Things to Know: Buying an Engagement Ring Part 3

For two weeks we have been running a small series on things you should about buying the all important engagement ring. Part one was about knowing the Four Big C's of a diamond - cut, colour, clarity and carat. Part Two was about the different shapes diamonds come in - round, brilliant, marquise, pear - you get the idea. And now for part three. This post is going to cover the basics of ring settings. That is, exactly how your diamond will sit in its ring. Do you prefer a single diamond, a few in a row or maybe you like it embedded into the ring. This post will cover some of the options and what to look out for! 
Prong settings usually hold solitaire (one) diamonds. This kind of setting emphasises the diamond because it holds it up and has no metal surrounding it. This is a tricky setting because the the less metal holding the diamond in place, the greater risk there is of it falling out. Typically the metal prongs holding the diamond up meet the diamond at four, five or six points evenly spaced around the stone. 
Prong settings can be found in a few variations: 
V-Prong Setting 
When viewed from above, the ends of the prong that hold the diamond appear to be cut into a V-Shape. Essentially, it is cut into right angles, so that diamond shapes with points (like the princess or pear shaped diamond) can be protected.
Common Prong 
In this case, the metal wires holding the diamond are grooved at the top to hold the two or more diamonds side-by-side. 

A bezel setting is basically a wrap of metal around the diamond. The bezel attaches to the top of the ring and stands above it, adding height to the setting. The bezel setting is quite an old school setting, but lately a half bezel has made a revival, and this type of setting gives the ring a much more modern feel. A half bezel is when a full bezel is split in half into two sections, arcing around just part of the diamond. 


A channel setting is used for more than one diamond, and is commonly seen on either side of a larger, prong set single diamond. This setting is typically used with round diamonds, and they are placed side by side with small spaces in between them. Channel settings are also often used as a wedding band, and then are worn paired with an engagement ring to complete the look. Channel settings protect the diamonds extremely well, as they are not exposed to hard knocks or general wear and tear as other diamonds in different settings would be. 


This setting is when the diamonds appear to be covering the metal - so that you can't see it below them. Pave means paved, so essentially the rings are paved. Each diamond should be exactly the same size and they are placed in rows in such a way that they fill up as much space as possible without touching.

Picture Credits: 
Prong Ring
Full Bezel
Channel Setting
Pave Setting

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