Pages

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Making Engagement Diamonds Appear Larger

Not everyone can afford three months salary for a Tacori engagement ring, especially in these economic times. If the budget does not allow for a whopper, there are ways to make a smaller stone appear larger than its carat weight.

Several stone settings can make a diamond appear larger than it really is. Tacori engagement rings with diamonds set in bezel settings, or a rim that completely surrounds the gem, tend to appear much larger. Platinum or white gold bezel settings complement white diamonds, where yellow gold bezel settings can give stones a yellowish tint. Tacori engagement rings with pave settings make smaller stones appear larger because of the setting’s design. Pave settings resemble an unending surface of stones, but it’s really made of tiny diamonds set into small holes in a surface that’s almost flush with the entire setting, making it hard to differentiate between individual stones. Sophisticated, detailed pave settings can be quite expensive; keep that in mind when considering a pave setting. Illusion settings, where the stone is mounted to a reflective plate, make stones look more brilliant and larger.

It isn’t just the setting that can amplify a stone’s appearance; the shape can make a big difference as well. Fancy-shaped diamonds usually appear bigger than princess-cut or round diamonds of the same carat weight. Elongated shapes like the marquise, pear and oval cuts are even better for a size boost.

After considering shape and setting to stretch dollar while shopping for a Tacori engagement ring, one may be tempted to go with a shallower cut to make the diamond appear larger. While diamonds cut more shallow will seem bigger than stones of the same weight with deeper cuts, the brilliance of the shallow stones are diminished as light travels out the rear of the stones instead of being reflected out the face.

No comments: