Let’s be real. Finding the perfect piece of diamond jewelry that fits your budget and style can get a little tricky at times. After browsing for hours (and often, days), when you finally narrow down on a few pieces you like, the hefty price tags on them can be such a deal-breaker. Well, what if we told you that you could have the diamond jewelry of your dreams without breaking the bank? How, you ask? Pressure-set diamonds aka composite diamonds are the answer! Read on for all the deets.
What is a Pressure Setting?
It’s simple really. In a pressure setting, several small diamonds are carefully fused to form one ‘composite diamond’. It appears like ‘one large solitaire’ and offers the same look and glamour at a reasonable price. Call it a win-win!
When two diamonds are pressure-set together, it’s called a ‘doublet’, and when they are three, it’s a ‘triplet’. Most designs feature more than three pressure-set diamonds that are placed together to form a classic round, oval, square, cushion, pear or octagonal shape. Whichever you pick, you’ll make a major statement for sure. For vintage jewelry lovers, this is the diamond setting to add to your radar!
What We Love (and Don’t) About the Pressure Setting:
Planning to bring home a piece of composite diamond jewelry? Here’s everything you need to know.
Pressure Setting – Pros
1. As we said in the beginning, composite diamonds are more affordable and budget-friendly when compared to high-carat solitaires. And the reason is simple; smaller diamonds with lower carat weight cost less!
2. Worried about the look? You don’t need to. The metal barely shows through and all you see is a composite diamond that looks like ONE stone. You get a steal-the-spotlight center gem without the serious price tag.
3. Composite diamonds look best in smaller settings as opposed to larger settings where it’s harder to achieve the illusion of a single stone. So, if you have slender fingers that can flaunt a smaller ring, this style could be your go-to.
Pressure Setting – Cons
1. Any setting that involves multiple small diamonds is difficult to clean and maintain. The same goes for the pressure setting. You might spend a little extra time and effort removing the grime collected in the crevices.
2. If not well maintained, there are chances of diamonds getting loose or even falling out.
3. Pressure setting provides great sparkle and brilliance, but when compared to a solitaire, it simply falls short. The larger surface area of a well-cut high-carat diamond allows more light performance as compared to a composite diamond.
Pressure Setting vs Other Settings
Let the battle begin…
1. Pressure Vs Halo
Both pressure and halo settings aim at giving an appearance of a larger center diamond. In a halo setting, the smaller diamonds frame the center stone and give it extra dimension and sparkle. On the other hand, pressure setting uses small diamonds to actually form that center stone, called the composite diamond. For extra sparkle, composite diamonds are sometimes surrounded by a halo.
2. Pressure Vs Illusion
The purpose of an illusion setting is to create an optical illusion of a large solitaire with the help of a metal plate around the girdle of a small diamond. It is a clever way of mimicking the look of a solitaire but involves more metal than diamonds. On the other hand, pressure setting uses not one, but a couple of smaller diamonds and minimum metal to create a solitaire look.
3. Pressure Vs Cluster
At a glance, pressure and cluster settings look identical, but they are actually quite different. In a cluster setting, the diamonds are set individually. Hence, the spaces between them are visible. Diamonds in a pressure setting are packed tightly together and look like one diamond, minus the spaces.
Bottomline:
If you’re looking to flaunt those diamonds but don’t want to blow the budget, opt for pressure-set diamond jewelry. We have a fabulous range we’re sure you’ll love.
