Prongs are tiny pieces of metal that hold the gemstones or diamonds of your engagement ring in place. Prong settings are one of the most popular ring settings and there are different types of prong settings for you to choose from. Some of the popular prong settings are discussed below.
Single Claw Prongs
Single claw prongs are the most widely used type of prong setting. In addition, this type of setting takes up a very small area on the top of a gemstone and this allows for more of the diamond or gemstone to be seen. This type of prong setting is often used for oval and round gemstone shapes, but they are also suitable for many different diamond shapes.
Double Claw Prongs
This type of settings consists of paired single claw prongs and is most commonly used on diamond shapes with rounded or cut corners like cushion cut, emerald cut, and radiant cut diamonds. The double claw prongs settings look much balanced on these diamond shapes and can offer a very good level of protection to the delicate corners of these stones.
V Prongs
This type of prong is designed to support the sharp corners or points of gemstones. V prongs can provide extra protection to thin, and sharp corners of marquise cut, pear-shaped and princess cut diamonds.
Square Prongs
This type of prong setting has squared-off tips offering them a graphic look. Square prongs can look very attractive with contemporary designs as their clean and angular aesthetics is quite modern.
Round Prongs
This prong setting has rounded tips giving them the look of tiny balls when viewed from above. Round prongs can be beautiful with rounded diamond shapes like round and oval diamonds, but can also go well with many diamond shapes.
Double Round Prongs
This prong setting consists of paired round prongs and provides a very good level of security and protection to the gemstone. This setting can be a good choice for cushion cuts, emerald cuts, and oval-shaped diamonds.
These are some of the widely used ring settings for popular diamond rings. The number of prongs can differ in these settings and usually, a setting will feature six prongs, four prongs, three prongs, or eight prongs. Having more prongs will offer more security to the center stone, but will also cover up more of the stone. Therefore, while choosing the number of prongs for the center stone of your engagement ring, consider the level of security you need for the center stone, the percentage of the gemstone that you want to be exposed, and the appeal of the option.