Claw Setting

The claw setting or clasp setting is perhaps the most traditional and frequently used of settings. Having said that, by varying the shape, number and orientation of the claws, a more contemporary feel can be created to update a traditional look.

The most frequently used number of claws is 4 or 6 claws but 8 is also a possibility and even 3, 5, 7 or more! Basically, the rule is, the more claws the safer the setting.

Here’s a list of the most usual types of settings. Although, as your engagement ring will be bespoke we can rework the style. What could be considered to be a straight forward setting can become something unique for you.

4 Claw Exposed Style

This style is perhaps the most traditional and frequently used. There is no ‘gallery’ and the diamond or gemstone can sit lower onto the shank as compared with the gallery style.

6 Claw Exposed Style

This is a variation of the more commonly used 4 claw set engagement ring design. There is no ‘gallery’ and the diamond or gemstone can sit lower onto the shank as compared with the galleried version.

4 Claw 45 Degree Exposed Style

For a little more unusual look, why not twist the setting by 45 degrees? With this style, the stone can sit quite low in the setting. As well as that, it has the added advantage of the stone being very visible from the side.

4 Claw Double Gallery Style

For a more prominently featured stone in your design, the double gallery style is an ideal choice. The diamond or gemstone sits in a cradle away from the shank.

6 Claw Double Gallery Style

This is a variation on the 4 claw double gallery set engagement ring style. The addition of 2 extra claws adds more strength to the setting, which is a good thing. Much like the 4 claw setting, the stone sits high relative to the shank. The orientation of the 6 claws can also be the other way around.

There are of course many more styles and variations of the claw or clasp setting for your engagement ring – more claws, different sizes and shapes of claw. We can design a unique engagement ring for you with your own special variation of the claw setting. This could be traditional in style or more contemporary – whichever suits you.

All Around Setting

Generally considered to be a more modern setting, the all around setting produces a neat, clean appearance. Contrary to beliefs, however, it’s not in fact modern but the first type of setting ever used. It dates back to ancient Egyptian and Roman jewellery! The diamond or gemstone is secured all the way around, by metal that is pushed up and smoothed over the stone. As a result a very safe setting is created, as there are no claws to snag and pull up. In fact, this is often the only setting we’d recommend for soft or brittle gemstones, such as emeralds as it protects the vulnerable girdle of the stone.

The all around setting can be used as a sleek flush way of setting your gemstone, although by adding a collar, it can equally sit proud of the shank.

Standard All Around Setting Style

This is the normal fully enclosed all around setting.

All Around Setting with Added Window

For larger stones it can be a good idea to add a window in the side of the setting. The window can be any shape you fancy – square, circular, diamond or even a heart shape. This allows a little extra light behind the stone. However, this is not necessary for diamonds whereby their sparkle is due to what’s called ‘total internal reflection’ (i.e. the light enters the top of the diamond, bounces around in the stone and comes back out again from the top). Stones that don’t have as good an internal reflection as diamonds would therefore benefit, such as aquamarines or sapphires etc.

So, overall, an all around setting is a more contemporary style or can be great for Medieval or Roman looks. It has advantages in securing your stone safely in your engagement ring.

Corner Set

A corner-set engagement ring is an interesting alternative to a more traditional type of setting. It’s a kind of hybrid between a claw setting (with the stone visible pretty much all the way around) and the all around setting (with the stone completely covered up from the sides).

As this setting is essentially an all around setting with chunks removed from the sides, it’s of course possible to vary the shape of the removed sections.

A corner set engagement ring is a great choice for stones with points as the metal protects more vulnerable tips. Stones such as marquise cut diamonds are often set in corner settings for this reason.

Corner settings have advantages over traditional claw settings in that there is less risk of the corners moving.

Overall, this is a good way to set a stone with many style possibilities to consider during your design consultation.

Open Tip

An open tip setting is a version of the all around setting. Like the all around setting, a lip of metal holds your diamond or gemstone in place all the way around the stone. Unlike the all around setting however, the tip at the bottom of the stone is visible from the side.

