5 Elegant Ring Settings That Make Diamonds Look Bigger

Searching for settings that make diamonds look bigger?If you are shopping for a diamond ring, you will find that you are naturally drawn towards the rings with the largest diamonds, or rather, the largest-looking diamonds.

Oftentimes, these rings with apparent large diamonds are steeply-priced, and the ring might be too much of your budget. Now, if you haven’t done enough research into diamonds and how different settings and cuts affect the apparent size of the diamonds, you may end up with a very expensive ring, or you could settle for a diamond ring that you don’t like that much. But no one wants that.

And thanks to research and bad (costly) mistakes made one too many times; you will be happy to know that you don’t have to compromise on the ring’s cut quality or even the eye-cleanliness of the diamond ring just to be able to get a bigger carat number. As it turns out, some rings don’t really have the biggest diamonds – the secret is in the ring’s setting.

In this article, we’ll take you through diamond ring settings, specifically the ones that make the diamonds look bigger all the time. Note that unlike the diamond’s setting, the cut only affects the fire and the sparkle displayed by the diamond.

Some ring settings automatically help in enhancing the visual size/ appeal of the diamond, and for you to be able to afford that diamond ring, you might want to keep reading. We share some timeless tips and industry’s best-kept secrets on how to make the diamonds look bigger.

You will Learn in this Post

5 Settings That Make Diamonds Look Bigger
1.4 or 6-Prong Settings
2.Halo Setting
3.Bezel Settings
4.No to 3-Stone Mountings (The ones with larger side stones)
5.Pave The Ring with a Thin Band or a ring with Slightly Tapered Shanks
Other tips to make diamonds look bigger
Conclusion

5 Settings That Make Diamonds Look Bigger

1.4 or 6-Prong Settings

The number of prongs on the diamond ring plays a significant role in the apparent size of the diamond.

The market features many 4- and 6-prong diamond rings, but even though these prongs are essential in securing the center stone/ diamond, with more prongs meaning that the stone is well secured in place in case there is one broken or bent prong, having more prongs isn’t something for you to go for.

A ring with many prongs is more like having a lot more metals covering your diamond center stone.

The 4-prong setting means less metal coverage on the diamond, and this setting automatically helps in showcasing the optical performance of the ring even better.

With the 6-prong setting, your eyes are automatically drawn to the rounded outline of your diamond, creating the illusion of a bigger stone.

It’s also worth noting that the prongs set higher often help in making the diamond look bigger, and it also allows for more light to enter the stone.

2.Halo Setting

The halo diamond ring setting has got to be the most effective setting when it comes to making the diamond or center stone appear larger than it is.

It’s also the most cost-effective strategy. So, if you are all about a ring that creates a certain visual impact, you won’t go wrong with the halo setting.

All you need to do is to make sure that the halo setting is done right for that enhancement of the ring’s aesthetic and overall appearance, as well as an increase in the ring’s dimensional sparkle.

Note that the halo setting is also one of the best settings for that much-needed larger-diamond effect.

You will be happy to note that when the setting is done right, the halo-setting rings tend to have that melee diamonds’ shape that appears as diamonds fused together with your center diamond, creating the illusion of an even larger single diamond.

And since there are different types of halo setting for diamonds, you don’t have to worry about having a ring that looks like every other halo-set diamond.

There are single, double, and triple halo settings, and you can also find hidden or custom double halo settings.

3.Bezel Settings

A diamond ring’s bezel setting features a metallic rim, which is designed to ensure that the diamond is secured in place by its circumference.

The bezel follows the specific outline of the stone, and because of the bezel setting, the center stone’s setting shape and its size will be enhanced such that it appears bigger than it really is.

The other reason why the bezel setting is an important consideration when it comes to making the diamond look bigger is that the bezel design makes for one of the best diamond ring settings for round diamonds.

The bezel setting will also enhance the ring’s durability by protecting the diamond.

