A Brief Guide to Engagement Ring Settings

When you're shopping for an engagement ring there are a lot of different things to consider. The size, shape and color of the gemstone, the metal that the band itself will be made of whether it's gold, white gold, platinum etc. and also the setting. A lot of people focus on the stone but the setting is also very important so we wanted to provide this brief guide to engagement ring settings to help you understand what some of your options are.

Prong Settings

One of the most popular styles of engagement rings is the solitaire and the most common type of setting for a solitaire ring is a prong setting. With this type of setting the girdle of the diamond fits into the grooves of a metal basket and is held in place by prongs, generally somewhere between three and six prongs are used to hold the stone in its setting.

Bar Ring Setting

The bar Ring setting is a slight variation of the prong setting. This type of mount uses horizontal bars to hold the stone in place. A lot of people feel that a bar setting provides a very elegant look because of the way it highlights the stone as well as the exposed metal around it.

Bezel Settings

A bezel setting uses a band of metal that either fully in circles or partially surrounds the girdle of the stone to hold it in place. This is a very secure type of setting and is popular with people that are very active, people that might risk losing their stone with some other type of setting.

Channel Settings

With this type of mount the stones are suspended in a channel with no metal between each stone. This type of mount is usually used with square cut stones and it offers a very smooth surface and also protects the girdles of the stones.

Flush Setting

With this type of ring mount the stones sit in a tapered hole and the surrounding metal is pressed around the rim of the stone. This type of setting offers a very smooth look but takes a skilled jeweler to secure the stone properly.

Tension Setting

This is one of the most common engagement ring settings using two metal rings to hold the stone in place. With this type of setting the stone may look like it is actually suspended in air and it offers a very contemporary look.

Cathedral Setting

This type of mount holds the stone in place between bands that are extending from either side. This type of mount serves to both protect and showcase the stone.

Pave Setting

This type of setting offers a very antique look covering the entire surface of the ring with gems. Each stone is set into a tiny depression in the ring or is secured with very thin prongs.

Above is a brief description of some of the most common engagement ring settings. When shopping for an engagement ring it helps to know your girlfriend's tastes and style and hopefully these descriptions will help get you pointed in the right direction.

For a list of the best online engagement ring retailers click here.