High setting vs low?

[Icce]

I really hate high settings (very ugly to me)...but people keep telling me if I get a low setting or one that isnt open at side (I like legatto and simple tapper in bands -maybe more protection I am not gentle at all with my hands lol) that it won't sparkle as much. Now knowing that diamonds reflect light and not let light pass through them (through sides) I do not understand there comments as it doesn;t make sense with physics...are these people at my work just talking about stuff they know nothing about or am I missing somthing?

 

[JulieN]

It doesn''t make a difference in sparkliness.

 

[geckodani]

Ditto. Won''t make a difference. If you want a low setting, or a bezel, you''re diamond will still shine. Cut makes it sparkle - not the setting.

 

[neatfreak]

So the thing is that people think they know how light return in a diamond works, thus why they say this. But in an ideally cut stone, light comes in and out of the top of the stone, so it won't affect it. Get whatever darn setting you please!

In a poorly cut stone however, a higher setting can help it somewhat because the light return is all messed up.

 

[Icce]

Thanks thats what I thought....I told them there is no way the light goes through the side and reflects out the top....that doesnt make sense with the angel reflection (ideal cut of course we werent taking if someone made up there own angels and cut that way poorly) and the way they are cut ..the light wouldnt go in that deep as they are not glass and bonce straight up.....they thought it goes through the side and and straight out the top.....which made no sense but I thought I would ask just incase my physics teachers were worng back in the day ahahah. Are the tiffany style big V ones high set? I like somthing simple...no extra diamonds added....catheral like or X or Legatto but with some tappering and low....what do you guys suggest?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:08:36 AM
Author: Icce
Thanks thats what I thought....I told them there is no way the light goes through the side and reflects out the top....that doesnt make sense with the angel reflection and the way they are cut ..the light wouldnt go in that deep as they are not glass.....they thought it goes through the side and and straight out the top.....which made no sense but I thought I would ask just incase. Are the tiffany style big V ones high set? I like somthing simple...no extra diamonds added....catheral like or X or Legatto but with some tappering and low....what do you guys suggest?

I think the big "V" ones are fairly ugly personally...I would go with the X prong or the Legato anyday! Those are two gorgeous settings.

 

[Icce]

Ok I was thinking X, Cathedral Diamond Solitaire Setting or legatto....I wish the cathedral tappered more.

 

[geckodani]

I think the Legato would be GORGEOUS!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:13:03 AM
Author: Icce
Ok I was thinking X, Cathedral Diamond Solitaire Setting or legatto....I wish the cathedral tappered more.

I don't love the cathedral...looks like every other solitaire out there. The legato and x-prong are more special IMO.

 

[Icce]

and this one with 4 prongs too borring for you huh?
Heavy tiffany style Diamond Solitaire





I know neat you don't like V...I am undecided on them (BF likes them but he like simple lines in everything and he doesn't gotta wear it)..

I saw this one yellow gold setting with the one main diamond in the middle and Pave diamonds on the top sides (pretty close scattered around) and it was nice how the little yellow gold shimmered through the pave diamonds. Glimpse of yellow (sorta like scales..hard to explain and the pictures didnt do it justice)....but harder to keep it clean I bet (sorta of a bit of a tom boy and my mom said that was a nice setting but it won;t look like that on my hand for very long as dirt can get caught and the glimspes of yellow won't be that way unless I keep it up)

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:37:10 AM
Author: Icce
and this one with 4 prongs too borring for you huh?

Heavy tiffany style Diamond Solitaire



I know neat you don''t like V...I am undecided on them (BF likes them but he like simple lines in everything and he doesn''t gotta wear it)..


I saw this one yellow gold setting with the one main diamond in the middle and Pave diamonds on the top sides (pretty close scattered around) and it was nice how the little yellow gold shimmered through the pave diamonds. Glimpse of yellow (sorta like scales..hard to explain and the pictures didnt do it justice)....but harder to keep it clean I bet (sorta of a bit of a tom boy and my mom said that was a nice setting but it won;t look like that on my hand for very long as dirt can get caught and the glimspes of yellow won''t be that way unless I keep it up)

I like that one much better than the other one, but still like the legato better personally. But I''m not the one who has to wear it!

