The Different Types of Settings For Your Diamond Ring

Different jewelers specialize in different settings, It takes a sharp eye and attention to detail as well as patience to be a setter. Here are the different types of settings and their benefits.

Prong Set: The most commonly used setting style where gold tips are placed around a stone and bent toward it to hold it in place. Prongs should be in a size according to the size of stone. The larger the stone, the taller and thicker in width the prongs should be. The smaller tinier stones used to accent a piece can also be set in prongs, these usually can hold with two prongs facing each other. Consider the famous Tiffany Set, which is a diamond set with six prongs around. Of course the more prongs you place around a stone the safer, however, prong set rings should be checked every now and then to make sure they're not worn out. We've saved customers from being very close to loosing their big carat diamond because they had neglected to fix worn out prongs or prongs that had been pulled away from the stone. So it's very important to have your rings schedueled for an inspection every three months, depending also how often you wear a particular ring.

Chanel Set: often found in bands, eternity bands, bracelets, engagement rings. In this type of setting, a channel is carved into the metal surface, creating two walls each side of the row of diamonds. The top of the walls are flush with the top of the diamonds. The channel is slightly smaller than the diamond size and therefore a cut is required on each side of walls to tuck the diamonds in and this is how they are held in place.

Bezel Set: The stone is held by a wall risen around the diamond and the top of the wall is hammered to slightly cover the stone and hold it in place. You can also find half bezel setting which is the same technique except the wall doesn't go all around but rather created half circles each side of stone. This way you see more of the diamond.

Tension Set: This setting is the least safe however it is the type that showcases the stone the most. Two walls with a space between that is smaller than the stone, hold the stone in place with pressure that is created. The stone in a tension set has no other support, no under bezel or surface. Often seen in man's rings.

Pave setting: Pave style is when a cluster of diamonds invade the surface of a ring, all you see is a multitude of diamonds shining. Hole cuts are made where diamonds go and special tools carve prongs out of the surface of the metal to hold the stones in place. Occasionally the carved out prongs will wear off and a stone will fall, smaller stones are less expensive to replace. In general, you should take care not to wear your rings when washing dishes, showering, at the beach or gardening; this way you will reduce the chances of wearing off the settings too fast. They will eventually weaken and need inspection.

They might just require a little tightening, so don't put off a visit to your jeweler.

Natalie C. Hunkiar
Owners of Jewels Quest,fine jewelry
http://www.shopjq.com

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How Custom Celtic Engagement Rings Are Made

Custom Celtic engagement rings have an impact that many mass market rings lack. Many Celtic rings have to be personalized to the eventual ring wearer's size, taste and style. Other Celtic design elements may be chosen and a unique Celtic ring can incorporate a variety of enduring, yet popular designs such as Celtic trinity knots, spirals, and the Claddagh design.

The most common design element used for Celtic engagement rings are Celtic knots and it has become an important characteristic in many Celtic engagement ring designs. While there is little documentation on the intended meaning of the mysterious looping Celtic knots, the popular belief is that it brings eternity and interconnectedness to its wearer. This lack of documented history of the Celtic knot design in these incredible pieces of art only adds to the mystery and increasing appeal

The manufacture of a Celtic ring is a time consuming and delicate process. Each step is overseen by a Celtic jewelry specialist. There a four main stages to the creation of a custom Celtic engagement ring:

1. Ring Design: Established Celtic jewelers have in house jewelry designers who work on improving and creating new designs using inspiration drawn from old Celtic manuscripts. The process of designing a Celtic ring is an important step because proper planning and design ensures that the final ring comes out perfect and pleasing to the eye. Several considerations prior to integrating the ever popular Celtic knot design into a Celtic engagement ring are symmetry, diamond cut, and engagement band size. The final design is then the blueprint to create a ring cast.

2. Ring Assembly: Ring castings are assembled by the Celtic jewelry goldsmith. The three parts to assemble for the Celtic ring are the shank, the center mount, and the trinity shoulders. After securing the shank, each piece is carefully soldered onto the shank starting with the center mount. Soldering creates a discoloration in the metal and dipping the ring into a picking compound to cleans it off.

