Buying a ring is a much more complicated chore than it might sound, and matters are even more serious when the ring is meant for a special occasion. Naturally, you want everything to be perfect.
A common rookie mistake is to focus all the attention on the stone and neglect the setting. The ring setting not only influences the style and charm of the ring, but also determines how secure the stone is. However, with so many options available, choosing the best setting for you can be overwhelming.
If you relate to this problem, you are at the right place. This article contains all the information that you need to know about the three popular ring settings; open basket, U-prong setting and trellis, and will help you in making the wise decision.
Open Basket
Open basket is one of the most popular ring settings for many years now. It is a modified version of the traditional prong setting.
The open basket consists of the usual four vertical prongs extending from the band to surround the stone. In addition, there are horizontal bars of metal between the prongs on all four sides. Here’s what I’m talking about:
These horizontal bars have the advantage of providing unmatched safety and security to the stone. Not only do they prevent the stone from falling out, but also protect the girdle of the diamond from getting damaged if the ring falls down or hits something.
Additionally, the horizontal shanks provide more room for embellishments such as tiny stones, or intricate patterns such as milgrain. This can make the ring exceptionally stunning, sparkly and unique, such as this Blue Nile diamond basket ring.
Open basket setting is a bit low profile and the diamond sits close to the finger. This can be a plus if you plan on wearing the ring on an everyday basis, as low set stones are less likely to get stuck or bumped into things.
However, if you wish for your ring and stone to stand out, this might not be the best idea for you.
While open basket setting has a multitude of benefits, the extra metal bars have some downsides as well. Since the bars cover the pavilion of the diamond, it hinders light reflection to some degree and relatively lowers the brilliance of the diamond.
Nonetheless, this concern can be addressed by opting for thinner bars, or by adding extra tiny diamonds on them to make up for the sparkle.
The extra metal also means that there are additional places for the dirt and debris to get stuck, which makes the cleaning and maintenance of these rings relatively challenging.
U-Prong Setting
The U-prong setting is a modern ring setting that is getting popular with time. It consists of a semicircular, u-shaped metal base for the stone to sit in, instead of the usual sharp prongs. Here’s what I’m talking about:
The major plus point of the U-prong setting is that it allows maximum part of the stone to be showcased. The metal part of this setting remains low, and does not reach the table of the stone.
Most of the sides of the stone are also visible, which results in increased brilliance and dazzle.
Moreover, U-prong setting allows multiple stones to be added to the ring in a harmonious manner. This can be demonstrated by this James Allen ring, which contains 20 diamonds sitting in a U-prong setting.
The U-prong setting is compatible with most cuts and shapes of the stones, including round, princess and cushion cuts. However, it is important to note that it is not recommended for complex cuts like heart and pear.
Another feature of the U-prong ring setting is that the stone sits low, close to the finger. This, together with the low set, less pointed ends of the prongs prevent the ring from catching on to or bumping into things.
A major downside of the U-prong setting is that the stone is too exposed and less secure. Since the metal covers only the bottom part of it, the rest of the stone is prone to damage and direct blows.
In addition, the prongs can break or loosen and are difficult to fix. This can also result in the stone falling out, which is a serious concern especially if you plan on wearing the ring frequently.
Trellis
If you want a unique setting that will stand out among the rest, Trellis might be your best bet. It is an elegant and sophisticated ring setting with interwoven prongs that cross over one another to form a complex, x-shaped pattern. Here’s what it looks like on the hand:
Trellis gains most of its popularity due to its distinctive style which appeals to people who want their ring to be different.
Although it appears the same from the top, the intricate patterns formed by the overlapping prongs grab the viewer’s attention from the side. Here is a classic example of a ring in trellis setting from James Allen.
If you want to go one step further ahead, trellis allows for added embellishments in the form of tiny stones and milgrain on its prongs and the shank.
Another major plus of trellis is that you can add multiple stones in the setting. The prongs can be extended further on each side to make room for more stones that can sit prominently and securely.
Although trellis has a plethora of pros, it is important to remember that it has a few downsides as well. The intervening prongs, if broken, can immediately lead to the stones falling out.
The stone is high profile, which makes it more likely to get caught onto things or get hit. Moreover, the complex pattern of these accounts for a lot of tiny spots that collect dirt and make the cleaning of the ring difficult.
Trellis is a relatively new addition to the world of ring settings, so it is not surprising that only limited options of stone cuts, shapes and metals are available in it.
Thus, it might be hard for you to find a ring with a trellis setting to your liking. Furthermore, some people do not like the unorthodox X-shaped prongs.
Conclusion- Which One Should You Get?
After a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of all three settings discussed above, it is not hard to infer that an open basket is the safest and hence, the wiser choice.
Open basket setting not only makes the stone prominent and secure, but also allows you to get creative with the embellishments. Furthermore, you get a wider range of options to choose from.
If you’re interested, I recommend getting your ring from James Allen, as they have a lot of other cool settigns besides these three. You can simply click here to view their entire collection.
The final decision, nonetheless, depends on the buyer’s personal preference and choice.
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