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Cons of a low set diamond?

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lagirlie

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 2, 2018
Messages
144
Hi everyone!

I was totally set on a low set diamond until I went to dinner with some girlfriends last night that told me they would suggest at least a medium setting because it would help the stone look better and bigger?

Now I’m not 100% sure. Do you guys think having a low set diamond would affect it in a negative way? Looks wise? :shock:

Thanks!!
Michelle
 
lagirlie said:
Hi everyone!

I was totally set on a low set diamond until I went to dinner with some girlfriends last night that told me they would suggest at least a medium setting because it would help the stone look better and bigger?

Now I’m not 100% sure. Do you guys think having a low set diamond would affect it in a negative way? Looks wise? :shock:

Thanks!!
Michelle
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No, I'm all for a low set diamond.
 
I would only say that it depends on the setting. I have a low set ring with a larger donut and something that I didn’t consider was band pairing. Literally every band out there (unless curved) will eat into the prongs. However, low set rings are easier, I think, to keep safe and out of way.

This is my all time favorite low set ring + band: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-journey-to-a-symmetrical-asscher.188468/

What stone do you have?
 
I disagree with your gals. I wear all mine as low as possible and there is no loss of visible size. What makes a diamond look good is the quality of the cut (the actual faceting) and the balance of the angles. A well cut diamond looks good in any setting and the setting has no impact on performance. A poorly executed setting can also make a diamond look bad.
 
E2265A26-4081-4618-AFE9-3A492F4BD030.jpegMine is almost flat as a pancake for its size, being an old EC cut.
I’m a total klutz, I’m always nearly losing fingers or a hand to various machines, doors and drawers so I wouldn’t be wearing a “high set” stone for very long.
 
When the prongs wore out on my e-ring, I had them re-done and had my diamond reset lower at the same time. My diamond was just as sparkly as before, and the ring was SO much more comfortable to wear.
I found I was not banging the diamond around as much as i had been, so it felt so much more secure. As a bonus, my ring fit more easily under gloves in winter.
 
I just reset my diamond into a setting a good 3mm lower. It is a HUGE difference in comfort. And my diamond looks exactly the same. Just watch to make sure you think about band pairing before you go too low.
 
Like @Bron357, I am a brute, and I also had my stones set low. The rings are super comfortable and I think there is no compromise on brilliance by being set low. I have a friend who had a "Tiffany style" solitaire and she knocked her stone out of its setting twice, because she is a klutz too. After the second time, she finally got her stone reset into a lower-set custom ring. Smart girl....
 
Bron357 said:
E2265A26-4081-4618-AFE9-3A492F4BD030.jpegMine is almost flat as a pancake for its size, being an old EC cut.
I’m a total klutz, I’m always nearly losing fingers or a hand to various machines, doors and drawers so I wouldn’t be wearing a “high set” stone for very long.
Click to expand...

Gorgeous ring! Love the setting!
 
Bron357 said:
E2265A26-4081-4618-AFE9-3A492F4BD030.jpegMine is almost flat as a pancake for its size, being an old EC cut.
I’m a total klutz, I’m always nearly losing fingers or a hand to various machines, doors and drawers so I wouldn’t be wearing a “high set” stone for very long.
Click to expand...

Omg what a beauty!!!
 
SimoneDi said:
I would only say that it depends on the setting. I have a low set ring with a larger donut and something that I didn’t consider was band pairing. Literally every band out there (unless curved) will eat into the prongs. However, low set rings are easier, I think, to keep safe and out of way.

This is my all time favorite low set ring + band: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-journey-to-a-symmetrical-asscher.188468/

What stone do you have?
Click to expand...

Oh man that is beautiful!! I think I’ll stick to a low setting afte talking to you guys!
 
Another fan of low set stones, and bezel set too, as my line of work involves wearing gloves and I don't always take my rings off before putting gloves on.

DK :))
 
I don't get this trend for stones set high off the finger - surely it just makes the rings really top-heavy, spin round and liable to get smacked into things / catch on clothing?!

I can appreciate some great gallery work / halo-ing / side stones leading up to a main stone, but it just seems like a recipe for disaster to have stones set high. lol
 
OoohShiny said:
I don't get this trend for stones set high off the finger - surely it just makes the rings really top-heavy, spin round and liable to get smacked into things / catch on clothing?!

I can appreciate some great gallery work / halo-ing / side stones leading up to a main stone, but it just seems like a recipe for disaster to have stones set high. lol
Click to expand...

