Engagement Ring – Design and Practicality

The practicality of the engagement ring’s design is often overlooked since the attention of the purchaser is occupied by the desire to impress as well as the effort to break the riddle of diamond quality versus cost into manageable bits.



The ideal engagement ring setting should provide aesthetic satisfaction, comfortable wear and easy maintenance. The order of importance of these three elements is vastly dependent by one’s personality and life style.



Women with active lifestyle for example prefer minimalistic engagement ring designs with less detail and low set stone. They are favouring study settings with rounded edges. The tension set diamond engagement ring is a good example for such type of setting. The very popular 4 prong solitaire engagement ring on the other hand is not the best choice for active, sporty lifestyle.



Although simple in appearance this type of setting is often too high, too delicate, hooks on clothing and sometime even on hair. An experienced designer should be able to advise the customer on such unforeseen shortcomings and offer viable alternatives. What should the engagement ring buyer know about engagement ring designs in general? While the appearance is something that the customer is usually capable of assessing on their own, some advice on comfort wear and easy maintenance might come handy. The height, that is, the distance between the finger and the highest point of the ring is important for the balance and wearability of the design.



The height of the diamond ring is mostly determined by the size of the centre stone and if not sufficient, results in the pointy pavilion (bottom part of a faceted gemstone) poking the finger. Disproportionally high engagement ring designs are very common on the market. They are not necessarily result of designer’s lack of knowledge. Often the height is a necessary prerequisite for side detail or elaborate gallery.



Whatever the reason, high designs are not very comfortable and must be approached with caution when intended for an engagement rings. Small detail like engraving and mille grain edging give lovely antique look to an engagement ring design but when worn down they turn to nothing more than deep scratches and uneven edges. Deep metal carving is longer lasting but it tends to accumulate grease and dirt.



In a nutshell: Uncomplicated sturdy solid engagement ring designs are a proven winner in practicality. Texture finishes like matt and brushed, are in fact easier to damage and more difficult to refresh than a polished surface. Tube (bezel) and channel setting are smoother and does not hook on clothing as opposed to prong and pave setting. If you like small details on your Wedding rings choose platinum or palladium as they wear off in much slower rate than gold.