVS1 · D | $1,575 / ct |
The ring setting is priced separately. For worked examples by shape and size, see how much a 3-carat lab-grown diamond costs.
The metal standard
The diamond gets the attention, but the metal is what holds it for the next fifty years. We work only in solid precious metal — never plated base metal, and never hollowed shanks to save weight.
| Metal | Purity | Hallmark | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 95% pure platinum | 950 / Pt / Plat | Naturally white throughout — never needs plating. Scratches displace metal rather than removing it, so prongs keep their substance. |
| 18K gold | 75% gold | 750 | Richer colour and higher precious content. Yellow, white and rose. |
| 14K gold | 58.3% gold | 585 | Harder than 18K and more scratch-resistant. Yellow, white and rose. |
One honest note on white gold: its bright white comes from a rhodium plating applied over the alloy, and that plating wears with daily contact and needs renewing periodically. Platinum does not, because it is white the whole way through. Neither is better — they are different commitments, and we would rather you knew before choosing. See platinum vs white gold and yellow vs white vs rose gold.
Made to order in Toronto
A standard for the stone is only half a standard. Every Montare ring is designed and hand-finished in our Greater Toronto Area workshop, drawing on more than thirty years of diamond-jewellery manufacturing experience — we are not a showroom reselling someone else’s inventory, and nothing is drop-shipped.
The order of operations matters more than most buyers are ever told, because it is what separates a ring built for one person from a ring built for a warehouse:
- The design comes first. Before any stone is bought, the ring is decided — proportion, profile, how high the centre rides, how the shank will sit against a wedding band. Volume manufacturing runs the other way round: a setting is produced for a calibrated stone size and whatever fits gets dropped into it. We start from the ring you actually want.
- Then the diamond is sourced to the design. We find the stone that clears the standard in the shape and size the design calls for, and the setting is then dimensioned to that exact stone’s proportions — not to a nominal size on a chart.
- CAD, approved by you. A photorealistic, to-scale rendering shows the ring from every angle before any metal is worked. Nothing moves forward until you are happy with it.
- Cast in your chosen metal — always. Every Montare setting is cast from the approved model and then worked at the bench. Hand-fabricating a shank films beautifully, and it is the step most often shown off, but a sound casting off an approved model is what makes the result consistent and repeatable. The quality goes in afterwards, by hand, at the bench — which is the part that actually decides how a ring turns out.
- Re-cast if it is not right. A casting that comes out with imperfections is scrapped and cast again, as many times as it takes. That costs metal every time — we would rather lose the gold than leave a flaw inside a prong.
- Hand-set under magnification. Every stone is seated and tightened individually, by hand, with the piece under magnification. Casting the setting and casting stones into a setting are two different things: we do the first, never the second.
- Hand polished — never tumbled. No bulk or tumble finishing at any stage, so the gallery, the under-setting and the inside of the shank are finished to the same standard as the top.
- Finished and inspected before it leaves, then delivered fully insured with signature on delivery.
Two of those steps are where the cheap end of the market saves its money. In volume manufacturing, small stones are placed into the wax and the metal cast around them — wax setting — because it is far faster than setting each one individually. It gives up the ability to seat and tighten every stone on its own. We do not use it. And an imperfect casting is usually polished back, filled or hidden rather than re-cast, because re-casting costs metal. We re-cast.
Nothing here is built for stock, so no ring is rushed to clear a shelf or catch a shipping cut-off. The aim is never to get a piece out the door as fast as possible; it is to make the best piece possible. Each ring is built to order over three to four weeks and shipped across Canada. Choosing a Canadian maker also avoids the cross-border duties that imported rings can carry. More on how cheap and premium rings are actually made, lab-grown rings in Canada and in Toronto.
What we do not do
A standard is defined as much by its exclusions. For the avoidance of doubt:
- No lower tier. There is no cheaper grade to be steered toward — every option in the configurator already meets the floor above.
- No square cushions or radiants. Both shapes are cut elongated only: cushion at 1.25–1.35 and radiant at 1.20–1.35 length-to-width.
- No wax setting. Every diamond is hand-set under magnification, never cast in place.
- No tumble or bulk polishing. Every ring is hand polished at the bench.
- No working around a bad casting. Imperfect castings are scrapped and re-cast, not filled or polished over.
- No plated base metals, and no hollowed shanks to reduce metal weight.
