All Around Set Engagement Rings

Generally considered to be a more modern setting, the all around setting produces a neat, clean appearance. Although this setting is thought of as modern in fact it is really the first type of setting ever used, harking back to ancient Egyptian and Roman jewellery. The diamond or gemstone is secured all the way around the stone by metal that is pushed up and smoothed over the stone, which produces a very safe setting as there are no claws to snag and pull up. In fact, this is often the only setting that we would recomment for soft or brittle gemstones such as emeralds as it can protect the vulnerable girdle of the stone.

The all around setting can be used as a sleek flush way of setting your gemstone, although by adding a collar, it can equally sit proud of the shank.

Standard all around setting style

This is the normal fully enclosed all around setting.

All around setting style with a window added

For larger stones it can be a good idea to add a window in the side of the setting. The window can be any shape you fancy - square, circular, diamond or even a heart shape. This allows a little extra light behind the stone. However, this is not necessary for diamonds whereby their sparkle is due to what's called 'total internal reflection' (ie the light enters the top of the diamond, bounces around in the stone and comes back out again from the top). Stones that don't have as good internal reflection as diamonds would therefore benefit, such as aquamarines or sapphires etc.

So, overall, an all around setting is a more contemporary style or can be great for Medieval or Roman looks and has advantages in securing your stone safely in your engagement ring.