Do high settings make a diamond appear bigger?

[SparklyRing]

I tried on rings today at a maul store (don''t worry, my SO knows not to buy from one) to get an idea of which size I''d like most. The 1 carat looked HUGE on my hand! I also noticed that the setting was really high. In fact, they only had high settings for all of their rings. Is it possible that a 1 carat would not appear as enormous on my hand if it were in a low setting?

 

[Laila619]

I have had both a high setting and a low setting, and my diamond looked a tad bigger in the high setting for sure.

 

[yssie]

Definitely look bigger.

I'd still pick a low setting, though. Unless you've a smaller diamond (under 0.5, maybe?) I think the risks of bashing it/getting it caught in stuff outweigh the perceived minute size increase.

 

[D&T]

yes it will appear to look larger, but I still would rather go lower for more protection & less chances of knocking it around kwim?

 

[Camille]

Yep

 

[freefly]

Maybe a tad, but I prefer the look of low settings, not to mention that it''s safer for your diamond.

 

[SparklyRing]

Thanks for your responses! I''ve always preferred the look and the practicality of a low setting as well, but I''ve just never seen that many in real life.

 

[Gleam]

My jeweler set my diamond quite high in a cathedral setting, and yes, I do believe it makes my stone look larger although the difference is marginal. Is someone going to mistake my 2.5 carat solitaire for a 3 carat because it''s set a couple millimeters higher? No.

I don''t work with my hands, and I''m no more clumsy than the average person. So far I haven''t noticed my high setting knocking into anything or causing any inconvenience. *knock on wood*

 

[HVVS]

The "maul" diamonds might also be set that high to help their performance. The extra light through the pavilion helps offset the leakage of a lesser cut, so that diamond will perform better than it would in a low setting that boxes it in more.

 

[SparklyRing]

I wondered whether the high settings were used to help poor quality diamonds sparkle and shine better. One more question...is Sally''s lotus setting low or high? Is there such a thing as a medium setting? Here''s a photo for reference.