Buyers Guide: Very Thin Band Engagement Ring
I’m shopping for a diamond engagement ring, and am running into a bit of brick wall. My girlfriend wants a very thin band engagement ring. It looks like most of the solitaire settings you offer have a 2 mm shank. She really wants something thinner than that, like 1.2 – 1.5 millimeters. Do you have anything like that in a six prong solitaire? We’re looking for a one carat round and she really wants the diamond to look big on her finger! If you don’t have anything readily available, is it possible to custom make an engagement ring with a very thin band?
Engagement rings with thin bands:
Brian Gavin offers a broad selection of solitaire style engagement rings. The most popular ring style with our clients is the classic six prong solitaire by Brian Gavin. The ring shank measures about 2 mm in width. As you might imagine, the width of the ring shank is absolutely intentional.
In our experience, a ring shank measuring at least 1.8 – 2.0 mm provides a sturdy foundation for the diamond center stone. Ring shanks thinner than that, such as the 1.5 width that you’re suggesting, is not likely to hold up very well in the long run.
Engagement rings with thinner bands always seem to bend and lose their form quickly and easily. Obviously, people find this pretty frustrating and stressful, thus we don’t make rings with ring shanks thinner than necessary to hold up to reasonable wear and tear.
How big is a one carat diamond?
Your girlfriend’s desire for the diamond to look big on her finger is pretty common. The reality is that a one carat diamond should look plenty big on her finger! This 1.017 carat, H-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature hearts and arrows round diamond, measures 6.46 x 6.48 x 3.97 mm. That means that it has an average outside diameter of 6.47 mm.
To put this in perspective, the eraser on a standard #2 pencil measures about 6.5 millimeters. Thus, if the average width of the engagement ring is 2 mm, there is going to be a little more than 2 mm on each side of the band to cover her finger.
Very thin engagement rings = big problems:
While we fully understand why some people might prefer a very thin engagement ring, the reality is that we know that thin rings tend to experience big problems. Not the least of which is the fact that they are likely to bend quite easily.
They are also likely to split easily at the point where the ring is sized, because the metal is too thin to hold its form and not bend. When the ring shank bends, it puts stress on the point where the ring might have been sized.
Another concern is the integrity of the head structure. If the ring shank is too thin, then it is more likely that the junction where the prong structure (head) intersects the ring shank, might become weak and unstable.
With this in mind, I’m sure you’ll agree that there is a lot more to be lost with a very thin engagement ring, than there is to be gained. The slight difference in width is not worth the hassles that very thin engagement rings are prone to.
