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Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as single?

M

monique_w

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 13, 2013
Messages
18
Hi Everyone

I am in the process of getting my engagement ring custom made, I have decided on a radiant centre stone with a tapered baguette on either side.

I really love the look of double claw prongs but my jeweller has suggested that they may not let in as much light to the diamond as single claws will.

Just wanted to see if you guys thought it really made a difference as the jewellers are happy to do whatever I liked and I wanted to check here first.

I've attached a picture of the ring I like and another one of the double claws I love

_12519.jpg

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Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

In my opinion double claws can make the stone look a bit smaller from the too, but they do not block the light, especially when the gallery is open. My setting has double claws and the light comes through perfectly!

What is the (intended) carat size of your future ring? Depending on the carat size I would choose for double or single claws.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

I really don't think it makes any difference at all.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

No.
Any metal in the way blocks some light from getting into and out of the diamond.
It would be easy to just do the math.
If the 4 extra prongs have an area that is 1% of the diamond's area then they block 1% of the light.

Whether any human could detect 1%, or whatever % it actually is, of the light missing is another question, but I doubt it.

Next I'd weigh the benefit of the added safety of double prongs next to the tiny loss of light performance and I'd personally go for the added safety.
I can't count the threads here on PS of women losing their diamonds because of bent prongs and usually they have no idea how or when the prongs bent and freed the diamond to fall tragically to earth, lost forever. ;(
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Thanks everyone for the replies so far, the centre diamond is around 1.2 carats. I really love the look of the double claws so I'm not too sure what to do...
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Did your jeweler have on hand actual rings he had made with the single prongs and with double prongs, so you could see for yourself? Some jewelers fashion double claw prongs with a wide tab prong coming up over the corner and then splitting it in half -- if this is how your jeweler does it, it probably would block a bit more light than a single prong would.

I am curious - Is your radiant a square or a rectangular? And are the corners clipped or un-cut?
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

I haven't seen any pictures of rings they have done with double claw prongs so I'm not too sure.

I am getting a rectangular radiant and I'm not too sure what you mean by clipped corners but it will have the diagonally cut corners if that's what you mean.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Hi Monique,

Claw prongs should have no effect whatsoever in getting light into a modern diamond.
A consideration for you though, might be whether they're proportional with whatever sized diamond you have. I usually recommend double wire prongs for larger stones, ie 2ct+ because the prongs would cover less surface area of the diamond vs. a smaller stone. If your radiant has wider cut corners, it could look good.

Back in the old days, diamond polishers didn't have the modern technology and know how to polish diamonds symmetrically. There was no real analytical tools to tell them how bright or dark a diamond was either. Diamonds were needlessly to say, haphazardly faceted. In order to brighten up the stone, a bench jeweler would use all sorts of tricks to bring in light in the diamond. One of these ways were "ajour" openings for example. The opening underneath (and sometimes on the side) of the stones brought in more light. Some craftsmen would take "ajour" work to the extreme and you can see on some old estate jewelry very intricate geometric ajour cutouts under stones that would take days to create.

Modern day polished diamonds have reached such a level though IMHO, that these considerations don't really apply much anymore.




My Best
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Victor Canera|1386542958|3570127 said:
Claw prongs should have no effect whatsoever in getting light into a modern diamond.
Click to expand...

The question is not about claw vs. conventional prongs.
It's about the effect on light transfer of double prongs vs. single ones.
That double prongs are often claw prongs is not relevant to the question.

If you really mean that double prongs have no effect whatsoever compared to single prongs I must disagree.
Unless you use transparent metal, how can adding four more metal prongs not block any light whatsoever?

I'd agree if you wrote that the light blocked will be tiny and, while certainly detectable with instruments is probably imperceptible to humans, but 'no effect whatsoever' must be a false statement.
Physics is physics.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Victor Canera|1386542958|3570127 said:
Hi Monique,

Claw prongs should have no effect whatsoever in getting light into a modern diamond.
A consideration for you though, might be whether they're proportional with whatever sized diamond you have. I usually recommend double wire prongs for larger stones, ie 2ct+ because the prongs would cover less surface area of the diamond vs. a smaller stone. If your radiant has wider cut corners, it could look good.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your response. Just wondering in your opinion (and that of others) do you think a rectangular radiant that is around 1.2 carats would look better with just the single claw prongs like in the first picture I posted compared to the double claw prongs in the second one? I don't want it to look disproportionate.

