Today we’re looking at diamond set bands! For either wedding/eternity bands or your engagement ring, here are 3 things to consider when deciding on your piece.
Where to stop?
Now normally we are all in favour of more diamonds, but this is one case where slightly less is better than more. There are a few reasons why we don’t recommend have a diamond band with diamonds all the way around:
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- Resizing – it is almost impossible to resize a band with diamonds all the way around. Even if the ring is a perfect fit to begin with, our fingers can change size over time with age and injury. Even with just a small gap between where the diamonds start/stop, it will allow for the need for small adjustments down the track.
- Wear & Tear – the under side of your hand is where your ring takes the most battering. From opening doors or lifting heavy objects, we give this part of our rings a good work out. Due to this, there is the increased risk of wearing down claws and loosening stones over time.
- Pricing – simply put, the more diamonds you have the more expensive the ring will be. You can only see the diamonds on the top half of the ring so any more than that, you are paying for something you won’t really see. If you want to be sure you can only ever see diamonds from the top perspective, 2/3 or 3/4 the way around is the maximum we would recommend.
Width of the band?
In recent times we have had more enquiries for super fine, dainty diamond set bands. While we can make smaller if requested, we have a recommendation of no thinner than 1.8 mm for a diamond band. Anything thinner than this may not hold up over the years and you could end up back at the jewellers with a misshapen band and the potential of causing diamonds to loosen. This is particularly the case for pave set bands where you are drilling holes into the band making it more vulnerable to losing shape. The alternative to width is having a little more height to the band – so from the top view looking down the band is still quite fine, but it is just a fraction higher off the finger. This gives the ring just that little bit of added strength.
Style of setting
While claw or prong set is the most popular diamond set bands we are currently making, there are many options to choose from and the good news is, this one comes down purely to personal preferences. Some of the options we see are as follows:
Claw/prong set – The diamonds are held in place by either sperate or shared claw settings.
Bead/pave set – this is where beads of metal are raised with a tool and fashioned over the girdle to hold the stones in place.
Channel Set – when diamonds are set side by side in a channel or groove where the sides of the channel secure the stones in place.
Bar Set – the diamonds are held in place with small bars of metal on either side.
To make a booking to discuss your diamond set band, get in touch today.
