The 12 Stylish Classic Diamond Engagement Ring Designs

Classic diamond engagement ring designs belong to a broad category. Classic is used to describe any design that is extremely popular with good aesthetic values. Although there are many designs to choose from, the information below will look at the classic solitaire prong sets.

The classic solitaire ring is made of two parts, the shank and the setting, which is called the basket. These parts are usually viewed as interchangeable elements which can be combined to suit a certain requirement. Generally, the classic solitaire diamond engagement rings lack fine details with designs to showcase the diamond.

The basket or setting is very important for safety. Classic diamond engagement ring designs typically have baskets with 4 or 6 cut-off or wire prongs (claws). The wire baskets are open and lighter, so they are more popular. The openness in the design is ideal for the overall maintenance and appearance of the ring. These rings always have a good balance between diamond size, the type of metal and the thickness of the claws or prongs. Typically, the classic prong settings are less visible because they are thin and delicate.

When compared to the white gold, the prong thickness of the palladium and platinum will be about 20% less. The platinum setting usually cost more, but palladium is cheaper than the 18 karat white gold and offers the best value when it comes to fine diamond jewelry.

In addition, the wire baskets are usually assembled by hand or cast. There is no technology to give a cast finishing that will produce a high quality basket. As a result, these will cost more because attention is placed on fine detail and the cast baskets are much stronger.

Classic diamond engagement ring designs also have a delicate shank. Some of the modern versions have broad chunky shanks, but the true classic rings will show less metal without compromising on the safety of the settings. This is true for the classic knife shank which is tapered almost to the basket and broadens at the back to provide more strength. The tapered shank is the opposite design which is often as broad as the space between the basket joining and prongs with a narrow back. For this design, 1.2 mm or maybe more will be added to shank to make it thick at the back. The ideal choice for wedding bands is the flat shank with the same width all over as this will give the design a contemporary look.

Overall, classic diamond engagement ring designs can make a fashion statement, but they might not be ideal for persons with an adventurous taste. Nonetheless, these classic pieces are extremely popular and actually make up about 50% of the diamond engagement rings. The best place to shop for these rings would be Zales.com Company. This is currently the number online diamond store with regular sale events that will allow you to save as much as 30% off diamond engagement rings.

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