Four-Prong Solitaire Settings Question - Too high or too low?

[Arlington]

I''m conflicted.

I have finally purchased a diamond, it''s a 1.1ct ACA from Whiteflash. It''s currently sitting in their office, waiting to be set, and I''m probably driving them nuts with my indecision.

Here are my marching orders, gleaned from over two years of casual conversation with my girlfriend about engagement rings:
- Platinum
- Solitaire
- 4-Prong
- Classic - (actually, she never said this but she''s more in to classic type clothes and jewelry than trendy"
- "Not too high and not too low"

From those instructions, I have always been leaning towards a simple, Tiffany-style solitaire. I like Whiteflash''s take:

Whiteflash Tiffany Style 4-Prong Platinum

However, I''m concerned about the prongs. They seem very high, considering that "not too high not too low" comment. That has made me thing that something like the X-Prong might be a little bit better. But I''m sure she never has thought about how a lower setting would work with a wedding band. Would one have to wear one of those "bent" bands with an X-prong or similar?

Does anyone thing the above solitaire fits the description of "too high"?

Help a clueless guy out. Please!

 

[Mikesgirl]

Seems like too low would be hard to do with a 1.1 carat stone. (Unless you have a chunky Bezel setting). I'm a lefty and my old setting got caught on everything, always getting loose. I've seen some 4 prong settings at Blue Nile (and elsewear) that have a slight rise to the band at the sides to protect the stone without taking away from seeing the quality of the stone.
I think they call them "contour settings". Go to http://www.bluenile.com/product_catalog.asp?catid=07&oid=3736&oid2=3770&track=c2m2&elem=more&mod=basic
and click on "view ring", then zoom when you get the view and it will show you the profile. If you go through the "build your own ring" at this site, it will show you how the stone of your size looks in a particular setting. These settings have the charm of the classic solitaire, while protecting the stone (and your clothing) from the four prongs. It also makes it feel "not to high". I'm sure there are lots of settings like this on other sites too. Good luck!

 

[Arlington]

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On 9/1/2003 3:10:32 PM Mikesgirl wrote:

Seems like too low would be hard to do with a 1.1 carat stone. (Unless you have a chunky Bezel setting).

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Thanks for your help! I'm not sure what you mean by the above...do you mean that I shouldn't have a problem with making the wedding band fit snug against the e-ring, regardless of how high or low the setting is?

 

[Mikesgirl]

I meant too low would be difficult because a 1.1 ct stone would be at least 4mm tall, and the settings usually hold the stone just at or above the band, so your going to get 4 to 5 mm of height just by setting the stone. A chunky bezel would surround the stone, but it would still be the same height, just a different profile. (See the site I suggested to see profiles). As to the band fitting snuggly against your wedding ring, there are lots of sets out there, but you two could shop together for wedding bands after the engagement (this is a fun thing to do - kind of helps reality to sink in)and if you get a classic solitaire, many bands are made to go with them. Good luck.

 

[Mikesgirl]

Rereading this, I want to be clear - what I meant is: it would be unlikely that any setting with a stone of that size could be perceived as too low by your girlfriend. It's going to stick up off her finger a minimum of 4 mm.

 

[Arlington]

Ahhh...now I understand. Sorry for being so dense.

So really, it sounds like my ideal setting would only be as high as my diamond (4 - 5 mm or so). Any lower would really be impossible with a prong setting and any higher is just excess space.

Thanks!

 

[Mikesgirl]

Yeah, pretty much. There is a school of thought that prongs that are higher allow more light into the stone. But from what I've read, a really well cut stone (which I'm sure you've got, since you've done your homework) takes light into the crown and reflects it back out of the crown, and anything going in from the sides goes out of the sides, so there's no advantage to extra "exposure" if you have a well cut stone. In fact, protection would be more the goal, since the girdle can be chipped if worn hard. I'd be interested to see what you choose.

 

[Mikesgirl]

PS - check out the Dvatche website for the xprong - it is also a contour band, and should protect your stone well. It seems they size the bands to accomodate the stones, so they might be a good source of advice on appropriate wedding bands and how they would sit against the ering.

 

[fire&ice]

The higher the stone, the higher the profile. I would follow her instructions. Not too high - Not too low. 4 prong medium setting, which is what that is.