Solitaire Engagement Ring

Solitaire Engagement Ring

The solitaire engagement ring is a timeless design.  Great designs have value in them, whether its a car, a piece of clothing, fine jewelry or even a home.  Historically, jewelry has shown us that a great design can have a timeless effect on how we view things.  For example, the solitaire engagement ring was first introduced by Charles Lewis Tiffany of the world famous Tiffany & Co. in 1886. It has been a staple design the jewelry aspect of the bridal business ever since its inception.  Prior to the solitaire engagement ring, most engagement rings were simple bands or wedding bands as we call them today.  In 1851 Tiffany & Co. were also the first American company to introduce the metal standard into the jewelry business by implementing a 925/1000 sterling silver into the market.  

Variations of the Solitaire Engagement Ring

The round shape solitaire engagement ring is still the most popular design choice of consumers since its creation.  There are a few variations of this style.  The most popular being the celebrated classic style that utilizes a four or six prong setting.  This ring style lifts the diamond or gemstone above the shank.  A six prong setting is more secure than that of a four prong.  Placing the diamond or gemstone above the shank allows for maximum brilliance. There is the bezel set solitaire, in which the diamond is set into a metal basket and the metal is tightened around the girdle of the diamond.  This offers a seamless look however, the diamond or gemstone reflects less brilliance.  This is because light is blocked from the bottom of the stone thereby disrupting the shine. The style of the shank for this style of engagement ring comes in a few different style.  There is the think sharp style, this is referred to as the knife edge.  This style has the shank folded over itself to an edge.  This is usually no more than 1.80 millimeters in width.  Then there is the rounded style, which has no edges and has a soft rounded shank.

The Fancy Shape Solitaire Engagement Ring

The fancy shape solitaire engagement ring is a ring that uses a fancy shape diamond or gemstone in place or a round shape.  These types of engagement rings utilize a four-prong style of setting. This style uses the shapes like princess cut, oval cut, marquise cut, pear shape and asscher shape as well as others.