The shared prong style of setting is very popular with wedding and eternity rings. There are some wear issues that you need to be aware of especially if you want to wear it next to a low set engagement ring. When I made the above engagement ring over 10 years ago the design was not right for the intended wedding ring as the main diamond setting was too low.

They sat together but over time the wedding ring destroyed the engagement ring. Those rings above were remade a couple of years ago but a couple of weeks ago I remade another set of the same design that were also made about 10 years ago.

Same design but a bit different

This customer used a slightly larger diamond in the centre and yellow gold for the band but the ring height was about the same. When rings are worn next to each other they not only spin but also move vertically up and down.

The problem

One of the desired aspects of the shared prong design is that the you get a scalloped shape along the edge. This however means that the diamonds girdle (edge) can protrude outside the claws.

This wedding ring had a clear passage straight past the base of the engagement ring setting. Nonetheless with a large diamond set low in the engagement ring any vertical movement would mean that the protruding diamonds of the wedding ring would rub against the side of and eventually into the main diamond setting.

Diamonds are harder than gold so the wedding ring cuts into the engagement ring much faster that gold on gold.

The solution

To solve the problem we needed to raise the height of the main diamond. This allows the side of the main diamond setting to flute gradually to allow some vertical clearance for the wedding ring as it moves up the side of the engagement ring during daily wear.

The original setting had a much straighter side to it. You can see in the above photo the flute to accomodate the vertical movement of the wedding ring better.

Often when designing an engagement ring what looks a little high looks perfect once the wedding ring is placed next to hit. If the engagement ring is too low then for some people the flat appearance of a wedding and engagement ring together is not something they like.

As with all things design, others may love that flatter look. The point is to have the choice and to know the trade offs of any given design choice. This is one of the reasons why planning for your wedding ring is a good idea when you make your engagement ring.

Pretty much the same look

The top view of the restored ring is pretty much identical to the original but will now wear a lot better with the shared prong wedding ring next to it. There is another very slight change that we needed to make.

One more thing!

The owner of this ring is one of those people that almost never took her rings off. Gold wears down during normal daily life as well. If you want to extend the life of your jewellery and keep it looking its best then you need to monitor your wearing habits. I will not start ranting again….read the article if you have an interest.

Article: Rashes and repairs

When we designed the original ring the top claws were very fine as she liked that look. However really fine claws do not suit that type of wear.

When I saw the ring a couple of years ago I noticed that the claws were quite worn. I asked her to make sure that she had her rings checked annually so that I could keep an eye on them.

Often when claws get quite thin they start to catch and eventually snap off. We could have re-tipped these claws but I am not a big fan of introducing joins to the part of the ring that secures the main diamond. As this was one of my rings I replace the setting for the same price as repairing it.

Get over it David!

This customer has now decided to take her rings off when she does not really need to be wearing them, mainly at home.

I have no problems with people that never take their jewellery off just so long as they know that comes with a down side of them getting very dirty and having a much shorter life. Once I have have given my customers the information…..I accept whatever they choose.