Every single women I've known in my life who started off with a high set diamond ended up getting it reset lower later. Mine is a lower setting and never had to mess around with it.
 
OoohShiny said:
I don't get this trend for stones set high off the finger - surely it just makes the rings really top-heavy, spin round and liable to get smacked into things / catch on clothing?!


I can appreciate some great gallery work / halo-ing / side stones leading up to a main stone, but it just seems like a recipe for disaster to have stones set high. lol
Click to expand...

I think itsi a popular look because it looks nice from a top view and often also from the side depending g on the detail work. But as a matter of practicality, I'm in the low set camp also. I have a low set ering and a high set /haloed birthstone ring. That second one in always worried about bumping when I wear it. In fact the reason I have it is the vendor smashed the last stone that was in it and then reset and sold it o_O:lol-2:
 
I had mine reset from 9mm (very high vintage setting) to 6mm (med high) setting. I was worried about setting a size difference but was willing
to deal with. I DID NOT notice any size difference and like it so much better set lower (its not actually "low", its just lower). It spins less. I didnt hit
it on things when it was high and I still dont seem to hit it on things.

You could ask for medium height and then ask for lower if not happy with it? Make sure in advance it can go lower though. I think I would consider
6mm medium. I dont know if we have a consensus on what is low, med, high. Of course sometimes height is dictated by the setting.
 
tyty333 said:
I had mine reset from 9mm (very high vintage setting) to 6mm (med high) setting. I was worried about setting a size difference but was willing
to deal with. I DID NOT notice any size difference and like it so much better set lower (its not actually "low", its just lower). It spins less. I didnt hit
it on things when it was high and I still dont seem to hit it on things.

You could ask for medium height and then ask for lower if not happy with it? Make sure in advance it can go lower though. I think I would consider
6mm medium. I dont know if we have a consensus on what is low, med, high. Of course sometimes height is dictated by the setting.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what my height difference is. And it feels like a HUGE difference. It's still not the lowest setting it could be. But 6mm off the finger feels like it's super low. I was banging my other setting on everything.
 
My setting is slightly shy of 5mm and about ~0.5mm off the base of the diamond. I would consider it low-medium set, maybe low. It doesn't sit flush with anything due to the basket, but I didn't consider the lack of finger realty, because I have very short fingers. I still manage to knock it into things but probably not as badly as of it was set higher. I think this height is quite fine though cause I can still put on gloves without it being ridiculous. I'd just advise you to consider the band and how it sits with the ring. If you want an exposed girdle diamond wedding band, a curved band and you want it to sit flush then I would suggest you keep the height and the basket in mind when you design the ring.
 
Personally I am fan of the lower the better. My one thing is I do not like the culet of the stone to touch my finger, that way if they swell due to flying or weather etc.
I do not like the high set look myself it always leaves me feeling like the head and shank are disconnected and not part of a single fluid ring.
 
cokitty said:
I do not like the high set look myself it always leaves me feeling like the head and shank are disconnected and not part of a single fluid ring.
Click to expand...
I'm always amazed these peg heads don't just snap off :lol: lol
 
I'm clumsy so I prefer low too.n
 
When I got my upgrade stone I had it set in a temporary Tiffany style 6 prong solitaire while I waited from my custom setting. It didn't look bad but wow it seemed so high. I felt like it was disconnected from my finger. I was so happy to have it set lower in the custom setting. It doesn't look smaller at all.
 
Some people are talking about high settings in comparison to low rather than medium compared to low. My first upgrade stone was set in a very low Leon Mege setting. Many people had problems with diamond wedding bands cutting into the prongs of the low settings. That’s the number one concern. I eventually reset that stone into a medium height setting, and yes, it absolutely made the stone look a little larger. My 2.3 ct round now is set in a Tiffany repro at medium height which is the right height for that style setting. If I reset into an antique style setting, it might be lower just due to those settings often being more delicate in scale. But I think it will make the stone look slightly smaller if I do. I just have to be sure it is the right height to work with my band.
 
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I fully believe it is a negligible difference at best. You’ll notice a difference in comfort before much more than a difference in size.
 
I'm a big fan of low settings. I find them more comfortable and also more attractive. High set diamonds always look a bit odd to me, jutting up so high over the finger just makes them appear kind of awkward to me. Just my opinion though, of course.
 
If you want to see the stone closer to your eyes, you could bring your hand closer to your eyes ;). Srsly, a stone set 1 or 2 mm higher in a setting isn't going to make it seem larger, but may make it more prone to knocking, bumping, smashing, etc.

so I'm for medium or low- but no culet touching the finger.
 
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