3. Setting the Diamond: The diamond is measured to ensure that the mount fits the diamond perfectly. A careful visual inspection by the jeweler of the diamond position is made to guarantee it is in perfect position. Next, the claws are pushed into place. In order to maintain a level position for the diamond set in the center mount, each claw is slowly pushed down individually. Each prong must then be filed down to ensure no gap exists between the ring and the diamond. Each prong is then rounded off.

4. Polishing: At this point, the gold still doesn't shine like those found in jewelry stores. Polishing is an important step to bring out the beauty and brilliance of the Celtic engagement ring. First, a mechanical polisher with a narrow bristle is used to refine the head of the Celtic ring. Second, a polishing buff is used to remove any rough spots found along the shank of the ring as well as smooth out the ring's head. Third, a firm felt is used to smooth out and flatten the sides of the ring. Lastly, a Rouge is used to bring out the true gleam of the precious metal.

While the Celtic engagement ring manufacturing process seemingly incorporates a few major stages, the jewelry lover must keep in mind that each step requires the skillful hands of a Celtic jewelry craftsman to bring out the glorious Celtic engagement ring. The care and attention to detail in each step ultimately brings out the beauty of these incredible objects d'art.

By Tim O'Malley for Shanore.com. Why settle for just any engagement ring when Celtic engagement rings carry the intrinsic meaning in its designs like no other? They have a wide assortment of Celtic wedding rings too. Customize your Celtic rings or choose from their catalog of popular ring designs on their website Shanore.com.

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Wedding Jewelry Options For Men

If the watchword for women's jewelry is 'glamor', the keyword for men's jewelry has to be 'understated elegance'. Though with the equalization of the sexes, flashy stuff for men also is in, weddings are one such event where elegance still rules over flashy designs. So, most of the options in wedding jewelry have to be elegant, and sophisticated at the same time. Here are some of the top options in the category.

Men's diamond bands
Some of the most popular options for wedding jewelry for men are the men's diamond band collection. Since rings don't augment well on men's fingers, the next best alternative is a band. There are two major kinds of bands - diamond bands and the standard wedding bands (which we will talk about later).
In the diamond bands category, some of the most popular options are the ones in white. In some countries like India and the Middle East, yellow gold is more popular as a jewelry metal, but here in the United States, it is the white metals that are the ones to go with - especially for men. Unlike with women's rings, diamond studded rings do not mean rings that are studded with diamonds all around. The most popular designs in mens wedding collections are the ones with a single studded stone in the middle of the ring. There are some awesome options that you can find online, and they look so good - you are certain of having a very tough time choosing the one which is perfect for you!
You can choose from options like 14K white gold, 18K white gold, 14K yellow gold, 18K yellow gold, and Platinum. When we visited our local popular jewelry mall, we could not find a decent buy for under $800. However, online there are options starting from half that amount, and they look much better too! With the huge choice that an online jewelry store gives us at that price, why would people go to their local jewelers any more?

Men's Solid wedding bands
These are the standard fare at weddings around the world. For a lot of families, diamonds are not a part of their wedding culture, and they prefer the age old tradition of exchanging solid wedding bands. For these, the most beloved options are the plain bands in gold and in platinum. However, with the modern times, the metals also are undergoing a change, and with the advent of Benchmark, and its gaining tremendous popularity all over the country, customers now have access to rare metals like Titanium to make their wedding bands. Will you believe it if we tell you that these rings are available from as little as $110!!

In solid gold wedding bands, yellow gold still is a popular metal, especially when it comes in a designer package - like with milgrain and spiral bands. Since wedding bands are usually bought in the form of a matching set, it makes a lot of sense for you to look up designs that will match both the man and the lady. And if you are looking to buy something for the couple, consider getting a wedding band that will fit right into the ring that they sport on their fingers. The look is one of sophistication and elegance.
Another option that you can consider if the person you are buying for is into jewelry, is that of three stone rings. Quite a lot of men nowadays are comfortable sporting diamonds on their fingers, and three stone wedding rings are quite the rage there.

All through this article, we've been talking of online jewelry stores, simply because the choice and the prices there are unthinkable at your local jewelry stores. Check them out, and you will agree too.

Mel Larson is a professional writer who loves to write about diamond rings, diamond engagement rings, diamond wedding rings and the like that were published on blogs, journals and several magazines. She holds a degree in Journalism and has been in this field for about 3 years.

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