Your Guide to Jewelry Setting Types
What's your type?
The two main considerations to choosing the right setting type, especially for an engagement ring, are your personal taste and lifestyle.
This is a ring that she will be wearing everyday for a long time to come, so the jewelry setting type is a very important design factor.
Here are some pointers to get you started:
What kind of Woman is she?
Simple: A gorgeous solitaire setting with one superb diamond may be preferred by a woman with a simpler, more streamlined style.
Sparkle Lover: A more elaborate pave setting with rows of diamonds may be better for women who enjoy a lot of bling.
Classic: A woman who like the classics could appreciate a vintage setting with beautiful engraving.
Modern Classic: A 3 stone ring with beautiful baguette side stones or other larger side gemstones offers a more modern vibe.
Unique: A center colored gemstone is a great alternative for a woman who appreciates color and loves to be unique.
Modern: A more modern woman will most likely be drawn to tension settings.
Other things to Consider:
When you consider the woman--her personality, her lifestyle, her way of dressing--then the perfect setting style for her will be clear.
Keep in mind that you will be adding a wedding band to sit next to the engagement ring.
So for the wedding band, it must be similar in style, width and metal to the engagement ring.
Another consideration in choosing the perfect setting type is her hands.
A woman with small hands will choose a narrower ring band.
A woman with larger hands may prefer a broader ring band.
Setting Types:
Prongs
The most traditional method of setting is using prongs.
The best and safest prong settings are a 4 prong and 6 prong.
A 4 prong makes a round diamond like a little more squarish.
A 6 prong is the most secure and makes your round diamond look more round.
If you have a fancy shaped diamond with points, always get "V" tip prongs to avoid any damage to the stone.
Prong Setting styles
Are the most Traditional
Very Secure
Allow the diamond to be exposed to the most light possible (maximizing scintillation)
Have the least amount of metal covering the diamond
Bezel
This setting type encases the diamond's surrounding outside edge in a fine metal frame (gold or platinum).
A bezel setting is
Simple.
Durable.
Gives a sleek modern look.
Makes the stone appear larger.
The most protective setting.
Tension
A tension setting is a stylish and sophisticated way to set a diamond in a ring.
The diamond is effectively "squeezed" into a narrow groove carved into the metal of the tension mounting.
The mountings are made of precious metals that have been carefully toughened to hold the diamond in place without the need of prongs.
Tension settings are made to:
Be extremely safe
Protect the center stone
Allow Maximum light to the diamond
Twist
Twist settings have become increasingly popular for an engagement ring.
The metal band is curved and rotated to give a crisscrossed look, giving a more unique and dynamic look.
A Twist setting is
More complex in style
Protects the center diamond with a swirl of metal (with or without diamonds)
More unique look.
As your GIA Expert Jewelry Concierge, I am here to help you through this sometimes confusing and overwhelming process to choose the setting style that will suit her perfectly!
And if you want something completely unique, I can help you custom design a one-of-a-kind piece.
My diamond setter, with over 40 years experience, makes sure your diamond is safe, secure and maximizes the light to make your ring and her eyes truly sparkle!