Photo: By Petronella Photography
With so many different engagement ring settings to choose from on your proposal day, how do you find the best one for you? Worry no more, The Heart Bandits wedding proposal planners are here to help with a helpful list of pros and cons for a few of the most popular settings to make your job a little bit easier.
After you have chosen the type of stone for your ring, you are now ready to choose a setting! The stone is the most beautiful part of any engagement ring, of course, but it is the setting that showcases the stone’s beauty and makes it look that much better glittering on your hand.
Bezel
This setting is a metal rim with edges fully or partially surrounding the perimeter of your stone.
Pros
*Safely secures the stone in place
*Keeps the ring’s surface completely smooth
Cons
*Some colored bezel settings, such as a yellow gold can make a diamond appear less white because of the yellow tint in the reflection
Prong
This setting is the most popular for engagement rings. This setting includes “claws” that secure the stone in a metal basket-like structure. The number of prongs can vary as well as the shape and placement depending on your stone.
Pros
*Allows easy access to clean the stone
*Gives the best light exposure to your stone
Cons
*Less protection to your stone
*More prone to snagging on loose clothing or hair
Channel
Another popular choice for engagement rings, the channel setting sandwiches together a row of stones with no metal in between them.
Pros
*Completely smooth surface
*Small stones are more secure compared to a prong or pave setting
Cons
*Difficult to resize once made
*Does not work well with fragile stones such as opals or emeralds
Pave
This setting has three or more rows of small stones fitted into holes leveled with the ring’s surface. White gold or platinum is then added and raised to form beads that surround the stones making a dome or flat shape.
Pros
*Makes the diamond appear larger than it actually is
Cons
*Bead setting is not as secure as other settings to keep stones secure
*Does not work well with fragile gems
Now that you are ready to go engagement ring shopping, consider how you will incorporate the ring into your proposal idea. If you are worried that the traditional bulky ring box will give away your surprise before it’s time, go to www.ringstash.com and find the ultimate solution for a compact engagement ring box with a twist!
Michele