Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of prongs?

[diamondhoarder]

I have been reading ACA's thread about double prongs with interest and have a question of my own about double prongs. I am in the process of having a halo ring designed for my 1.14ct emerald cut and have requested double prongs. The ring will be cast. My stone has quite large corners (1.4mm wide) - if there were only single prongs the corners would stick out on either side of the prongs.

This aset picture shows the outline shape of my stone:



The girdle is thin to medium and I want to ensure that the corners are protected as much as possible. Would it look strange to have the double prongs spaced out so that each one covers one of the corners of the stone?

I drew some prongs onto a printout of the aset picture to show the potential placement:



I realise that because my ring will be cast the prongs might not be as delicate as I had hoped and I am now unsure if I should be asking for the prongs to be spaced according the picture above, or whether I should have them with very little space between them, and sitting on the slanted (clipped) corners of the stone rather than on the 8 corners?

The diamond is 6.52 x 5.51mm and the clipped corners are 1.4mm. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ADN]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I realise that because my ring will be cast the prongs might not be as delicate as I had hoped....

Hi diamondhoarder - having a ring cast doesn't mean that you can't have delicate claws...that is only a design/cad/finishing issue. Speak to your jeweller as you should be able to get fine claws if that is what you want.
Hope this helps
PS - that's a lovely stone

 

[Michael_E]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

The minimum size width for normal prongs is about 1mm, so putting the prongs right at the corners of the stone would not look quite like you've drawn. One objective in making prongs and setting your stone is that the underside of the prong tip be flat against the stone. This is very hard to do if the tip is right at the corner and so generally double prongs on an emerald cut are placed so that the outer edge of each prong is right at the corner. In doing this you would need to use either very slight prongs, at .7mm wide each, totally filling the corner, or a more normal prong at 1mm and allow the prong to overhang the corner.

I would personally avoid the use of a narrow prong UNLESS the stone was very close to the halo or even inset a bit and the prong very short, almost like a pointed bead. Doing this would also allow you to use an even smaller prong/bead, since it's so short that it can't bend once the stone is set. Another advantage of setting the stone down very close, so that the corners are a bit under the top of the halo, is that it is nearly impossible to damage the corners of the stone, since anything coming in contact with it will either hit the halo or the top of the stone before hitting those sensitive corners.

I would ask the maker of your ring to lay this out in CAD and show it from multiple directions in order to give you an idea of how it will look IRL since the size and placement of the prongs is critical to how it will look and how durable it will be over time.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

Here's the biggest picture I can find of well done double prongs on an EC. As you can see, the prongs are thick enough to protect those corners, and the prongs are near the corners but not on them.

http://www.stevenkirsch.com/engagement/three-stone/r0328.html

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I would personally recommend single prongs if the setting is cast. If it's a handforged, then you can do double on a one carat. But in cast settings the prongs always seem to overpower because the metal is not as strong at the same thinness.

Read this thread and follow the links.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/single-or-double-claw-prongs-for-cushion.218680/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/single-or-double-claw-prongs-for-cushion.218680/[/URL]

I have a handforged head on my one carat asscher/square emerald and Steven did not recommend double prongs. He said on that sized stone he highly recommends one prong, even though it is handforged.

And it's not a matter of skill, as the man is obviously a prong master.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I realise that because my ring will be cast the prongs might not be as delicate as I had hoped....

Hi diamondhoarder - having a ring cast doesn't mean that you can't have delicate claws...that is only a design/cad/finishing issue. Speak to your jeweller as you should be able to get fine claws if that is what you want.
Hope this helps
PS - that's a lovely stone

Thanks ADN - I searched for a really long time to find it

The minimum size width for normal prongs is about 1mm, so putting the prongs right at the corners of the stone would not look quite like you've drawn. One objective in making prongs and setting your stone is that the underside of the prong tip be flat against the stone. This is very hard to do if the tip is right at the corner and so generally double prongs on an emerald cut are placed so that the outer edge of each prong is right at the corner. In doing this you would need to use either very slight prongs, at .7mm wide each, totally filling the corner, or a more normal prong at 1mm and allow the prong to overhang the corner.

