A Guide To Diamond Settings

If a diamond is indeed forever, you need a setting that’s going to last. It’s important to consider your diamond’s setting, or mounting, as part of the overall design — and also understand how it can contribute to the diamond’s everlasting beauty.

PRONG: This setting is the most common and popular settings for diamond engagement rings. They act like small claws, rising up to grasp the diamond. They can hold any size stone in place. With round brilliant diamonds, you most often see four prongs boosting a diamond upward. For fancy-shaped diamonds (such as a princess or pear cut), prongs can take on “V” shapes to protect the sharply angled corners. More prongs in a setting make the stone more secure, while fewer prongs allow more light exposure.

PAVE: This setting is one where the diamonds are placed so closely together with small, nearly invisible metal prongs or beads that it provides an illusion of a diamond-encrusted look. In fact, the pave setting was created in order to maximize light and brilliance and minimize the appearance of metal.

HALO: A setting that encircles a center stone in a collection of pave diamonds. These pave stones flash with light and focus attention back on the center stone to create interest and draw people’s gaze. A quarter-, third- or half-carat diamond can look as much as a half a carat larger. So no matter what your budget, a halo setting gives you a bigger bang for your buck.

CHANNEL: This highly structured and secure setting is achieved by placing diamonds close together between two strips of precious metal, creating a channel. Diamonds are placed securely in the channel, it is not easy for them to fall out or get chipped by accidental hits.

BEZEL: This setting typically relies on a piece of metal to completely or partially enclose the gemstone in order to hold it in place. The bezel setting is extremely protective of the stone that it surrounds, protecting it from scratches or from becoming knocked loose. Because this setting typically requires more metal, it is also typically a more expensive setting choice.