Whenever you buy a piece of jewelry you might have heard or read few terms like prongs, pave and channel etc. while buying an ring or earrings the jeweler might have asked you to pick a prong set diamond studs or solitaire ring with pave diamond band. But have you ever thought what all these terms refer to and what their significance in jewelry is?
In fine jewelry there are different types of settings of metal which hold the stones in various styles to make a piece of jewelry more beautiful and simultaneously give the stone a firm grip. There are different types of settings which define the look of the jewelry and showcase the true beauty of the stones. Let’s have a look at some of the very popular settings and explore their advantages to jewelry.
Prong is the most common and popular type of setting which involves claw like metal hooks to firmly hold the stone in a metal basket or head. Prongs can be pointed, round, flat, V shape and act as a pocket to grip for different shaped stones. There can be four or six prongs or can be double prongs holding a stone. Four prongs show more of the gemstone and six prongs or double prongs give more firmness to the stone. V shaped prongs give more protection to stone in marquise, pear or heart shape and flat prongs are generally recommended for princess or emerald cut stones.
Prong setting permits more light exposure from all sides and thus maximize the brilliance of gemstones. Diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby rings look brighter in prong setting. It also holds most fragile stones like tanzanite very securely and allows easy cleaning of the jewelry.
Bezel setting is another popular setting where a metal rim with edges surrounds the stone to ensure that it is set firmly in the metal and is completely protected from any breakage. It sometimes has two variations – full bezel and half bezel. Not only it secures the stone but also gives a larger appearance to it.
You might have heard about channel setting in wedding bands. In this type of setting row of stones set in between to rims of metal and there is no metal between the stones. Mostly brilliant cut squares or baguette stones are set in this style. It provides better security for small stones than pave or prongs and gives a completely smooth surface with proper light exposure.
Pave setting gives illusion of more and bigger stone as two and more rows of small gemstones set together in metal holes set exactly to level of the metal of the ring. This setting lends an uninterrupted design flow with extra brilliance.
These are few very common setting types which secure he gems and makes a piece looks more beautiful. So next time when you are buying any jewelry like diamond or ruby engagement rings or sapphire and emerald pendants, then observe the settings and see how they are adding a splash of beauty to each jewel.
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