bezle vs prong setting- sparkle

[spon]

Hello all. My financee and I are going to be purchasing an engagement ring in the next week or so and I''ve been doing alot of research on this fantastic website and forum. One thing that I was curious about was weather different settings will dull the sparkle of a well cut stone. We''re definitly looking for an Ideal Cut stone, but my fiancee wants a setting with small pave diamonds around the outside of a round center stone. She unsure if she wants to use an elevated prong setting for the center or a semi-elavated bezle setting. Would either one of these produce more brilliance and/or fire? On the flip side, would the bezle cut make a lower color grade (say H) look better because you couldn''t see the side profile? I''m considering colors from F-H.

Thanks!!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 9/28/2005 12:47:22 PM
Author:spon
Hello all. My financee and I are going to be purchasing an engagement ring in the next week or so and I've been doing alot of research on this fantastic website and forum. One thing that I was curious about was weather different settings will dull the sparkle of a well cut stone. We're definitly looking for an Ideal Cut stone, but my fiancee wants a setting with small pave diamonds around the outside of a round center stone. She unsure if she wants to use an elevated prong setting for the center or a semi-elavated bezle setting. Would either one of these produce more brilliance and/or fire? On the flip side, would the bezle cut make a lower color grade (say H) look better because you couldn't see the side profile? I'm considering colors from F-H.

Thanks!!

Hi Spon.

If the diamond is well-cut it shouldn't make a difference, it will perform in either. Try to view your proposed setting with side stones/pave in both configurations if possible: We recently designed a setting with a halo and created it in bezel and prong set. People are neatly divided on which they prefer. The mounting makes a notable difference in the overall appearance. Both are attractive but they have different character. It's interesting that bezel is more popular in Europe, while prongs tend to be more popular stateside.

Another thing to consider: If you work actively with your hands (a nurse, machinist, artist, etc) bezel set does provide a bit more security with regard to normal wear.

 

[sjz]

I think the type of setting is more of a personal aesthetic choice than a matter of what makes a diamond sparkle better. The sparkle and brilliance of a diamond is from light refected back at your eye more than it is light passing through the diamond from underneath. Bezel set and channel set stones sparkle just as much (and sometimes even more, I think) than stones set up higher in prongs. A well cut stone should look good and have lots of sparkle no matter what type of setting you choose.

As far as the bezel setting and color...I can see where that might make a difference. A lot of the stones in the near colorless range will look pretty colorless and white face up, and you only really see any warmth or tint from looking at the stone through the pavillion. In a bezel, you wouldn''t see the pavillion, therefore the warmth and tint shouldn''t be an issue. Semi bezel settings and some six prong settings also have somewhat the same effect. I originally had my J colored diamond in a six prong tiffany setting for years, and never really saw much of any warmth or tint in the stone, even looking through the pavillion. The prongs more or less obscured enough of the side-view that it wasn''t noticable. When I had it reset recently into a 4 prong setting where I could see much more of the paviillion, I could detect more warmth from the diamond. It still looks very white face up, however.

 

[spon]

Thanks alot for the feedback guys. I''m going to a jewler this weekend but I think I might focus on an H stone in a bezel versus a G in a prong and really see if I can tell the difference. thanks!!