Accent Diamond Setting Styles
With so many setting styles it can be difficult to know which one to select for a custom design! Our designers are experts at helping you create the perfect blend of setting styles to bring your ring together.
At Green Lake, we create each of our diamond settings by hand. One of the benefits of hand-crafted settings is that a graver blade cuts a clean finish for the stone to be seated. Diamonds appear even sparklier and shinier because they are set upon this mirror finish. For mass-produced jewelry, this is not the case. Settings are cast openings and the most finishing they receive is when they are placed in a tumbler (akin to a rock polisher) for finishing. It’s impossible to create a polished shine on such a small detail with such tools.
If you’re only seeing digital renderings from a company, that’s often an indication of not wanting to show jewelry up close and the quality of their setting. We love sharing close-up photos, so you can see the quality of our work in great detail! Let’s explore these hand-crafted setting styles.
Bead Setting
With bead setting, a seat is drilled for each accent gem and tiny beads of metal are formed to secure the stone at typically four points. This beading of the metal created a sparkly appearance and is often a great accompaniment to the beaded look of milgrain finishes.
Bezel Setting
If you’re looking for a way to protect a more fragile gemstone in your ring, one of the safest settings to choose is bezel setting because the girdle is encircled in metal and protected from damage. Bezel settings look wonderful in both traditional ring styles as well as more flowing designs. (Be sure to look below to see some settings mixed and matched with bezels!)
Channel Setting
If you’re looking to avoid prongs, channel setting is a wonderful option to highlight linear forms in jewelry. Because channel setting doesn’t have metal separating each gemstone you can highlight the geometry of a halo or create a striping effect in a wedding band.
Custom Setting
These unique settings are inspired by traditional settings, but with added artistic flourish make them incredible works of art. Blending an engraving into a setting, or a leaf motif, or even a fine wave, add a unique pattern to each ring design.
Fishtail Setting
Fishtail setting is known for its signature scalloped profile that at the top is split to create the prongs to secure each diamond. This ‘split’ is what gives this setting its signature fishtail name! We love fishtail settings for delicate halos. (And even as a namely detail in an ocean-inspired ring.)
Flush Setting
Flush setting is wonderful for highlighting the geometry of an accent gem or for creating a scattering sparkle effect upon the surface. For a modern design, flush setting is a natural choice.
French Setting
French setting is well known for it’s signature geometric cuts. When you look at a profile view of the setting you will see a precise zig-zag of metal created to form the seat for the accent stones. Clients like french setting because it removes metal from around the stone creating a light and airy appearance. Since we craft our settings by hand, those angular cuts have a mirror finish to add to the brightness and sparkle of each accent diamond.
Mixed Setting
This is where the true talents of Green Lake artists and designers come into play… Mixing combinations of settings create truly unique works of art and allow all the details of the design to flow together. Why have one style of setting when you can combine settings for an incredible one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry? For example you could mixing a french set halo with tension set diamonds to accent the shoulders of the ring instead of using the same setting style throughout. Often our designers will find new ways to help the design flow together by setting half an accent stone with one style, and the other half in another!
Pavée Setting
To create a full sparkling surface of gemstones, pavée setting is the ticket. Stones may be aligned in neat rows, arranged slightly offset from each other to fill gaps even further, or positioned with graduating sizes in more organic configurations. Our designers will help you find the perfect pavée for your dream ring.
Shared-Prong Setting
Using one prong to secure two gems is a very popular look. From the side view there are many unique trellis patterns and configurations to arrange shared prong settings. Chosen for their more minimal appearance, shared prongs are often preferred for halos or an anniversary bands with larger accent gems though the setting style can be scaled to smaller sizer accent stones too.
