Tension settings hold a diamond between two open metal mounts, using pressure to hold the diamond in place. Rather than using smaller prongs, this engagement ring setting acts as two large prongs that hold the diamond in the center. Many times, smaller crevices will be fitted for the diamond’s girdle to fit in and hold it in place. The diamond is held by the girdle without any metal holding the bottom portion of the stone, which creates an illusion to make the stone appear like it is floating. Tension settings offer a modern style for any bride that would like a creative ring style. Because the technique is only about 40 years old, tension settings have a new-age look that cannot be found in an antique engagement ring.

Tension settings work best with diamonds, although other hard stones may be used. Large amounts of pressure are required to keep the stone in place, a ring may have up to 95 pounds of pressure placed on the diamond. Soft stones should not be used in this engagement ring setting, because they will not hold up under the pressure that is required to create this ring. Some replica rings are created with the same style using softer stones, but instead of tension technology they use other techniques such as glue, hidden prongs, or screws.

Because the diamond is only held on two sides, light is able to penetrate the gems from many angles– emphasizing the brilliance of the stone. Additionally, the setting may enhance the diamond color by as much as two grades because of the light that passes through. The nature of the tension setting requires that a high-quality diamond is used because of the open setting, using a lower quality gem will not look nice because there are no prongs or other features to hide the imperfections of the gem.

Tension settings can be used for a variety of diamond sizes, up to 8 carats. It is suggested that couples choose a larger diamond for tension settings, using a small diamond in this setting will not look good because the stone will be dwarfed by the metal.

There are a few disadvantages to this type of setting:

1. Tension settings can only be used with stronger gems, such as diamonds, rubies, or sapphires. Any gem that has a hardness of eight and up can be used in a tension setting. Cubic zirconium and moissanite may also be used in a tension setting.
2. Because of the pressure that is used to hold the diamond in place, the ring is difficult to resize or make any other alterations. Each ring is custom made to fit the diamond and the finger, so many times the ring must be sent directly to the manufacturer to make any adjustments or repairs.
3. The exposed gem is subject to damage if treated harshly, tension settings are not recommended for active people.
4. If the stone has any type of fracture or stress point, it may not be used in a tension setting because it is not strong enough to hold up under the pressure.

Many things can be done to create a unique tension setting for your engagement ring. Angled settings can be used and the diamond shapes can be varied. Additionally, designs can be added to the band– filigree patterns look nice, or accent stones may be put in a flush setting within the band.

Read more about Engagement Ring Settings:

Ballerina Settings
Bar Settings
Bezel Settings
Channel Settings
Chevron Diamond Ring Setting
Diamond cluster Settings
Flush Settings
Illusion Settings
Invisible Settings
Pave Settings
Prong Ring Settings
Solitaire Engagement Rings
Tension Settings

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