You have two elements to consider when shopping for an engagement ring: your center diamond and your ring setting. While your center diamond is the star of your engagement ring, your setting is equally important.
An engagement ring setting encompasses every part of the ring except its center stone. It’s what your center diamond is set into, but it does far more than just hold your stone securely in place. Your ring setting defines the style of your engagement ring. When chosen carefully, your setting can also enhance the shimmer and beauty of your center diamond.
There are thousands of engagement ring setting designs for you to pick from, all of which can feature different design details and overall styles. With so many options, searching for your ideal setting can feel overwhelming. However, we’re here to be your guide and help you find the right setting with ease.
While there are countless individual ring settings on the market, there are only a handful of engagement ring setting styles. Almost every ring setting will fall into one of the following style categories: solitaire, pavé band, channel set band, three stone, halo, split shank, or tension. Once you understand these style categories and narrow in on the ones that interest you most, shopping for an engagement ring setting will become much easier. To help you do just that, we’re taking a closer look at these seven popular engagement ring setting styles.
Classic Style Solitaire Engagement Ring in White Gold, Pictured With 1.50 Carat Round Cut Diamond
Solitaire engagement rings are the most classic engagement ring style. This type of ring features only one stone, hence the name “solitaire.” The minimalist design of a solitaire engagement ring allows the beauty of your center stone to take full focus and truly shine.
While solitaire engagement rings are inherently simple, there’s still plenty of variety within this category. Solitaires can feature different center stone settings, also called mountings. Typically, they’ll either have a prong setting, which holds your gemstone in place with claw-like metal prongs, or a bezel setting, which holds your gemstone in place with a solid ring of metal. These mountings can feature unique design elements, as can a solitaire’s band. There are solitaire rings with four prong settings, six-prong settings, full bezel settings, partial bezels, raised cathedral settings, engraved bands, twisted bands, curved bands, and so on.
Vintage Style Engraved Diamond Halo Engagement Ring, Pictured With 1.50 Carat Round Cut Diamond
The pavé engagement ring setting is defined by its band, which features small diamonds that rest in pavé settings. Pavé settings are petite mini prong settings that hold small stones closely together to create a seamless look. This makes a pavé diamond band look like it has been paved in diamonds, which is how the setting got its name. The word “pavé” is French for “paved.”
Pavé engagement rings can feature a partial pavé band, which is partially covered in pavé set diamonds, or a full pavé band, which features pavé diamonds along the entire band. Pavé settings may also sometimes be used for gemstones other than diamonds. However, because pavé settings don’t offer much protection, they’re generally only used for the most durable gemstones. This includes diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.
Pavé diamond ring settings are a very popular choice for engagement rings. This setting style is loved for its extra sparkle and its value. A band that’s covered in smaller diamonds costs far less than a band that features diamond side stones with higher carat weights, but each of these diamond bands will provide beautiful brilliance.
Modern Style Invisible Diamond Wedding Set, Pictured With 1 Carat Round Diamond
The hallmark feature of a channel set engagement ring is its band, which features gemstones in a channel setting. A channel setting holds gemstones in place within a channel of metal. This channel is recessed inside the band, creating a flush setting.
Like a pavé band, a channel set band adds beautiful brilliance to an engagement ring or wedding band. However, pavé settings and channel settings differ in style. Channel set diamond bands look more sleek and modern compared to pavé diamond bands. Because they’re recessed within your band, channel settings are also more protective and less likely to snag clothing compared to pavé settings. This makes channel settings a better fit for those with a more active lifestyle.
Classic Style 3-Stone Diamond Engagement Ring, Pictured With 1.50 Carat Center Round Cut Diamond
Three-stone diamond engagement rings feature three center diamonds, which may or may not be accented by smaller diamonds on the ring’s band. These three center stones are meant to represent your past, present, and future together as a couple, making this a particularly romantic engagement ring style.
Three stone engagement rings usually feature three diamonds of the same shape, but some designs feature a mix of diamond shapes. For example, a center oval cut diamond could be flanked by two round diamonds, or a center marquise cut diamond may be nestled in between two pear-shaped diamonds. The combination of diamond shapes used in a three-stone ring can dramatically change its style. A three-stone ring that features three round diamonds will look much more traditional than one that features a mixture of fancy shapes.
Modern Style Diamond Halo Engagement Ring, Pictured With 1 Carat Oval Cut Diamond
Halo engagement rings feature halo settings, which enclose your center stone in a halo of smaller stones. These smaller gemstones or diamonds create an optical illusion, making your center stone look larger than it actually is. This gives a halo ring a wonderfully glamorous look.
A classic halo ring design will feature one halo setting that echoes the shape of your center stone. But there are also double halo settings, triple halo settings, floral-inspired halo settings, and halo settings that feature different shapes from their enclosed center stones.
Modern Style Engraved Split Shank Diamond Engagement Ring, Pictured With 1 Carat Round Cut Diamond
A split shank engagement ring setting features a split band. Note that “shank” is simply a jeweler’s term for an engagement ring’s band. Typically, a split shank band will split into two-pronged bands that widen to meet the ring’s center stone. However, a split shank band can split anywhere and feature any number of splits.
This modern, elegant engagement ring setting style can have any number of design details. A split shank ring can have any type of mounting, including a halo setting, and may feature band accents like side stones or engraving. As long as a ring setting has a split band, it falls into the sophisticated split shank category.
Solitaire Tension Ring in Platinum, Pictured With 5.5 Carat Green Amethyst
A tension setting holds your center gemstone in place using compression. This creates the illusion that your center stone is floating within your metal band. A tension setting has a striking modern look that makes it ideal for someone with a more avante garde sense of style.
Tension settings tend to be wider than most engagement ring settings, especially when they’re made from yellow gold, rose gold, or white gold. Gold is a durable metal, but it's a bit softer than some other metals used in jewelry. Because of this, a gold tension setting is more secure and stable when it’s larger. Tension settings that use certain alternative metals, such as titanium, may use less metal depending on the metal’s properties.
If you’ve decided that a tension-style ring is right for you, here is an important piece of advice: make sure you have the right ring size before you order a tension-set ring. Resizing this type of setting is sometimes impossible, so it’s best to double-check that you have the right size before you order a tension set engagement ring.
Ready to find your perfect ring setting? Browse our full selection of engagement ring settings.
