Both prong and bezel are two elegant settings that are commonly used for diamond rings. But these settings can greatly vary in terms of their features and appearance. Therefore, it is important for you to compare them when choosing an option for you.
The following are some characteristics you have to consider when choosing between prong and bezel setting:
Stone Protection
It is important for you to know how each of these settings holds the stone to understand better about the protection they offer to your natural or lab grown diamonds. In a prong setting, the stone is held using small metal claws called prongs. The number of prongs can vary and most rings usually come with four or six prongs. The security offered by the prong setting can increase based on the increase in the number of prongs. However, this might affect the visibility of your diamonds.
The bezel setting uses a metal rim to hold the stone. Here, the rim will surround the stone to offer it better protection.
If the security of your diamond is important to you, then a bezel can be the best option. It covers the entire circumference of the diamond so that its edges won’t be exposed.
The protection offered by the prong setting for your gemstone can be low when compared to the bezel setting.
Wear And Tear
Prong-set rings can snag on things, hence, the prongs can be easily bent or broken thereby increasing the possibility of losing your stone. But this issue can be avoided by choosing bezel-set rings, as the sides of the stone are not exposed in this setting because of the metal surrounding it.
Therefore, the prong setting can be more susceptible to wear and tear issues.
Stone Appearance
If you want to show off your stone, then the prong setting is the better option. The bezel setting covers the sides of the diamond by the metal rim. Hence, only the top portion of your diamond will be visible with this setting.
Brilliance And Sparkle
The prong setting is unarguably the best choice for enhancing the brilliance and sparkle of your stone. As a major portion of the stone will be covered in a bezel setting, it can reduce the amount of light entering the stone. Therefore, the brilliance and sparkle of your diamond can be less if you choose this setting.
In short, both bezel and prong settings have their own advantages and drawbacks. Therefore, consider different aspects like the visibility of the stone, protection of the diamond, etc. when choosing between these settings.