just a "mind thing"...how safe are tension settings?

[Dancing Fire]

i love tension settings,but my mind kept telling me the stone can disappear very easily. i know,i know....

 

[Andelain]

I don't trust them either.

 

[stone-cold11]

Probably much safer than prongs, assuming the alloy selection/production is correct.

 

[YoungPapa]

I personally own and wear a tension set wedding band and have been selling tension settings for almost ten years. In all that time we've only had one diamond come loose.

As long as the correct alloys and manufacturing techniques are used, tension settings are very secure.

 

[Andelain]

So how would I, the customer, know if it was made right?

 

[YoungPapa]

Andelain,

Either buy one of the two big brands, or ask the vendor what experience and qualifications they have in tension designs. Our rings are made for us by a company that specializes in tension settings and is run by a gentleman that spent a decade working for one of the two big tension companies...

 

[Andelain]

What are the 2 big brands?

If you're not allowed to answer maybe someone else can....

 

[slg47]

I think kenny has posted about this somewhere. I personally do not like the look...it just looks scary to me.

 

[kenny]

We have four of them, one Gelin and Abaci and three Boonering titanium babies.
Ain't nuttin popped out yet.

Everyone wants a larger diamond than they can afford but they cover much of it up with metal so they can't even see it well.
Why not just get a setting that lets you just see and enjoy more of the diamond you can afford?
The majority of the time that I look at my diamond it is NOT a top view with my wrist bent back and my hand facing my face.
Since light can enter from all angles TONS of fire comes out of the side and even the bottom of even ACA and Solasferas, not to mention asschers and Octavias.

I think the good-cut thing only concerns itself with the top view so people fail to take into account how much beauty also can come out the side and bottom of a diamond in real life.
Plus a tension setting LETS light in from more of the environment too.
That side view is Killer when you are driving and your hand is on the steering wheel in the sun.

Prongs can catch on pockets, socks, purses and you'll never know it till the diamond falls out.
You have to really BANG a tension setting to knock the diamond out - you will KNOW it.

IMHO tension settings probably are safer since more metal caresses the rock and that metal is VERY thick, unlike a delicate little prong that comes to a point that can catch on things without you even knowing.

I'd only trust putting one of my diamonds in a tension setting from one of the major players, Steven Kretchmer, Gelin Abaci, Neissin, Boonesring.

 

[kenny]

So how would I, the customer, know if it was made right?

You won't, just like with prongs.

Go with the big names.

 

[Andelain]

Thanks for the names.

I can sure understand what you mean about the view from the sides. My ring isn't a tension set, and the culet isn't visible. but I do have a nice view of the side of a beautiful stone. I made sure it was eye-clean from the top AND sides before I bought it for that reason. My biggest fear with mine is chipping the girdle, mainly because of the harsh environment I wear it in.

 

[kenny]

Very beautiful, Andelain.

BTW, here is a link to a PS write up on tension settings.

https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/engagement-rings-tension-setting-styles#a1

 

[Dancing Fire]

Kenny...love your tension settings.

 

[kenny]

Kenny...love your tension settings.

Thanks DF.
Every day I pinch myself, not sure if I'm dreaming.

I'm enjoying the ultimate diamond experience AFAIC.

 

[oldminer]

Experience tells me that the well known maker's of tension settings are very capable of giving you a very safe product where the diamond will not be at all likely to get loose or lost. The downside is the difficulty in changing finger sizes over a long period of time, r just the seasonal aberration of an individual's finger size from the changes in weather, or natural hormonal highs and lows.

No one will argue about how delicate and attractive some of these esigns are. The diamonds are really shown in a beautiful environment. However, I think it needs to be balanced with the practicality of the design over the long term. This descison of balance is up to each consumer, not me. An engagement ring is generally worn every day. There are many rings which are worn on special occasions or with less frequency. Considering the daily wear nature of such a ring, one might want to think if the person who is going to want to wear it will be happy wearing it every day or worried about it half the time for some reason of it not fitting quite right.

 

[Andelain]

Kenny...love your tension settings.

Thanks DF.
Every day I pinch myself, not sure if I'm dreaming.

I'm enjoying the ultimate diamond experience AFAIC.

I wish I could take pictures half as nice as you do, because I'm really beginning to see what you mean by this. I've had this ring for years with another diamond in it, but now that I'm seeing it with a well cut, eye-clean firey white stone there it's a whole new experience. I find myself looking at the top of the stone, then rocking it until I'm looking up through the pavilion and enjoying the entire view.

 

[Todd Gray]

When tension rings first entered the market an eon ago, everything in my core said "there is no way a diamond is going to stay in there" but you know, I've heard of very few diamonds falling out of settings produced by the better known names in that niche portion of the business. The only reason we didn't begin to carry them was because Stephen Kretchmer told us that we should never polish the rings ourselves, instead we should send all of the rings to Kretchmer to be polished so that we didn't overheat the rings and affect the tension. We didn't quite see our clients accepting the fact that we couldn't service their settings on the spot as we do with most rings in terms of cleaning and polishing. However I suppose that if a customer is made aware of the need to have the ring cleaned and polished by the manufacturer, I doubt it would be an issue - at the time, the demand for designer settings was not as strong as it is today...

One thing to keep in mind is the thickness of the girdle edge and the presence of certain inclusions which might be detrimental to the durability of the diamond during the setting process, such as extensive feathers, stacks of feathers, cavities, etc., they should be avoided. Stephen Kretchmer told me that he preferred a girdle edge no thinner than 0.7% (thin). Of course, every manufacturer of tension set rings will have their own criteria in terms of what is acceptable for inclusions and girdle thickness, so you should consult with a vendor who is familiar with their production and criteria.

I think they look very cool and present the diamond wonderfully! Good luck...

 

[Dancing Fire]

One thing to keep in mind is the thickness of the girdle edge and the presence of certain inclusions which might be detrimental to the durability of the diamond during the setting process, such as extensive feathers, stacks of feathers, cavities, etc., they should be avoided. Stephen Kretchmer told me that he preferred a girdle edge no thinner than 0.7% (thin). Of course, every manufacturer of tension set rings will have their own criteria in terms of what is acceptable for inclusions and girdle thickness, so you should consult with a vendor who is familiar with their production and criteria.

I think they look very cool and present the diamond wonderfully! Good luck...

so SI stones probably wouldn't be a good idea,right?