How fragile are settings?

[Carats]

I was wondering how fragile and breakable settings with micropave or small diamonds in the band are? Everywhere I go, people make it seem like these rings are so fragile and that the diamonds will break or the setting will get damaged (given my lifestyle as a student) and i was wondering what everyones experience is with this. I really dont want a plain band but everyone seems to think that this is the best option. Any suggestions on what settings are most durable but not boring?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

At the moment I have a plain solitaire e-ring and a diamond shared-prong wedding band. That is a durable combination. I have heard that some girls have lost little stones in pave settings, and those may be a little less durable for wearing all the time. But plenty of people here have them. You just have to remove them when you''re doing things that might damage the rings.

 

[Carats]

What are some things that people do to damage a ring? Also do settings with small (but not pave) diamonds have the same degree of fragility?

Also, I was told to stay away from a 4 prong setting but most of what I have seen is 4 pronged.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think you''ll find both 4 and 6 prong proponents. I''ve had both and wouldn''t hesitate to get another 4 prong.

It is generally not recommended to do things like working out, playing sports, doing yard work, etc. with diamonds on. Pave rings shouldn''t be cleaned in an ultrasonic. I think you just need to get good quality and be careful, and you should be okay.

 

[BigDiamonds]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can minimize a lot of risk by thinking a bit about the design. For example, having pave only 3/4 of the way around the shank will save a lot of wear and tear on the palm side, and choosing a low-profile head will save some banging on your stone.

All that said, get what you want and GET INSURANCE!!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I''m having some bead set melee in my ring and I plan to wear it all the time - if something happens then I''ll get it fixed, but I''ve made it clear to my designer that durability is #1 so I''ve taken some steps to ensure that like having 8 prongs instead of 4 or 6 and having big prongs as well... 1mm instead of like .8 or .6. Its practically a cage around the center diamond both to protect the stone and to have sturdier prongs. and as for the melee, my shank is going to be pretty wide so I don''t need to worry about it twisting or bending as a way to loosen melee.

I really plan to only take the rings off for things like making meatloaf or kneeding bread. And dunking them in the US

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/11/2007 9:00:37 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I think you''ll find both 4 and 6 prong proponents. I''ve had both and wouldn''t hesitate to get another 4 prong.

It is generally not recommended to do things like working out, playing sports, doing yard work, etc. with diamonds on. Pave rings shouldn''t be cleaned in an ultrasonic. I think you just need to get good quality and be careful, and you should be okay.

are you guys talking true pave or beadset?

I''ve also made it clear to my jeweler that my ring will be in the US a few times a week, I *think* she''s doing shared bead like shared prong so each stone has 4 beads... and she''ll probably make the beads a little bigger than she might otherwise because she knows how important it is to me to have a "diamond cage" LOL

 

[Sundial]

My three stone ring has a narrow shank with three sided bead set micropave. I have worn it for two years now with no problems. I do exercise common sense and don''t wear my ring to lift weights or do home improvements projects or things of that nature, but it has not proven to be particularly fragile. I have also cleaned it in the ultrasonic cleaner every week with no lost stones. I think it is important to choose a high quality setting and use reasonable care when wearing it.

 

[neatfreak]

I think there needs to be a distinction made between pave in GENERAL and GOOD QUALITY pave.

Pave in general can be frail, because the diamonds often aren''t set well. You really need to be careful with many pave settings on the market because they are just bad quality.

GOOD pave on the other hand is pretty sturdy, and you can put it in the ultrasonic. I wouldn''t do it everyday, but it''s not going to shake loose anything that isn''t already loose if that makes sense. Does that mean that you won''t occasionally lose diamonds? No. But good quality pave can go a LONG LONG way towards making sure your ring is durable.

If you''re a normal person, pave shouldn''t be a big issue. I WOULD take your rings off to lift weights, garden, cook, rock climb, etc. but I would do this no matter what type of ring I had.