The appeal of beautiful, sparkling diamonds set on a complementing metal setting is really hard to resist. Even though loose diamonds are usually placed on rings in such a way as to achieve the maximum dose of security, skilled craftsmanship never lets this become evident. Rather, the beauty of the diamond ring setting is accentuated to obscure any functional appearance. This, in fact, is the main highlight of most flattering diamond ring designs.
In order to set loose diamonds in the least invasive way, a diamond setter would typically have to confront and solve many issues. One of the main things is the security of the diamond, which cannot be ignored at any cost. Note that the stone needs to be exposed well in order to display maximum brilliance and fire, which means deciding on a setting that employs the minimum amount of metal while imparting maximum safety. Here, factors such as shape, carat weight, cut, lifestyle of the wearer, etc, are taken into account. Setting diamond loose stones beautifully on a ring while keeping all these things in mind, is actually an art, requiring great expertise.
Different Stone Settings
There are different types of diamond settings, and each has its own unique charm. Some focus on highlighting a single stone, whereas others deal with clusters. Some feature elaborate and intricate designs, and patterns which aim at drawing attention directly to the sparkler. However, the prime objective of every diamond ring setting is to protect the stone from external shock and damage. Some of the frequently used stone settings are given below.
Prong Setting
This is the most common type of diamond ring setting. Here, loose diamonds are set in such a way as to enhance sparkle and beauty. The main upside of the prong setting is that any type of diamond can be set using prongs. In this setting, diamond loose stones are secured well by means of claw-like metal structures. The setter would make delicate metal prongs, and set a stone carefully into it.
Once the stone is perfectly set, they would gently carve the seat and push the prongs using pliers, in order to wrap the precious stones around its their girdles. Finally, the prongs are trimmed so as to get the desired size and shape. The prong setting is commonly used in traditional diamond ring designs. Since a minimum amount of metal is used in this setting, diamond loose stones set with prongs tend to sparkle like anything.
Channel Setting
The channel diamond ring setting is a widely used method to set loose diamonds on eternity and wedding bands. When it comes to engagement rings, the accent stones are usually secured by means of the channel setting. In this setting, diamond loose stones are carefully placed into the channel made on the metal band of a ring. As a result, the diamond would sit flush with the metal surface. Stones set by these means would give off the appearance of a sparkling circle around your finger.
The diamonds in a channel setting are held in place here by means of pressure exerted by the adjacent stones and metal rows. Since no prongs are employed in this stone setting, it will not snag on cloth or fabric. People who lead an active lifestyle can go for channel set diamond rings since the gemstones are least vulnerable to damages here. However, it requires great craftsmanship, compliance, and exact measurements just to efficiently set loose diamonds into a channel.
Tension Setting
People who prefer to steer away from traditional diamond settings can go in for tension diamond ring setting. In this setting, a diamond will be held at the center of an open band ring by means of the tensile force exerted by the metal band from each side. This would create an illusion of a diamond floating in the air. It is worth noting that there would be a tiny bezel setting or grooves at the edge of each metal band, which securely hold the gemstone. However, the setter would usually craft these tiny settings in an invisible manner, in order to keep up its floating appeal.
Since the surface area of a gemstone is entirely exposed in this setting, the brilliance and fire offered by tension set diamond rings would be incredible. Nevertheless, you cannot set small diamonds using a tension setting. This, in fact, is one of the main limitations of tension set diamond rings. Plus, a heavy blow can sometimes dislodge your diamonds from the pressure setting. Hence, this type of stone setting is not recommended for people who are way too clumsy, and often knock into things. Resizing too can be an issue, which means you need to be really careful picking out what you will buy.