A GUIDE TO DIAMOND SETTINGS
Check out our diamond setting guide to determine your preferred diamond setting!
Claw Setting:
A claw-setting is the most popular and common choice for gem-set rings.
Claws offer safety and protection to the stone that they hold and allow a large amount of light to be filtered under the stone to make your stone sparkle brilliantly. Claws are the bit of metal that curl up around a stone and hold it in place. Jewellers will typically secure a round stone in a ring with four or six claws. While four claws are seen more often and let light hit more surface area of the stone, six-claw settings, sometimes referred to as a Tiffany Setting, provides more protection for the rounded edges of a stone, and has a mid-century dainty vintage look.
4-Claw and 6-Claw Settings with Round Claws
In four-claw settings, claws are usually set at 2, 4, 8 and 10 o’clock, unless it is a NSEW setting, where the claws are set at the four points of a compass.
NSEW 4-Claw Setting with Round Claws
There are also various types of claws. Most common are round claws, which look round on top of a stone, and French or Talon claws, which are flatter to the top of the stone and end in a point to hold onto a stone. A flat tab claw looks, as its name suggests, flat and squared-off. Another popular style is the double claw, where two claws sit close together in the usual four-claw arrangement and typically features the round claw or the French claw. There is also the V claw: shaped like a V, this type of claw is perfected for the points of pear-, marquise-, and even princess-cut stones.
Flat Tab Claw
French (Talon) Claw
Double Claw
V-Claw
Bezel Setting:
The most protective setting for any stone is the Bezel Setting. Rather than having only a few places where the edge of the stone is protected, a bezel setting curves a solid piece of metal around the edges of a stone the entire way around, creating a picture-frame look for the stone to sit in. Because it is so protective, however, there is less stone visible, and therefore less light hits the facets. This style is fresh, clean, and simple, and can give a modern look to any engagement ring.
Tension Setting:
The tension setting is the most modern setting for a ring, where the stone is held in place by tension alone, which is created in the design of the ring. The metal shank of the ring is split and the stone fits in the space between, held in place only by the pressure of the metal pushing together, While the stone will sparkle more brilliantly because of this exposed setting, it is also more susceptible to chipping and breakage than a stone would be in other settings. Likewise, as the stone is held in place by tension, it is quite difficult to resize this style of ring. Sometimes these settings are helped by a “seat” under the stone to prevent it from falling out, and to add structural integrity to the ring, but keeping the look very sparkly and modern.
Flush Setting:
A flush-set ring is designed so that the top of a stone and the metal surface of the ring sit flush, or level, with each other. Jewellers create a hole in the metal of the ring, place the stone inside, and then mold the metal around the gemstone to hold it in place, flat to the surface of the ring. While this method of setting means that very little light hits the stone, and therefore there is comparatively less sparkle, it is the most protective setting for any stone. A flush-set stone is a perfect modern detail in any ring.
Importance of getting settings checked
Whatever diamond setting you decide on for your engagement ring, it is important to get it checked by a reputable jeweller every 6 months to a year. Any setting, but especially claw settings, can wear down with time and it is important to tighten any loose claws or build up gold that needs to be fixed before a stone is lost from your ring. When checking a ring setting, jewellers will usually take this time to clean the ring, which means that having your engagement ring checked is a great opportunity for your ring to regain its sparkle!
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