4 prongs vs 6 prongs for engagement rings

“I'm in the market for a solitaire engagement ring. I'm stuck trying to decide between four prongs versus six prongs for the engagement ring. Can you tell me the benefit that four or six prong configurations provide? Is a six prong solitaire engagement ring more secure than a four prong head configuration? Will four prongs make a round brilliant cut diamond look larger? If you were buying an engagement ring for yourself, would you choose a solitaire with four or six prongs? The two rings that I am considering are the classic six prong solitaire, the four prong Classic Truth solitaire, and the four prong Melissa setting by Brian Gavin.”

Four or Six prong engagement ring:

Ah yes, the classic dilemma of whether you should purchase a four or six prong engagement ring. While the basic structure of the six prong engagement ring seems to be more secure than a four prong engagement ring, reality is that modern aspects of jewelry design have improved the stability and structure of both for and six prong head configurations.

With a four prong setting such as the classic truth solitaire by Brian Gavin, it would only be necessary to pull back one of the four prongs to remove the diamond from the setting. But does it really look like the four prongs on the classic truth solitaire pictured to the left are going anywhere? Striking the ring hard enough to move one of the four prongs is something that would be pretty hard to miss. And which would likely result in significant pain or damage to your hand. Thus I don't feel that the decision to buy a four or six prong solitaire should be decided solely upon which had configuration is likely to be more secure while being worn.

The same principle holds true for the Melissa setting by Brian Gavin, which also features four prongs. In both instances, the four prongs are not sticking up in the air supported only by themselves. But rather, both designs feature a support beam of sorts which extends horizontally between each prong for added support. It is difficult to ascertain whether four or six prongs makes a diamond appear larger. I find that with four prong settings, my eyes are naturally drawn out to the four corners created by the prongs. While six prong settings seem to maintain the rounded appearance of the diamond in terms of my perception, but this has nothing to do with size.

I think that the decision to purchase a four prong engagement ring over a six prong solitaire style setting, comes down to a simple matter of preference. When you look at the photographs for the engagement rings featured in our online catalog of settings, which setting style appeals to you the most?

Whether an engagement ring features four prongs or six prongs, you should always obtain insurance to protect your investment. Many of our clients seem to prefer working with Jewelers Mutual, because their Perfect Circle Insurance program enables them to ensure their engagement ring with full coverage before it even leads our office.