eternity ring questions

[akw94]

Rather than hijack another''s thread, I figured i''d start my own with all my questions.

As many others seem to be, i''m also interested in eternity rings for my wring. Ok, i''m not engaged yet so I have time, but i''m trying to learn.

What is the difference between the shared prong v. 4 prong settings? Are there other types also? I look at the various pics of rings but i''m just not figuring it out.

Also, there''s something about different point and/or pointers? What does that refer to? What are the various options? I know there''s already a thread about preferences but I can''t figure out what these things are, let alone what my preference would be.

Thanks for the help!

 

[oldminer]

4 prong settings have 4 prongs holding each diamond. Shared prongs use 4 prong settings, but the prongs fit between the stones so there are many fewer prongs total on the ring. Stones fit tighter together in shared prong settings. There is less of a gap between diamonds although, if done right, this gap can be eliminated even with 4 prongs per diamond.

Points or pointers: Refers to diamond diameter and weight. A "point" is 1/100 of a carat.
A 5 point diamond is approx 2.3mm in diameter. A 10 point diamond is about 2.9mm in diameter and a 25 point diamond (1/4ct) is approx 4mm in diameter. These refer to round diamonds. Princess cuts will have smaller widths although their diagonals- point to point- are longer.

You can make wedding rings with bead set, channel set, prongs, hammer set, or almost any variation you'd like. 1/3 around 1/2 around or all the way around. I like 1/2 way around and soldered to the engagement ring after the wedding. This way, the rings face up and don't wear off on each other. Also, all the way around rings tend to loose their bottom diamonds first and are prone to damage. Besides, all the way around does not allow for easy sizing larger or smaller....although larger is the trend as one gets older....

 

[akw94]

David,
Thank you! That was very helpful. I understand the shared prong vs. 4 prong setting. That makes sense now.

I''m a little confused about the points/pointers. Are points and pointers the same thing? Are points just the same as carats? So you could either say 25 point diamond or a 1/4ct diamond? Also, is the diameter just based on the carat size or is that something different in relation to the diamond? Is that the same as the width of the band? I hear some people talking about the width of the actual band being smaller or bigger and wondered if that''s separate.

It makes sense to me to have diamonds 1/2 way around as well, plus, I have to assume it''s cheaper!

Thank you so much!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 4/17/2006 3:10:50 PM
Author: amy94


I'm a little confused about the points/pointers. Are points and pointers the same thing? Are points just the same as carats? So you could either say 25 point diamond or a 1/4ct diamond? Also, is the diameter just based on the carat size or is that something different in relation to the diamond? Is that the same as the width of the band? I hear some people talking about the width of the actual band being smaller or bigger and wondered if that's separate.

1. .25 points is a 25 pointer = to 1/4 carat
2. the diameter will vary depending on how the stone is cut. if it's too deep the diameter should will be smaller, shallow stones, larger..there is an average diameter/carat for a well cut stone
3. The width of the band is just that. the width will be slightly wider than the stone size being used.

1.0mm is .005ct
1.3mm is .01 ct (1pointer)
1.5mm is .015ct
1.7mm is .02 ct
2.0mm is .03 ct
2.4mm is .05 ct (5pointer)



my eternity band was a little over 2mm wide and I had 3 point diamonds used or 3 pointers..

hope that helps and doesn't confuse you more

 

[akw94]

Mrssalvo, that definitely helped! Thank you. Now, I can understand the other threads.