Why the Most Popular Engagement Ring Setting is a Bad Investment
If you’re the kind of person who wants to lose or break her diamond, then a four-prong setting is perfect for you.
Let me just paint you a picture… you’re out in the backyard, playing with your kids. You’re pushing your daughter on the swing set, and in your exuberance, you smack your hand on one of the side bars. Your diamond comes loose and falls out of your ring. In a panic, you dig around in the dirt until, luckily, you find your diamond hiding under a piece of mulch. But you smacked your hand so hard that your diamond got chipped, and you need to put a claim into insurance to buy another diamond.
Who needs that stress and aggravation!?
Four-prong settings are notorious for getting snagged on clothing while you are getting dressed in the morning or putting on your coat to leave the house. And if even one of your prongs gets bent or comes loose, you are at extreme risk for losing and having to replace your diamond.
On top of that gut-churning risk, if your bend or break one of your prongs, you’ll have to pay to have your setting fixed or replaced. Depending on your level of activity, you may need to pay for that repair yearly or even every three-months if you are extremely active.
Since in many cases the center diamond is up to 2/3rds the cost of your ring, I want your investment to be protected!
Now, let me play this straight with you… the four-prong setting is a variation on the six-prong Tiffany-setting that was invented by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1886. And who can argue with Charles Lewis Tiffany? If you are the kind of woman who absolutely loves prongs settings and absolutely has to have a prong setting, get six prongs! The six-prong version is much safer and more stable.
However, I’m an adventurous, bold woman who likes to talk with her hands, work with her hands, and get into the nitty-gritty to get her hands dirty. If you are active like me and you want your stone to be protected against chips, breaks, and getting lost, I highly recommend a bezel-set diamond for you.
The bezel setting is by far the safest setting for any diamond because the entire edge of the stone is protected by metal.
Let me paint you a picture… you’re out in the backyard, playing with your kids. You’re pushing your daughter on the swing set, and in your exuberance, you smack your hand on one of the side bars. The side of your bezel gets dinged a bit, but your ring is otherwise undamaged. When you have the time, you take your ring to a jeweler to be professionally polished, and when your ring makes its way back onto your hand, it looks better than new as if nothing had ever happened.
*Sigh* Doesn’t that sense of security feel nice? That’s the feeling that a bezel setting can give you.
Okay, now that I’ve given you my opinion, I’d like to give you some additional tips and tricks to help you make your engagement ring purchase (and hopefully save you some money in the long run):
-I’ve put together a Engagement Ring Settings Visual Guide to help you see and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each setting type. Hopefully, this guide will help you see what you like/don’t like and help you make the all-important decision on which setting to buy to protect your diamond.
-AND if you are looking to get engaged soon but you don’t yet know your fiancé’s ring size, I have Three Tips to Covertly Get Her Ring Size. Simply follow the link, and download the guide.
Thanks for reading, and happy ring hunting!