two prong setting

[feathers]

Hi,

Yesterday I tried on a three-stone ring in a shared one prong setting similar to the ones shown below. I just love how the three stones are level at the top and the roundness of the dimaonds really show. Does anyone know how the diamonds are kept in this setting? Two prongs for each diamond should not be sufficient, right?

The images are from the Lazare Icicle Collection. The second ring image shows a bit of the side view. Oh, the ring that I tried on was not a Lazare.

Thanks.

 

[feathers]

Image #2

 

[denverappraiser]

There is a small wire ring that is the same outside diameter of the stone that sits directly underneith the girdle called the seating ring. You can see it in the second picture. The pavilion of the stone sits in the center of the ring and the two prongs hold the stone firmly against it so that the stone is held securely from the bottom. When done properly, this is a secure setting style. As with all settings, when done poorly, it can be a problem.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[MissAva]

Oh, that is quite spiffy! Do you have any more pictures?

 

[feathers]

Neil, thank you for your reply.

Matatora, I couldn''t find any more pictures

. I even looked through the Stuller web site for two prong setting. The ring does look very nice in real life!

On a side note, I found this on the artofplatinum site today. Same form but in bezels.

 

[MissAva]

Intreasting...but I think I like the first one better.

 

[oldminer]

The original makers of these, such as Kaplan, probably know exactly how to make the setting, prongs and ring. They know how to secure the diamonds properly. Soon copycats will pop up and then it will be anyone's guess how secure the diamonds will be when only held in by two prongs One thing for sure, if you lose a prong tip, the stone will fall out pretty soon thereafter. 6 prongs hold a tiny bit better than 4. 4 hold better than 3 and 3 hold better than 2.

There are one and zero prong styles, too. They depend on a some pretty neat engineering to work. Once people start to sell counterfeits one must be aware to look out for trouble! You may pay extra for the original maker and their design, but there often is value in getting secure stone setting, too.

I have seen similar rings made in the design of others that came before which were better made and improved at a later date. They were better than the originals. Some copy cats actually improve a common style. Some prefer to make it cheaper and less well made to save money. It takes all kinds and we don't want to paint the picture that every original is superior to every similar later design. It works both ways.

 

[feathers]

David, I agree with your view on original makers and unknown makers. The interesting (or perhaps the troubling) part is that an average consumer has no means to identify the source of a piece of setting/jewellery. As mentioned, I tried out the ring at a local store and was intrigued by the two-prong setting. Being a somewhat obsessive researcher

, I went home and tried to look up more information on the setting. It was then that I found the Lazare ring.

When I first tried on the ring, I thought "A clean simple setting...saves on gold too!"

p.s. Yay, I can look at diamonds on the web all day. It is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada.

 

[pebbles]

There is a company called Bez Ambar that makes settings like this and it''s called their Boundless collection. They are the same company that makes the Quadrillion princess cut and does a lot of invisible settings. I was looking at an eternity band set like this a few years ago and the jeweler talked me out of it as he said they are not the most sturdy or secure settings. Definitely not for everyday wear (in his opinion) -- most of the rings he sold like that were for ladies that wanted a RHR that they would only occasionally wear. They are beautiful to look at however.