Why do shared prong settings seem more expensive than channel?

[dogmama]

I recently bought my eternity wedding band and after lots of researching and price comparison, I felt as if the pricing for channel set vs. shared prong was dramatically different. It seemed that shared prong was more expensive despite similar or same carat weight.

It got me wondering: why does it seem like there is such a high price difference between the settings despite the same carat weight? Is one more labor intensive? Or is it more of a aesthetic mark up given that shared prongs are extremely popular? Or am I imagining this?

 

[dbsdiamonds]

Based off weight and design, if the overall weight of the shared prong setting isn''t much heavier then the pricing should be comparable.


Marty
CEO/Pres
DBS Diamonds

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Must have been a difference in the quality of the diamonds or some other quality issue. I have never perceived that shared prong was higher than channel set if the diamonds are the same size and weight.

 

[solange]

I believe that in a shared prong setting each stone has to be individually set whereas in a channel setting the stones are not individually set. They are just placed in the channel. The shared prong probably requires more labor and more metal.