You will be wearing your engagement ring for many years to come, so it’s important to ensure it’s something you absolutely love and reflects your personal style.
How to Buy the Best Engagement Ring
Buying an engagement ring can be an overwhelming task. There’s a lot of pressure on this purchase. It’s a symbol of your love for your girlfriend, and it’s a token of your willingness to take the relationship to the next level. Plus, it doesn’t help that your fiance will be showing off the ring to her friends and family.
Engagement Ring Styles
There are many different engagement ring styles and settings to choose from. If you are not over the moon about your fiancé’s choice of design, most jewelers will allow you to return your ring within 30 days of original purchase. Get in touch with us if you would like any advice or to chat about other ring design options.
Let’s look at some of the different engagement ring and wedding band setting. If nothing takes your fancy, Jewel Bear would be delighted to create a bespoke ring or wedding band to perfectly match your style and complement your engagement ring. Our jewelry experts and onsite designers are always available to discuss your needs. Please contact us to find out more.
Prong Setting: A truly classic engagement ring setting.
A prong setting is one of the most well-known and elegant diamond ring settings and is a popular choice when it comes to solitaire diamond ring designs. It elevates the diamond above the ring setting, making it more noticeable and highlighting the diamond’s brilliance.
Prongs refer to the little metal claws that hold the diamond securely in place. A prong setting can be shaped in different ways - rounded, elongated, pointed, flat, or V-shaped. The number of prongs depends on many different factors, including the stone type and shape as well as the ring design. While a four-prong setting will ensure your sparkling diamond is more visible, a six prong setting is more secure, while still exposing it to the maximum amount of light for a beautiful fire, brilliance and scintillation.
There are a few factors to keep in mind if you are considering a prong setting. They can sometimes snag on clothing, furniture and other materials (especially if high-set). If you lead an active lifestyle, a lower-set prong may be more suitable. Everyday wear can loosen prongs over time, so we recommend having your ring setting inspected and cleaned by the professional at Jewel Bear on a regular basis to ensure your precious stone remains safe and secure.
Pavé Setting: A glamorous, sparkling diamond-encrusted setting.
The pavé setting (pronounced “pa-vay”), also known as a bead setting, comes from the French word “to pave”, as the precious metal is actually paved in diamonds or other precious gems. The close setting of the diamonds combined with the tiny metal beads or prongs holding the stones in place, gives this ring an eye-catching sparkle effect. A lot of small diamonds are set closely together for a truly dazzling, diamond-encrusted effect, giving the impression that the diamonds are paved along the ring. Usually, the diamonds used for a pavé setting are .01 - .02 carats each. If the individual diamonds are smaller, then the setting is called a micro-pavé. The diamonds are placed into tiny holes, which are drilled into the precious metal setting. Each diamond is held in place with tiny prongs or metal beads.
The pavé setting is a wonderful style for wedding bands and engagement rings. For engagement rings, a larger diamond is placed in the center of the ring. The beauty of a pavé setting is the multitude of designs to suit your style and taste - from contemporary to vintage.
If you are considering a pavé setting, keep in mind that sizing and resizing can be quite difficult if the pavé setting is around the full band. We recommend confirming your ring size early in the design process to prevent any size issues when the ring is finished. Although highly unlikely, there is a minimal risk of losing side diamonds.
Bezel Setting: A modern, durable and secure ring setting.
A bezel setting is when the diamond or stone is encircled by a thin border of platinum or white gold metal holding it securely in place, rather than being held with prongs. Also, sometimes referred to as a tube setting, the contemporary bezel setting is ideal for those with an active lifestyle or work in a hands-on industry.
Keep in mind that because the metal tends to cover more of the diamond or gem than a prong setting, it affords the stone less light and therefore less fire, brilliance and scintillation. On the plus side, they are very durable and easier to maintain and clean than most other settings.
Tension Setting: A beautiful and striking ring setting.
With a tension setting, it appears the diamond or stone is floating, exposing it to vast amounts of light, giving it every opportunity to sparkle.
As the name suggests, tension is used to securely hold the diamond in place. Our expert jewelers carefully laser cut tiny grooves into the sides of the precious metal bands, resulting in the diamond being held by the pressure applied by the metal bands of the ring.
Tension Setting styles
Keep in mind that this distinct setting is more difficult and costlier to resize, and a significant knock may cause the stone to become loose. If your tension ring receives a hard blow, contact our jewelry experts at [Brand] and we will inspect it with pleasure to put your mind at ease that your precious stone is held firmly in place. Tension Style Settings This setting appears as though it is set with tension; however, it is held securely in place by an additional band of precious metal while still allowing for light to pass through the stone for brilliance, fire and scintillation. This is a popular option that allows the diamond more protection and security from knocks; however, it is still possible for the stone to become loose. Should your ring receive a hard blow, our expert jewelers would be happy to inspect it for you.
Channel Setting: A sparkling and secure setting.
Similar to a pavé setting, a channel setting is an elegant and dazzling way to display designs that feature multiple diamonds, such as wedding bands and diamond anniversary rings. This setting offers wonderful amount of fire, brilliance and scintillation and is a great option for those with an active lifestyle.
