Tips To Engagement Ring Shopping When The Diamond is More Important Than The Setting

Buying an engagement ring is essentially two separate purchases: the diamond and the setting.  Knowing which is most important will help you focus your budget and get the most for your money.  If you decide that the diamond shape, size, and quality are paramount to the look of the setting than this is the article for you!  These tips will help you find a ring that does not distract from your stone, will help you protect your stone, and find a setting that looks fantastic in any stone.

Metal Color

Regardless of what color metal you select for your ring, the head, the part of the ring that holds the diamond, should always be a white metal, such as 18KT white gold or platinum.  This is because the color of both yellow and rose gold will reflect in the diamond.  Why is this a problem, because buying a colorless diamond is important and expensive; setting it into a metal that will add color defeats the purpose of finding a colorless diamond.

Manufacturing

While you can not see the difference in manufacturing method while your shopping, you will over the years to come.  This is because the most common method for jewelry making is 'casting.'  However, while affordable, casting makes for a light weight metal that is easily affected by wear and tear including bumps, bangs, and daily abrasions.  

In contrast, die striking is a unique method of jewelry making that is not commonly found in today's market.  Using this method, molten metal is poured into bars, the bars are rolled thin, compressing the metal.  When the desired thickness is achieved, the metal is struck using force to cut and condense the metal.  After several rounds of die striking the finished product is a dense metal that is not easily damaged by everyday wear.  It is truly heirloom quality.

Setting

The larger the stone, the more surface area to secure.  Therefore, if you buy a larger diamond you may want to look into a six prong setting.  The extra prongs will add support to the center stone and help keep it safe should a prong break.

Solitaire 

The solitaire is perhaps the most iconic engagement ring design. Need proof?  It's so popular that it is the engagement emoji.  This ring is simple, balanced, and keeps the attention focused on the diamond. 

Despite the simple nature of the solitaire, there are subtle differences that can affect the overall look of the ring.  For example, there are simple half round bands, squared bands, and even knife edge bands that draw the eye into the center stone.  There are plain shoulders, pinched shoulders, and even gooseneck shoulders.   Knowing what elements you want in your ring will help you find the perfect setting.

Here are some examples of Jabel die struck solitaires with their subtle differences explained:

This feminine solitaire setting features gooseneck shoulders with a rounded shank. 

This crisp solitaire setting features pinched shoulders and and almost a squared off shank.

This eye catching solitaire features a knife edge shank that widens to gooseneck shoulders.

This understated engagement ring setting has a gently rounded band with straight shoulders.