I would personally avoid the use of a narrow prong UNLESS the stone was very close to the halo or even inset a bit and the prong very short, almost like a pointed bead. Doing this would also allow you to use an even smaller prong/bead, since it's so short that it can't bend once the stone is set. Another advantage of setting the stone down very close, so that the corners are a bit under the top of the halo, is that it is nearly impossible to damage the corners of the stone, since anything coming in contact with it will either hit the halo or the top of the stone before hitting those sensitive corners.

I would ask the maker of your ring to lay this out in CAD and show it from multiple directions in order to give you an idea of how it will look IRL since the size and placement of the prongs is critical to how it will look and how durable it will be over time.

Michael_E - Thanks for such an informative explanation. I hadn't quite twigged about each claw needing to be 0.7mm wide until you pointed it out. I've been working with pics of the stone and possible settings which are enlarged, so I had lost perpective about what actual dimensions I am working with, and the implications for the prongs.

Here's the biggest picture I can find of well done double prongs on an EC. As you can see, the prongs are thick enough to protect those corners, and the prongs are near the corners but not on them.

http://www.stevenkirsch.com/engagement/three-stone/r0328.html

Diamondseeker, that is a beautiful ring! Love the way the double prongs look on this size of diamond.

I would personally recommend single prongs if the setting is cast. If it's a handforged, then you can do double on a one carat. But in cast settings the prongs always seem to overpower because the metal is not as strong at the same thinness.

Read this thread and follow the links.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/single-or-double-claw-prongs-for-cushion.218680/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/single-or-double-claw-prongs-for-cushion.218680/[/URL]

I have a handforged head on my one carat asscher/square emerald and Steven did not recommend double prongs. He said on that sized stone he highly recommends one prong, even though it is handforged.

And it's not a matter of skill, as the man is obviously a prong master.

Thanks Gyspsy. I read your other thread about single vs double prongs as well. Now I've thought about it more, and taking into account the feedback here and from my jeweler, I'm going for single prongs after all. I think that although my stone has large(ish) corners, they are not quite large enough for double prongs without the risk of them overpowering the stone. And because I am having a halo setting, I think that in itself will emphasise the shape of my centre diamond - so I can live with forfeiting the double prongs.

 

[acaw2015]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I would have done the same as you, I think single prongs will be best for your stone. Gorgeous EC btw! Any real pics to share?
I'm happy that my thread helped in some way. And I hope you will be happy with your ring!
/aca

 

[chrono]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

Glad to see that you are going with single prongs, which is what I would do, even if I love double prongs.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I would have done the same as you, I think single prongs will be best for your stone. Gorgeous EC btw! Any real pics to share?
I'm happy that my thread helped in some way. And I hope you will be happy with your ring!
/aca

Thanks ACA, and yes your thread did help As for photos, I got a bit carried away with taking photos of it in a ring holder and posted them on this thread:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-ec-showing-its-rainbow-colors-in-the-sunshine.218297/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-ec-showing-its-rainbow-colors-in-the-sunshine.218297/[/URL]

 

[diamondhoarder]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

Glad to see that you are going with single prongs, which is what I would do, even if I love double prongs.

It is a tough one, but I realised that my stone just wasnt big enough to handle the double prongs. By the way, I loved your thread about your EC (and the pics too). It really helped me with my EC search.

 

[acaw2015]

Re: Double prongs for emerald cut diamond - placement of pro

I would have done the same as you, I think single prongs will be best for your stone. Gorgeous EC btw! Any real pics to share?
I'm happy that my thread helped in some way. And I hope you will be happy with your ring!
/aca

Thanks ACA, and yes your thread did help As for photos, I got a bit carried away with taking photos of it in a ring holder and posted them on this thread:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-ec-showing-its-rainbow-colors-in-the-sunshine.218297/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-ec-showing-its-rainbow-colors-in-the-sunshine.218297/[/URL]

Thanks for the link! I should have looked before asking! Love the stone! Gorgeous chunkiness.