This is a great setting if you’re looking for the safety of an all around setting but want a degree of ‘openness’ to your design.

An advantage with the open tip setting is that the shape of the design can often be made so an un-shaped wedding band fits under the diamond. Meaning you wouldn’t need a shaped wedding band, if you didn’t want one.

In our experience, open tip settings tend to work best for larger stones, especially diamonds, where there is more stone to be seen from the side.

Side or End Set

A side or end set engagement ring is a version of an all around setting where some has basically been cut away. This allows the side or end girdle of the stone to be visible.

This setting can also be an alternative to what we describe as a tension setting. Similar to a tension, it keeps the openness but with less risk of the stone falling out if knocked. The stone is secured at either end yet the side and back are still visible, much like tension settings.

As with corner set engagement rings, the design of the area between the end settings can be as different as your imagination allows it to be! Cuts can be curved to echo the swooping nature of your design. Equally, they could be more geometric – square or rectangular- if this suits your style better. More elaborate and fancy shapes are possible which you can discuss with your designer during your consultation.

In summary, this setting is a good balance between the stone’s ‘visibility’ and its ‘protection’ in the setting.

Tension Style

We are frequently asked if we will set diamonds and gemstones into what are known as ‘tension’ settings. We always say no to these requests because in our experience, tension settings are unsafe. Your diamond will invariably fall out with even the smallest knock. In fact, we’re frequently asked to reset diamonds that have been knocked from their original tension setting. After experiencing the first hand danger, we then secure them in safer settings.

As a result of this, we’ve come up a ‘tension look alike’ – a great alternative to a tension setting. The setting is designed so that, unlike a real tension setting, there is a bridge between either side of the shank. Consequently, it ensures the stone is held in place more securely and more able to withstand knocks. As it runs under the stone the bridge is hardly visible so retains the openness aesthetic of a real tension setting.

Invisibly Set

An invisible setting is a great way to set a small accent stone into your engagement ring. Tiny sections of metal are pushed up by the stone setter around the diamond or gemstone to produce an effect of the stone appearing to just sit in the metal.

Perhaps a recognisable feature of our engagement ring designs is our frequent use of small accent stones in the shoulders of the rings. We find this is a great way to add perhaps a subtle splash of colour to an otherwise white diamond solitaire. Or conversely, a perfect addition of diamond sparkle to a coloured central gemstone.

One point to consider when choosing to invisibly set stones in the shoulders of an engagement ring, or the band of an eternity ring, is whether there is enough depth of metal to accommodate the stone. This is especially true if you’re setting a larger stone in this way and can lead to the ring becoming weighty. When you discuss your unique design with your designer during your consultation, you will be able to find a design that works well for you.

Channel Set

Channel setting is a traditional setting style frequently used in ‘full’, ‘V’ or ‘half’ eternity ring designs. Generally, rectangular cuts of diamonds or gemstones, such as emerald cut or baguette cut, are set deep into a channel that runs along the shank or the shoulders of an engagement ring. However, any cut or even mixed cuts can be set in this way.

In the same way that pave set stones produce a block of sparkle, channel set stones do the same thing but in a more exact and geometrical looking way.

Channel set stones are flush set (i.e. the top of the stones do not protrude beyond the top of the metal around it) which means that if you’re considering channel set stones, your design must have enough depth and width of metal around the area they’ll be set into. Your designer will discuss this with you in your consultation, and together you can come up with a design that suits your style.

Although channel set stones are a traditional way of setting stones, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find a more contemporary design for your engagement ring that includes this setting method.

Grain Set

As with invisibly set diamonds or gemstones, grain shape set stones are an ideal way of setting small accent stones into the shoulders of an engagement ring.

Unlike invisibly set stones, grain set stones are not secured all the way around but just at 4 equally spaced points around the stone, which produces an apparent square shape.

Of course the shape of the grain set stone doesn’t just have to be a square. For example, marquise can be good for matching a marquise cut diamond as the central stone, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped or pear-shaped. You can be creative with this idea!