See the business section page 10.

Photograph courtesy of the Sunday Times photographer Brian Meade.

Sunday Times photograph of Eoin McDonnell in Precious Diamonds

What is the difference between the Diamond Ring four claw and a six claw setting?

A six claw setting has a claw on the edge of the diamond, offering it more protection,
A four claw setting allows more light in to the diamond
With either option you can have a circle of finely polished platinum/gold that joins the claws halfway up and offers additional strength to the claws.
Visually both give a different perspective on the diamond – if you look at the two images below you will see the difference:

Four Claw Solitaire Engagement Ring

Six Claw Solitaire Engagement Ring

There are advantages to each setting style. Every good diamond setting must be both secure and attractive.
The claws cradle your Diamond in the setting above the shank or band of the ring which places emphasis on the Diamond.
Your stone’s brilliance is increased and intensified by this setting as it actually allows the maximum amount of light enter the stone from all angles. It is this which makes it so hugely popular with diamond ring purchasers.

Here are a few definitions to help you:
• Collet
A collet is the part of a ring which holds the stone also known as a setting.

• Shank
The shank is the band which goes around your finger.

• Shoulder
The shoulder is the transitional part between the setting/collet and the shank.

• Mount
Also known as a mounting or ring mount is the empty ring before the diamond is placed into it.

• Claw
Also known as a prong(s) are the fingers of metal which hold the diamond in place.

The four claw setting requires slightly sturdier claws, because if one claw became damaged it could result in loss of the stone, whereas six claws surrounding the diamond will give added protection to the stone.

Let us briefly cover all the available claw settings:
You can have almost any combination of claws from two up to eight claws, but the general rule is the more claws the more protected the stone is.

In theory you could have two claws, but even if these were thick or chunky there still wouldn’t be much to protect your diamond.
Three claws in practicality would be the lowest amount of claws you would risk, but as this would make it asymmetrical very few choose it.
Four claws, if one were to break, as mentioned above, would result in the probable loss of the stone.
Five claws, as with the three claws and seven claws, will make the ring asymmetrical and most consider this to be unappealing.

The eight claws provide added security for larger diamonds, but many people find the eight too cluttered or fussy for smaller stones.

“I’ll buy you a diamond ring, my friend, if it makes you feel alright”
Famous Beatles quotation from their song “Can’t buy me love.”

To mark the opening of this year’s Culture Night in The Design Tower Eoin hosted a Diamond Night with a unique surprise:

Each guest at this event was given complimentary black and white diamonds.

It was great to see such a wide range of visitors to the studio, where engagement ring diamonds, wedding ring diamonds and coloured diamonds were examined and discussed.

Culture Night offered a huge range of activities and events around Ireland. The Irish Film Board projected a series of short films on Boland’s Mill opposite the Design Tower.

For more information on Culture Night visit CultureNight.ie

As with all our rings, this engagement ring was shaped to enable a wedding ring fit perfectly parallel, no gaps, no bits popping out, just pure clean symmetry.  If you look carefully at the shape of the band of the ring you will see it has unusual curves.  This is what I love about the technology that we work with, pretty shapes and curves can be blended to create designs that ‘work’: that combine both beauty and practicality.

The photographs below catch some of the ‘life’ of the diamond … a Precious round brilliant cut. The result is a really pretty, classical, elegant Engagement Ring design.

about what we call the ‘Engagement Ring Revolution’ and how we have seen changes in Engagement Ring Design over the last few years.

The link is below, you can hear Eoin’s interview from 20 minutes 50 seconds:
Precious Diamonds Irish Times Interview

Ring

about what we call the ‘Engagement Ring Revolution’ and how we have seen changes in Engagement Ring Design over the last few years.

The link is below, you can hear Eoin’s interview from 20 minutes 50 seconds:

Precious Diamonds Irish Times Interview