Classic diamond engagement rings – Things you need to know before you buy

Every classic solitaire is a combination of two parts: Setting, called also basket and shank. These two parts are often viewed as separate interchangeable design elements and then combined in order to find the arrangement that suits best the requirements of the customer.As general rule the classic solitaire diamond engagement ring lacks small detail and complications and is assigned to hold and in the best case, highlight the diamond. It should be delicate and open yet strong and comfortable.
The basket is extremely important for the safety of the setting. The classic basket has four or six claws (prongs) and could be wire or cut off type. The wire basket is the lightest and most open which is also making it the most popular one. There is a wrong perception that the open basket allows more light to “flow” through the stone. Generally the diamond reflects back light that enters from its crown and does not need any light coming from the back. Well cut diamond looks the same in very open claw setting as well as in tube setting. The openness however is important for the ring’s overall appearance and its maintenance. Open baskets tend to hold less grease and are much easier to clean, while the cleanness of the pavilion of the diamond is crucial for its appearance. There is fine balance between the thickness of the prongs, the size of the diamond and the type of the metal. To comply with the purpose of the classic setting the prongs should be as less visible as possible, meaning they must be delicate and thin but not for the sake of the safety.
Platinum and Palladium allows at least 20% reduction of the prong thickness, compared to white gold alloys. This, outside of many other advantages makes these two metals the media of choice for classic prong set rings. While the platinum setting involve some additional cost, palladium is currently cheaper than 18k white gold and the best value for money media for fine diamond jewelry. Another important factor for the safety of the setting is the distance between the girdle of the diamond and the first support, usually a link under the girdle. Bigger distance requires thicker prongs to maintain the necessary strength and retain the safety of the setting. 
Wire baskets are either cast or hand assembled. There is no cast finishing technology yet, able to achieve the quality of well executed assembled basket. On the other hand this brings much higher cost for detail visible only to a specialist and considering that cast baskets are even stronger I would recommend them as default option. Hand assembled baskets are labor intensive and relatively rare on today’s market. The shank of the classic engagement ring is also delicate. Broad chunky shanks are usually part of some updated contemporary versions. The real classic ring shows as less metal as possible without compromising the safety of the setting. The classic knife shank serves best this purpose tapering almost to a point at the basket and broadening at the back where more strength is needed. The opposite design is the tapered shank, usually as broad as the distance between the prongs in the point of joining to the basket, narrowing towards the back. This shank requires healthy thickness at the back, usually in the region of 1.2mm or more. The flat shank has the same width all around, gives the design rather contemporary look and is a good choice when a classic wedding band is worn on the same finger. The classic diamond engagement rings produce statement of sound but not necessarily adventurous taste. They are extremely popular and make roughly 50% of all diamond engagement rings.