4.No to 3-Stone Mountings (The ones with larger side stones)

If you want your diamond to look bigger, STAY AWAYfrom the diamond rings with three or multi-stone designs because they are not flattering to that center stone at all.

The multi-stone setting might even make your center-diamond look smaller than it is.

So, if you want the diamond to look bigger when it is mounted, just avoid the multi-stone diamond rings that feature large side stones.

But what happens when you really need a three-stone diamond design because it holds a special meaning to you and also because of the extra bling factor?

Well, in such cases, you’d want to change things a bit by using smaller side stones that are sized relative to your center stone. With this arrangement, there still is a lot of emphasis on the center stone, and the ring will retain its magnificence and sparkle.

5.Pave The Ring with a Thin Band or a ring with Slightly Tapered Shanks

The other hidden secret around diamond rings, especially if you need to make the center diamond look bigger, lies in getting a ring whose center stone is set on a thin band or even a tapered shank.

A ring whose band has a thickness of between 1.8mm and 2.2mm would be an ideal choice.

You could also have smaller accent diamonds, also called the fish-tail diamonds, set in a row very close to each other.

The contrast created will create an illusion of a larger-looking center-diamond.

Other tips to make diamonds look bigger

1.Small, Round-Cut Diamonds

You don’t have to sacrifice your preferred diamond style because of the high price of the big diamonds. Besides the tips above, you could also opt for a small, brilliant, round-cut diamond ring.

The only thing you need to keep in mind is that the round-cut diamonds are among the most expensive diamond cuts because a lot of the rough stone is lost as the ring is shaped into the perfect 58-facets.

The good news is that the round-cut leaves you with a ring that sparkles beautifully, and you won’t have to spend as much as you’d have to spend on a 1-Carat diamond.

2.Try Different Shapes

Halo and round-cuts help create an illusion of bigger stone, but these aren’t the only diamond shapes that create the illusion of a larger stone.

You could save money by opting for the emerald cuts, princess-cuts, or even the marquise-cut diamonds. These diamonds are larger, affordable, and flawless.

These gemstone stones are also flattering for different hand sizes, and if you have short or fat fingers, these diamond shapes will create more elegant and thinner-looking fingers.

See the picture below, you have many choices.

3.Colored diamonds

You might be looking at the brilliant-white diamonds, but do you know that you can buy a smaller colored diamond ring that costs a little less, without having to ever worry about the stone looking small?

The good news is that there are numerous options on the market for you today, from yellow, pink, and green diamonds.

You could also make your ring unique by having the ring designed with a larger white diamond placed a cluster setting with the smaller colored diamonds (or even rubies and sapphires).

4.Shiny Metals

The other ring design that makes diamond rings look bigger than they are is having the ring set on a shiny (mirror-bright metal) such as white gold or platinum.

The shiny metals work brilliantly by creating a bigger contrast between the metal and the diamond so that the two almost merge into one – making it harder for you to tell where the diamond starts and where the metal starts, all thanks to the high-brilliance of the metal.

This strategy will not, however, work for you if you opt for rose gold or yellow gold metal settings.

5.Optical Illusion

Sometimes, jewelers incorporate a magnifying material into the base of the ring setting where the diamond is mounted, creating an illusion of a bigger diamond.

In other cases, they will add mirror plates or the highly reflective metals around the border of your diamond.

It is an inexpensive method that makes the diamond look bigger.

6.Cathedral settings

Most of the cathedral settings help in making the center stone appear bigger than it is, especially because the arches of the cathedral mounting will help highlight the diamond by raising it much closer to your (viewer’s) eyes.

7.What about the diamond ring you already bought?

If you already purchased your diamond ring but want it to look bigger, some of the things you could do to make it look bigger include keeping it clean and well-polished all the time.

Remember that a dirty diamond doesn’t reflect light, and it only looks smaller and unattractive.

You could also focus more on the diamond by not wearing multiple bands on your hand when you have the engagement ring on.