Thanks again for everyone's help and opinions I really value it all.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

I've seen different "types" of "double claw" prongs, some wherein the double claw is actually just a single prong with a line engraved down the middle - I don't care for that look, in those cases my eyes would prefer a single wider prong with a blunt square end sans any claw.
I've also seen prongs wherein the stone doesn't seem to actually be supported in carved prongseats at all - prongs barely touching the stone, 'seats' with no pavilion support, etc. - in which case I can't imagine single vs. double makes much differencs as neither are secure!

VC's explanation of why prong style used to matter more than it does now makes a lot of sense... and honestly his prongs are the best I have ever seen - precisely shaped, prongseats exactingly cut out to the proportions of the girdle at that junction... so I'd take his advice on prong aesthetic at face value.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Sorry Kenny, yes I meant single wire prongs vs. double wire prongs.

You're right in that I should have said that there is no discernible difference to my eyes instead of making a general statement. There might be a scientific difference if specialized analytical equipment is used or something. To my eyes though, I don't see a difference when a modern day polished diamond is the center stone.

I'd say for a 1.2ct stone, discuss it with your jeweler. Take a look at how big the cut corners are for you stone and make an educated decision :)


My Best,
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Thanks VC, and sorry to be such a stickler. :wavey:
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

On that very top ring, it doesn't appear that double prongs would even be possible. You'd have to have wider corners than that one for it to work. It works better on the cushion because the corners are curved and larger. So as Victor has already said, it all depends on how wide your corners are.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

diamondseeker2006|1386561601|3570288 said:
On that very top ring, it doesn't appear that double prongs would even be possible. You'd have to have wider corners than that one for it to work. It works better on the cushion because the corners are curved and larger. So as Victor has already said, it all depends on how wide your corners are.
Click to expand...

+1

I have no idea the general face-up value of radiants. Do you know your stone's dimensions? It definitely comes down to your personal preference. The experts having chimed in that no, there will be no noticeable light difference, you should consider other Pro's and Con's


Pro's:
Additional security against one or two defective prongs allowing your stone to fall out.
You prefer the look of the double claw, and so you will love seeing that every time you look at your setting.

Con's:
The claws might look disproportionately large on your stone's dimensions.

I think it just comes down to how you weigh these factors.

Also, in this article on double claw prongs, all stones are over (or else very close to) 2 ct:

https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/engagement-rings/prong-setting-styles#a4

Also, here's a 1 ct RB with double claw prongs... I'm guessing it has around the same face up area as a 1.2 radiant...?
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

i don't think double prongs would affect light performance at all for well-cut diamonds. Double claw prongs can be done right nicely on 6.5mm round. I dug up this old pic from PS that is a much smaller stone, Width: 5.76mm and Length: 5.94mm. Double prongs that stick out that far from the stone are a bit too busy for that size, for my tastes anyhow. But a larger stone should be okay, if the prongs hug the stone better and don't stand out beyond it so much. They need to be close together, too, especially on a smaller stone.

cap.jpg
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

It is all about proportions, if the stone has wide enough shoulders, double prongs will not change the amount of light let into the diamond compared to single prongs to my eye. It doesn't matter if the stone is 1 carat or 2 carats or 3 carats; if the shoulders are narrow, there might be no room for the double prongs or it will look crowded.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

On a 1.2 ct stone, double claws, as long as they're delicate, will look elegant and actually create more presence... I took smaller stones out of double prong - they were not clawed, though, but had a double-prong setting and reset them in a regular four-prong setting and they look smaller now. It was kind of an optical illusion thing. The stones don't sparkle more now, but since they are so small, they are easier to clean with less metal around the stones.

I would go for the setting you love. The important thing is just keeping your diamond clean! Get a baby toothbrush and scrub it often enough to clean off oils/lotions/etc.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

I agree that you can do double prongs on smaller cushions, but hers is a radiant. The double prongs would have to fit on the four cut corners, and it depends on how wide those corners are as to whether it would work on her stone. The radiant at the top of this post does not have room for double claw prongs.
 
Re: Double claw prongs - do they let in as much light as sin

Thanks everyone for all of your advice and opinions, after thinking it through and reading what everyone had to say I have decided to just go with the single claw prongs like they are in the picture with the radiant.

Might have to get a lovely bigger ruby ring or something later on down the track and double prong that...

Thanks again for your help. My ring should be finished soon and I will post photos when I get it.
 
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