 

[beau13]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:20:48 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 12/8/2008 9:13:03 AM
Author: Icce
Ok I was thinking X, Cathedral Diamond Solitaire Setting or legatto....I wish the cathedral tappered more.

I don''t love the cathedral...looks like every other solitaire out there. The legato and x-prong are more special IMO.

I LOVE my cathedral..it`s so versatile, and when paired with a band or two, it becomes very distinctive, not ordinary, NOT like every other solitaire out there. I vote for the cathedral !

 

[jstarfireb]

I''m a big fan of the legato in its many incarnations, so that gets my vote!

The only advantage that a higher setting would have is making the diamond appear bigger, since it''s a little bit closer to the eye. For me, that wasn''t worth the risk of banging it around (plus, I''m in the medical field, so it needed to fit under my gloves). I specifically requested a low setting because of this, and I''m very happy with mine.

 

[luvmyhalo]

LOOOOOOVE the Legato

 

[dazed_and_confused]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:06:29 AM
Author: neatfreak
So the thing is that people think they know how light return in a diamond works, thus why they say this. But in an ideally cut stone, light comes in and out of the top of the stone, so it won''t affect it. Get whatever darn setting you please!

In a poorly cut stone however, a higher setting can help it somewhat because the light return is all messed up.

Hi,
I have a question about your comment and I don''t mean to change the topic of this thread either.
I just had my diamond set twice within a month.
The first solitaire setting (four prong) had the diamond set high where I can see a space between the bottom of the diamond and the setting. I thought the diamond looked bigger and "shiny" on this setting. Unfortunately, the guy did not do a good job and my fiance did not like that setting.

The new setting she picked out was also a four prong solitaire setting. But the prongs were a little bit more rounder and thicker. Now the diamond is set so low, the bottom of the diamond is inside a little hole at the top of the ring. In addition, the diamond looks smaller.

I think the diamond doesn''t look as "shiny" or sparkle as much as the original setting. I still see sparkles and all, but it looks like I have to look for it now or look at the diamond from the top view directly as opposed to the first setting where I can see the "shine" and sparkle from a distance.

I think my diamond has a decent cut based on other people''s comment that I posted here in the past. But here are my specs:
Carat: 1.32
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Cut: Excellent
Depth: 61.2
Table: 53
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.6
Thin Girdle Faceted 2.6%
No cutlet
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very good
Fluorescence: None
Star Lenght: 55%
Crown Height: 16%
Pavilion Depth: 42.5%

I had my diamond appraised by Barry Block who is highly recommended here and for whatever reason, he gave my diamond a triple excellent.

I have yet to bring the diamond and the setting back to him because I just had the diamond re-set in the new setting.

Having said all of this, I am supremely disappointed that the diamond does not shine or sparkle as much as the original setting. I have asked other members of my family to look at the diamond and they agree with me. The best they could say is the diamond is more "secure" in the new setting.

If your comment is true, then how come the light return on my diamond doesn''t seem to look as good in the new setting as the original setting. Is there a possibility the diamond is set so low it is losing some of it''s sparkle and "shine"?

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 12/10/2008 12:01:50 AM
Author: dazed_and_confused

Date: 12/8/2008 9:06:29 AM
Author: neatfreak
So the thing is that people think they know how light return in a diamond works, thus why they say this. But in an ideally cut stone, light comes in and out of the top of the stone, so it won''t affect it. Get whatever darn setting you please!

In a poorly cut stone however, a higher setting can help it somewhat because the light return is all messed up.

Hi,
I have a question about your comment and I don''t mean to change the topic of this thread either.
I just had my diamond set twice within a month.
The first solitaire setting (four prong) had the diamond set high where I can see a space between the bottom of the diamond and the setting. I thought the diamond looked bigger and ''shiny'' on this setting. Unfortunately, the guy did not do a good job and my fiance did not like that setting.

The new setting she picked out was also a four prong solitaire setting. But the prongs were a little bit more rounder and thicker. Now the diamond is set so low, the bottom of the diamond is inside a little hole at the top of the ring. In addition, the diamond looks smaller.

I think the diamond doesn''t look as ''shiny'' or sparkle as much as the original setting. I still see sparkles and all, but it looks like I have to look for it now or look at the diamond from the top view directly as opposed to the first setting where I can see the ''shine'' and sparkle from a distance.

