Pave diamond engagement rings can be breathtaking and offer a sophisticated way of creating presence and drama. In this article we will be looking at the various types of pave rings and why you might choose this style.

STYLES & CHOICES

Traditional pave is when lots of small or melee diamonds or precious stones are set right next to each other, using small prongs to both set the diamonds and fill in any gaps, thus creating a diamond encrusted look. Below are some examples of traditional style diamond pave rings.

You can see how the use of lots of smaller diamonds can create texture and volume in even a simple style pave ring.

So, how else can this be used?

We can also borrow from the look to create pave ‘style’ rings that, although not technically pave, have become known by the name.

Examples of this would be halo engagement rings; diamond encrusted split shanks or double row set diamond shanks.

Split shank accent stones are used here with a halo that also has tilted stones underneath the immediately visible halo, giving a slightly ‘fuller’ look. Double halo, notice the very small inner halo used with slightly larger outer halo stones. This could be reversed or exaggerated for different looks. Here you can make out the double row set accent stones on both the halo and the single shank. This gives this classic design just a little more ‘oomph’!

WHEN TO PAVE?

Some people just love the encrusted look of pave engagement rings regardless, but we have a few tips and pointers for when to consider the use of small melee diamonds or stones within your design and why.

One of the first and most obvious considerations is when you don’t want a very large centre stone but you want to give the engagement ring more presence. Using halo’s or incorporating pave into the top of the ring shank either side of the centre stone adds immediately to the ring and the size of accent diamonds chosen will greatly affect the look of the ring – for example, smaller diamonds will give a more textured, understated look, while larger accent diamonds will give much more sparkle and ‘bling’.

If you want to keep it quite subtle, we would recommend using accent stones between 0.9mm and 1.2mm . If, however, you want maximum sparkle and drama, then 1.3mm – 1.7mm will give this!

Another great option for adding to your engagement ring design is to use accent diamonds on the shank. This can be quite understated and simple, like a micro prong set split shank, or you can add a bit more texture and presence by ‘double row’ stone setting the shank, shown below in the iconic Shaun Leane ring set:

Beautiful example of small double row set split shank accent stones framing a dazzling Emerald or Radiant cut centre stone. The iconic Shaun Leane intertwined engagement ring set, showing the way the accent stones can be set as a double row. This ring above shows this done really nicely and more in keeping with traditional pave, as it starts with two stones side by side and tapers gracefully to one stone.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

– Size of the stones used, this will greatly impact the look and feel.

– The setting style used, if considering, for example stone set split shank styles. You can use micro prong setting (if using a single row of stones) or the more traditional prong setting, which would be used for the doubled row, as in the Shaun Leane ring shown above. (see labelled examples below to view the difference)

– Where you’re going to cluster the small stones within the ring. This can be a halo, a partial halo design, upper shank accents or small detail areas.

– The overall size and scale of the ring. So, if a large centre stone is already being used and then a large pave halo is used, this will obviously give you an extremely voluptuous and sparkly ring! If you have a large centre stone and are stretched to budget for further larger stones (as in a 3 stone ring), then considering a little pave design either side may well fall within your budget for your perfect engagement ring, and it will offer a different look to a lot of what is seen in the shops.

When used tastefully and within ones personal preferences, pave can make any ring design just a bit more gorgeous!

Standard prong setting – like little beads. Micro prong setting can be used on single lines of stone and gives a “minimal metal” look.