- No hand-fabrication for the camera. Settings are cast from the approved model and then worked at the bench, because that is what holds quality consistently.
- No unspecified origin. Lab-grown as standard, mined only if you commission it — either way it is stated on the certificate.
Build your ring to the standard
Choose shape, carat, metal and setting in our live configurator — every option already meets the Montare standard — or book a complimentary consultation. No obligation, same-day response.
Every ring is covered: 60-day returns on standard pieces, free insured shipping across Canada and the US with signature on delivery, a lifetime manufacturing warranty, and lifetime setting upgrades when you trade up.
Build your ring →Book a consultation →The Montare standard — FAQs
What is the Montare diamond standard?
Every Montare diamond is IGI-certified and held to one floor: D–E colour, VVS1–VVS2 clarity, a Triple Excellent cut with ideal proportions for its shape, and a 3-carat minimum centre stone. Lab-grown is the standard. It is the same on every ring, at every price — the floor, not an upgrade.
Are Montare diamonds lab-grown or natural?
Lab-grown is the standard on every Montare ring. A lab-grown diamond is chemically, physically and optically identical to a mined one; it is a real diamond, simply created above ground, which is what makes colourless VVS quality at three carats attainable. Mined diamonds are available as a special commission, held to the same standard.
Can I order a mined diamond from Montare?
Yes — as a special commission. Lab-grown is our standard, but if you want a natural stone we will source one and hold it to exactly the same floor: D–E colour, VVS1–VVS2 clarity, Triple Excellent cut with ideal proportions, three carats or more, and independently certified. It takes a longer search and it is priced differently, because that is what the mined market costs at this quality. Ask in your consultation and we will quote it beside the lab-grown equivalent.
What colour and clarity are Montare diamonds?
D–E colour (the colourless range) and VVS1–VVS2 clarity — inclusions very difficult to see even under 10x magnification. Most retailers default to G–J colour and SI–VS clarity; Montare sets D–E and VVS as the floor. Flawless FL–IF grades are available by commission.
Are Montare diamonds certified?
Yes. Every stone is independently certified by IGI (the International Gemological Institute) to its stated 4Cs and proportions. You receive the certificate and a 360° video and approve the exact diamond before it is set.
What is the minimum carat size at Montare?
Three carats. Every Montare engagement ring centres a stone of at least 3 carats — a presence that lab-grown pricing finally makes attainable. Smaller centre stones are commission work rather than a catalogue option.
How much does a Montare diamond cost?
The diamond is priced separately from the setting, by the carat, in CAD: VVS2 E is $750/ct, VVS1 E is $1,100/ct, VVS2 D is $1,260/ct and VVS1 D is $1,575/ct. The ring setting is priced separately.
Are Montare rings cast or hand-fabricated?
Cast — always, from the model you approved in CAD, and then worked by hand at the bench. Hand-fabricating a shank films beautifully and it is the step most often shown off, but casting from an approved model is what makes the result consistent and repeatable. The quality goes in afterwards at the bench, which is the stage that actually decides how a ring turns out. Casting the setting is not the same as casting stones into a setting — we never do the latter.
Are Montare rings hand-set?
Yes. Every stone is hand-set under magnification in our Greater Toronto Area workshop. We do not use cast-in-place setting, where stones are placed in the wax and the metal cast around them — it is faster, but it gives up the ability to seat and tighten each stone individually.
What happens if a casting is imperfect?
It is scrapped and cast again, as many times as it takes to get a sound one. Volume production more often polishes back, fills or hides minor casting defects — the ring looks fine, but the flaw stays in the metal, usually in a thin section like a prong. Re-casting costs metal every time, and we accept that cost.
What metals does Montare use?
Solid precious metal only: 950 platinum (95% pure), 18K gold (75%, stamped 750) and 14K gold (58.3%, stamped 585), each available in yellow, white and rose. We do not use plated base metals or hollowed shanks.
Where are Montare diamonds made?
Montare rings are made to order in Toronto, Canada over three to four weeks and shipped Canada-wide. Buying from a Canadian maker also avoids the cross-border duties that imported rings can carry.
That is the floor. Not the sales pitch.
Every stone on this site already meets it, so there is no upgrade to be talked into and no cheaper tier to be steered toward. Pick a shape and see it priced, or ask us anything first — no obligation, same-day reply.
Build your ring →Book a consultation →