New Tiffany Sixteen Stone Band Ring: The $3,200 Version Changes the Whole Collection
When I think of the Tiffany Sixteen Stone Ring, I immediately picture diamonds wrapped between those little gold X motifs—and a price that quickly climbs into five figures.
So the new version caught me off guard.
Tiffany has introduced a 3 mm Sixteen Stone band in platinum and 18k yellow gold for $3,200 in the U.S. More surprising than the price, though, is what is missing: there are no diamonds at all.
A Sixteen Stone ring with no stones? Somehow, it still looks unmistakably Sixteen Stone.
Does the design still work without the diamonds?
Jean Schlumberger created the original Sixteen Stone design in 1959, taking inspiration from his family’s background in textiles. The signature detail is the repeating cross-stitch motif, with little yellow-gold Xs moving around the ring.
The new band keeps that visual language but removes the gemstones entirely. Instead of diamonds between the Xs, polished platinum becomes the background.
Looking at the official images, I actually like how clearly the construction comes through.
With the classic diamond version, my eyes naturally go toward the sparkle first. Here, the X pattern itself becomes the main event.
It feels less like a formal diamond ring and more like a very recognizable piece of design.
And suddenly Sixteen Stone starts at $3,200
This is probably the biggest change.
The classic platinum-and-yellow-gold Sixteen Stone ring with 1.14 total carats of diamonds is currently $18,000 in the U.S. Even the narrow diamond version sits at $12,200.
Then this new 3 mm band arrives at $3,200.
There is also a wider 4.5 mm version at $4,200, using the same platinum and 18k yellow gold combination.
Of course, $3,200 is still luxury-jewelry money. But within the Sixteen Stone collection, the entry point suddenly feels completely different.
For anyone who loved Schlumberger’s X motif more than the diamonds themselves, this might actually be the more interesting release.
Would I choose 3 mm or 4.5 mm?
This is where I would probably hesitate.
The 3 mm version looks cleaner and easier to imagine as an everyday ring. There is enough yellow gold to make the Sixteen Stone identity visible, but the overall silhouette remains relatively slim.
The 4.5 mm version has much more attitude.
An extra 1.5 mm doesn’t sound dramatic on paper, yet on a finger it changes the proportions quite a bit. The X motifs become more obvious, and the platinum sections have more visual weight.
If I wanted something understated, 3 mm makes more sense. If the whole point were to show off the Schlumberger pattern, I would probably be tempted by 4.5 mm.
But $3,200 with no diamonds… is that hard to justify?
A little.
That might be the biggest weakness of this new model. Once the diamonds disappear, it becomes impossible to use carat weight as part of the explanation for the price.
You are essentially paying for platinum, 18k yellow gold, Tiffany craftsmanship and the Schlumberger design.
Still, I don’t necessarily see the lack of diamonds as a downgrade.
Without gemstones, the ring feels far less formal. I can picture it next to a watch, another plain gold band or even with very casual clothes much more easily than the classic $18,000 version.
That versatility may be exactly what makes the new version appealing.
Maybe removing the stones was actually the smart move?
The original diamond Sixteen Stone is beautiful, but it is not exactly subtle. There is sparkle around almost the entire finger, and the repeating X motif makes it even more noticeable.
The new band strips the idea down to its skeleton.
Platinum. Yellow gold. Cross stitches. Nothing else.
And strangely, that makes me notice how strong the underlying design was in the first place.
If removing every diamond still leaves a ring that I can immediately recognize, Schlumberger probably got the important part right back in 1959.
So is this the Sixteen Stone I would actually choose?
Surprisingly, maybe.
The diamond version is unquestionably more spectacular, but the new 3 mm band feels much more realistic as something to wear regularly without making every outfit revolve around the jewelry.
It also keeps the part I personally find most memorable—the yellow-gold X motifs—while removing the element that pushes Sixteen Stone into a completely different price category.
There is something amusing about Tiffany releasing a Sixteen Stone ring with no stones at all.
Yet that contradiction may be exactly why I keep looking at it.
At $3,200, it is certainly not inexpensive. But next to the $12,200 narrow diamond ring and the $18,000 classic model, the new band makes the Sixteen Stone collection feel far more approachable.
For once, the “entry version” doesn’t look like the design has simply been diluted. It looks like Tiffany figured out which part of Sixteen Stone mattered most—and left that part alone.
Sources
Tiffany & Co. US — New Sixteen Stone 3 mm band, platinum and 18k yellow gold, no gemstones, $3,200.
Tiffany & Co. US — New 4.5 mm band, platinum and 18k yellow gold, $4,200.
Tiffany & Co. US — Sixteen Stone collection, including the $12,200 narrow diamond ring and $18,000 classic diamond ring; collection history traces the design to Jean Schlumberger in 1959.