I think my diamond has a decent cut based on other people''s comment that I posted here in the past. But here are my specs:
Carat: 1.32
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Cut: Excellent
Depth: 61.2
Table: 53
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.6
Thin Girdle Faceted 2.6%
No cutlet
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very good
Fluorescence: None
Star Lenght: 55%
Crown Height: 16%
Pavilion Depth: 42.5%

I had my diamond appraised by Barry Block who is highly recommended here and for whatever reason, he gave my diamond a triple excellent.

I have yet to bring the diamond and the setting back to him because I just had the diamond re-set in the new setting.

Having said all of this, I am supremely disappointed that the diamond does not shine or sparkle as much as the original setting. I have asked other members of my family to look at the diamond and they agree with me. The best they could say is the diamond is more ''secure'' in the new setting.

If your comment is true, then how come the light return on my diamond doesn''t seem to look as good in the new setting as the original setting. Is there a possibility the diamond is set so low it is losing some of it''s sparkle and ''shine''?

I would love to contribute to this topic. My diamond is not in the category of top cut by any means of the imagination, so no comparisons there. However, I have just changed the setting from a fairly enclosed one to an almost naked

one and it is just dazzling now. I know that the setting is not meant to really hold back a diamond and/ or make it look better than it is.......but my experience is that an open setting does seem to help with making a diamond perform.

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 12/8/2008 9:08:36 AM
Author: Icce
Thanks thats what I thought....I told them there is no way the light goes through the side and reflects out the top....that doesnt make sense with the angel reflection (ideal cut of course we werent taking if someone made up there own angels and cut that way poorly) and the way they are cut ..the light wouldnt go in that deep as they are not glass and bonce straight up.....they thought it goes through the side and and straight out the top.....which made no sense but I thought I would ask just incase my physics teachers were worng back in the day ahahah. Are the tiffany style big V ones high set? I like somthing simple...no extra diamonds added....catheral like or X or Legatto but with some tappering and low....what do you guys suggest?

Hi, I think you probably want something in the middle. We all have different ideas of what too high is or even too low. It sounds like you want it all to be well balanced and in proportion which is the way to go. FWIw, I also dont love a very high setting, but sometimes on here they look worse than irl because of the magnification effect.

My advice from someone who is now an expert in resetting is to try it on your own hand. You would be surprised at how things can look when actually on your hand irl, and also you need to make sure its comfortable too.

Its also a good idea to see if you want to wear another band with the ring and how that will fit into the scheme of things.

 

[Icce]

Well because I can't make up my mind ever....I think my new favorite is this one

Sleek Lines Solitaire Diamond Engagement Ring on WF.

I like the look of the tappering in the picture even though the description doesn't mention it (so will have to ask). My concern is I have seen rings set so high the diamond top was 2.5 cm to 3cm higher than the finger. This looks ok straight on the face but when the person moves there hand to the side the profile veiw looks so odd as the stone and band as so disconnected. However, saything that I also do not like the look of the diamonds set right into a thick band as it makes it looks less femanie to me (this opinon is only for round cut not oval or some sort of east to west style). Now the problem is I want it to perform but I need to protect it to. I like the way some settings are open with just a bit V but will I damage or chip my diamond with these?

Background: I am pretty rough with my hands. I do not go through a week without getting a few cuts or breaking (more tearing) a few nails. It is so bad that back long ago when I went to prom I got these acryllic (and some other stuff becuase my mom told them I really need heavy duty ones) nails which I was guarteed that I would not break. They made it to prom but before the end of the week I had torn 9 of the 10 and some were ripped so high that my real nail tore (no manual labour really just part time cashier and school back then lol). I wear jewelery but never really rings (they just stay locked up),I have a ruby ring which I manage to cut my finger with if I wear it for a few days so I kinda just wear other stuff. Now saying this all I work on construction sites (so probabnly shouldn't wear it to work), I inspect though so I don't do manual labour but still probably shouldn't wear it because the dust etc? Anyways thats my story....my BF always laughs that I look danity and is like you are short (5"3 and 100lbs) but are as graceful as an Ox/Bull...many things break around me lol. So I want performance but is a V not for me? I don't see how a legatto can stop performace but then I read your stories about too... so any suggestions are welcome





sorry for the spellig errors I can't spell check right now and it is my weakest subject