There is no center stone, but rather diamonds of the same size and cut, laid out side by side in a row, with the band of precious metal holding all the stones along the outer bands of the ring, as well as in-between each stone. The “channel” of diamonds can go around the entire ring, or just the top of the ring.
Halo Setting: A beautifully glamorous and romantic setting
The highly popular and sought-after halo setting gives the appearance of a larger and more brilliant center diamond, as it is encircled by smaller pave or micro pave accent stones. It also allows for a dazzling amount of sparkle to the ring.A double halo setting, as the name implies, consists of two concentric circles of gemstones around the center stone. For a truly striking effect, a halo of colored gemstones or setting the halo diamonds with a different color metal can be considered.
Halo ring settings are relatively durable; however, care must be taken as some of the stones surrounding the center stone may come loose after time.
Cathedral Setting: One of the most graceful and classic engagement rings.
The impressive cathedral setting mimics the grace and elegance of a cathedral, using arches to frame the diamond as the stunning focal point of the ring. The arches add extra height and make the center diamond appear larger.
A cathedral setting is not defined by how the diamond is held, but rather how it is mounted with arches above the rest of the shank. Therefore, it can be set with prongs, bezel or tension setting.
Like other ring designs with prong settings, a cathedral setting can snag on clothes, furniture and other materials, especially if high-set. The design features many crevices, so requires frequent cleaning.
Bar Setting
A bar setting is a popular style for engagement rings, wedding rings and eternity bands. The precious stones are secured in place between vertical bars of precious metals, allowing ample light to pass through the stones giving it a constant sparkle. Similar to channel settings, but the difference is that channel settings enclose the diamond on all sides whereas the bar setting leaves the diamond exposed on two sides. A bar setting is slightly less secure than a channel setting and resizing can be more difficult.
With a bar setting, you can choose from a range of styles, including to complement a center stone or stand alone for a stunning wedding band or stackable ring.
Flush Setting
A flush setting, also known as a gypsy or hammer style setting, is a lesser known setting where the metal band features diamonds or gemstones set flush against the metal, creating a sleek and stylish look. The jeweler hammers the metal around the diamond to hold it in place, making it highly protected from chipping or falling out.
If you are considering a flush setting, keep in mind that the setting reduces visibility of the stone, and a limited amount of light passes through the stone, decreasing the brilliance and fire. It is a great option for those who lead active lifestyles or work in a hands-on industry.
Three-Stone Setting: A modern and striking setting.
A three-stone ring, also known as a trilogy ring, is said to symbolize the couple’s past, present, and future. It features two side diamonds or gemstones that accentuate the center diamond, allowing it to dazzle with brilliance, fire and scintillation. The center stone is usually set higher to add depth to the ring.
The three stones can either be all the same size or, more commonly, the center stone is larger than the two side stones. Keep in mind that this ring setting requires more cleaning and maintenance than a single stone design.
Vintage Setting: A romantic setting filled with character and charm.
Vintage settings come in many different styles, as ring trends in the past changed and evolved with the fashions of the day. Many of the antique/vintage styles are designed to fit specific time periods of jewelry fashion, such as Art Deco, Edwardian and Victorian era style, and have remained extremely popular due to their uniqueness and ability to fit into a specific individual’s tastes and personal style. Often these rings feature intricate detail work such as filigree and milgrain. Milgrain engraving is a type of embellishment that gives the ring an “antique” look of tiny balls of metal decorating the sides of the band and the crown of the ring.
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewelry metalwork made with tiny beads or twisted threads (or a combination of both), soldered together and often holds the center stone. This creates additional crevices, which means your ring will require more frequent cleaning than other vintage styles.
Eternity Band Style: The promise of forever.
An eternity band, also known as an infinity ring, is often worn as a wedding band rather than an engagement ring; however, they are a popular choice for brides looking for a conservative style of engagement ring.
These bands get their name from the “eternal” presence of identically cut diamonds or other precious stones that decorate the entire band of the ring, delivering a sparkle that circles the entire finger. It is usually gifted by a husband to his wife on their anniversary.
Eternity rings are available in prong, channel, bezel and flush settings. If you are considering an eternity band, keep in mind that it can be challenging or costly to resize, and at times not possible. Frequent cleaning is required to maintain maximum sparkle.
Cluster Setting: A wonderfully unique and stylish setting.
In a cluster setting, smaller diamond “clusters” are set closely together to resemble one large diamond. A cluster ring can contain a larger center stone or cluster together stones of the same size. The smaller stones complement each other and offer extra sparkle. Cluster setting rings require cleaning more often. As with other rings set with small stones, there is a minimal risk that the stones may come loose or fall out. We recommend regular maintenance on your ring to ensure it is clean and the diamonds are secure.
Shank/Split-Shank: A setting gleaming with sophistication and symmetry.
The term shank refers to the band of the ring or the part that encircles your finger. Most shanks are round, but there are other shapes too.A split-shank ring setting features a shank that splits into two slender shanks as it approaches the center stone. This unique design adds character and creates an eye-catching appearance which accentuates the center stone, maximising exposure. If you are considering a shank setting, keep in mind that the shank can hook onto clothing and other material, and the stones can become loose if knocked. Therefore, it’s not recommended for those with an active lifestyle.
