These Settings Will Make Diamonds Look Bigger!

Key Takeaways

• The first thing to be aware of is that good diamonds are not necessarily the largest diamonds.
• That being said, size is a priority for many shoppers, as it can be an indicator of wealth and prestige.
• The Cathedral setting will make a diamond look bigger, as it gives the diamond more elevation.
• A halo setting, on the other hand, will give the diamond more bulk. You can incorporate small melee diamonds into the halo to truly create the impression of a larger diamond.
• If you want to maximize exposure, then a floating diamond can allow yourself and others to see more of the diamond itself.

While there’s a lot more to buying a good diamond than getting the largest one your money can buy, size is probably always going to be a priority for the majority of shoppers.

More so than good clarity or color – or even the more nuanced aspects of a high-quality cut – size is a keen indicator of wealth and prestige. Plenty of movies and marketing campaigns over the decades have emphasized the fact that, when it comes to a diamond, shoppers better ‘go big or go home’.

The trouble is that big diamonds cost big money – more than most of us can fathom spending. And, while size is not synonymous with the phrase ‘beautiful diamond’, most of us are eager to make the biggest statement possible – and to make the most of our diamond’s size.

For Elevation, the Cathedral

Does a higher setting make a diamond look bigger? Absolutely – and a Cathedral setting is one of the easiest tricks when it comes to giving your diamond the elevation it needs to stand out, and tower over the wearer’s finger.

The Cathedral setting is characterized by a tall arc – a little like the gothic windows and doors of an old Cathedral – that raises the center setting high above the shank and finger. You can keep it simple to retain the solitaire design of your ring, or combine it with pavé, a halo setting, or accent stones for something more ornate.

Check out our guide to the Cathedral setting.

For Bulk, the Halo Setting

We’re going to start off by focusing on the catch: there’s a fine line between a halo that seems to add weight to your diamond, and a halo that seems to take it away.

Halos are highly popular features in engagement rings. A square or circle of pavé diamonds placed around the girdle of your diamond adds significantly more sparkle and bulk to the center setting and, as a result, gives the illusion of a much larger diamond. It’s a great feature for drawing the eye inward.

To create the impression of a larger diamond, you’ll want to incorporate pretty small melee diamonds into your halo and consider sticking to a single row. If they’re too large, or the diamond is encircled within too many halos, it’ll start to look swamped by the setting, rather than accentuated.

For Maximizing Exposure, a Floating Diamond Setting…

There’s more than one way to make a diamond appear as though its floating, and every option ensures that you get to keep as much of your diamond exposed to the light as possible. As a result, not only will it sparkle more, but onlookers will be able to see more of it, meaning you get the most out of every millimeter of surface area.

Again, there are a lot of different ways for a jeweler to achieve this. We’ve written a more comprehensive guide to floating diamond engagement rings here, if you’re interested to learn more.

…or a Four Prong Setting

Prongs are very small, and a well-made setting won’t encroach too much on the edges of your diamond but, even so, the more prongs you have curling over the edge of your diamond, the more constrained it appears.

Settings that utilize four prongs are among the most common, but some setting styles do utilize six – or even eight – prongs to keep the diamond in place. We’ve weight up both sides of the four prongs vs. six prongs argument before at WillYou.Net, but the four prong setting’s ability to accentuate the size of a diamond is a definitive mark in its favor.

Small Accents Create Contrast, and Direct the Eye Where You Want it to Go

If you like the idea of accenting your ring with smaller diamonds, but aren’t quite sold on the halo, then utilizing a couple accent stones on either side of the diamond is a great way to emphasize the size of that center stone.

Marquise diamonds make great accents. When placed horizontally on the shank, they naturally draw the eye in toward the ring’s center (where your diamond is), while also adding sparkle and creating a noticeable contrast between ‘large’ and ‘small’.

Baguette diamonds are also effective at drawing the eye where you want it to go – particularly if they are tapered. With the wider end placed next to the center diamond, the illusion of a loftier, larger center to your ring.