how secure will the diamond be?

[kai84]

hi all

just a quick question - how secure will a 2 carat diamond be in a 4 claw 18k white gold setting? no halo, no basket ..

platinum claws could be an option but just wanted your views

thanks!

 

[chrono]

It all depends on the quality of the workmanship (thickness, alloy, prongs, etc). If up to par (the usual accepted standards where it isn't shoddily done and overly thin), your diamond will be fine. I had mine set temporarily in a 4 prong 14k white gold Stuller setting and wore it for years before deciding on the final setting and did not experience any issues.

 

[bcavitt]

Also depends how hard you are on the setting. White gold is better than platinum for prongs, especially for rings.

 

[hawk25]

Also depends how hard you are on the setting. White gold is better than platinum for prongs, especially for rings.

I thought it was the opposite. Platinum will bend with a force of impact, while white gold is more prone to breaking off leaving your diamond to fall out. Platinum prongs are a common recommendation. Since you're a trade member, can you explain why you think white gold's better?

 

[AprilBaby]

My prongs have been in 14 kt yellow gold for years and I have never had any problems.

 

[bcavitt]

Also depends how hard you are on the setting. White gold is better than platinum for prongs, especially for rings.

I thought it was the opposite. Platinum will bend with a force of impact, while white gold is more prone to breaking off leaving your diamond to fall out. Platinum prongs are a common recommendation. Since you're a trade member, can you explain why you think white gold's better?

Our experience has been that platinum prongs, because they bend, have more problems with stones become loose as opposed to breaking. Inevitably our customers who have platinum prongs have to have their stones tightened approximately twice a year because they are like licorice holding the stones in place. While gold will break easier than platinum, the number of broken prongs we repair (as opposed to those that wear down over time) is far less than the number of rings that we have to tighten stones because of the platinum prongs.

 

[chrono]

Inevitably our customers who have platinum prongs have to have their stones tightened approximately twice a year because they are like licorice holding the stones in place.

What are these women doing with their rings on that requires prong tightening twice a year? I have rings with both gold and platinum prongs and have only tightened the prongs of a white gold setting once.

 

[ChedWick]

That's very a very interesting experience bcavitt. However many sources say otherwise. Many search results actually point here to numerous high profile members preferring platinum over gold or white gold for the prongs. I'd be interested to see their take on your explanation.

 

[bcavitt]

Chrono - their take is everyday wear and tear. We feel like the doctor who is told by the patient "it hurts when I do this" and the doctor says "don't do that then". The majority of the people who we see with stone tightenings are either professionals or wives of professionals.

Chedwick - I would think that your "high profile" Pricescopers probably take better care of their jewelry than the ladies who come here needing stone tightenings because of their platinum prongs. Just because our experiences are different than others doesn't change our opinion of platinum prongs. We aren't going to change the heads on our stock rings just for that reason but we will warn our customer of our experiences. On the same note, we recommend to these ladies that if they change their heads to white gold, they will probably be in less.

 

[kai84]

Thanks for the replies. I guess as long as I am not being too rough I'd be okay with the white gold setting!