engagement ring design considerations: because functionality is underrated

designing your dream engagement ring is obviously about making something beautiful.

but there's another part of the design process that can be overlooked:

you ring want your ring to be FUNCTIONAL.

you will (hopefully) wear this thing every day. you're going to put on sweaters, reach into bags, wash your hands, accidentally hit it against a countertop and do approximately one million other things while wearing it.

so while we're very much in favor of choosing the giant diamond and doing something a little different, we're also big believers in designing around real life.

because the prettiest ring in the world isn't quite as dreamy if it's constantly spinning around your finger, catching on your clothes or making you nervous every time you use your hands.

here are a few things we think about when designing a ring that's meant to be worn.

consider how high your diamond sits

high-profile settings can be gorgeous.

they can make a diamond feel incredibly prominent, allow more light around the stone and sometimes make it easier to stack a wedding band underneath.

but the higher your diamond sits off your finger, the more exposed it becomes.

if you have an active lifestyle - working, exercising, building, cleaning, chasing little ones, wearing gloves or generally doing things with your hands, you'll probably notice a very high setting can tend to catch on things and get in the way.

that's where low-profile designs come in.

keeping the diamond closer to your finger can make a ring feel more comfortable and protected for everyday wear. it also reduces the leverage created when the ring gets bumped or caught on something.

that doesn't mean every engagement ring needs to sit as low as physically possible.

it means we think about your lifestyle alongside the design.

because the right setting height is the one that lets you actually enjoy wearing your ring.

more delicate isn't always better

we love delicate jewelry.

but when you're designing something intended to hold a valuable diamond for decades, there's a point where delicate can become too delicate.

tiny prongs and ultra-thin settings might look beautiful in a rendering, but those little pieces of metal have an important job to do.

they're holding your diamond in place.

adding more prongs or using a sturdier setting can give a center stone additional security. six or eight prongs, a bezel, partial bezel or other protective design may make sense depending on the shape and size of the diamond.

that doesn't mean the finished ring has to look bulky.

good design is about finding the balance between delicate enough to feel beautiful and substantial enough to do its job.

and when we're choosing between shaving off another fraction of a millimeter of metal and making sure your diamond stays where it belongs?

we're choosing the diamond’s safety, every time.

think about your wedding band while you’re designing your engagement ring

your wedding band shouldn't be an afterthought.

if you already know you want the engagement ring and wedding band to sit perfectly flush against one another, that needs to be considered while designing the engagement ring.

the height and width of the center setting, the basket, prong placement and shape of the band can all determine whether another ring can sit directly beside it.

sometimes a traditional straight wedding band will fit perfectly.

sometimes you'll need a curved or contoured band that nests around the engagement ring.

and sometimes that's actually the better design.

a custom nesting band can follow the shape of your engagement ring and make the two pieces feel like they were always intended to exist together.

because they were.

you can also repeat details between the two rings - matching engraving, complementary pavé, shared textures or little design elements that only make sense when the rings are worn together.

design the stack, not just the engagement ring.

pointed diamonds are beautiful... and pointy

we love an unusual shape.

pears, marquises, hexagons, shields and geometric cuts can make incredible center stones.

but if your diamond has a sharp point, that point needs some consideration.

an exposed tip can be more vulnerable to impact and can also become the part of your ring that catches on sweaters, hair, blankets and clothing.

fortunately, you don't necessarily have to give up the shape you love.

strategic metal placement can help.

a v-shaped prong can protect the tip of a pear or marquise. a partial bezel can wrap around a vulnerable edge. strategically placed gold can soften an exposed point without hiding the overall silhouette of the diamond.

with geometric stones like hexagons, the setting itself can be designed to protect the corners while still allowing the shape to be the star.

the goal isn't to cover up your diamond.

it's to put metal exactly where you need it.

your band should make sense for the size of your diamond

this is a big one.

a whisper-thin band with a giant center stone might look incredible in a photo.

physics may have other plans.

as your center stone gets larger and heavier, the ring needs enough metal to support it — particularly around the area where the setting connects to the band.

if you put a large, heavy diamond on an extremely thin band, you're creating a very top-heavy ring.

and gravity is going to gravity.

the ring may constantly rotate around your finger, leaving your beautiful center stone hanging out somewhere near your palm.

a more substantial band gives the ring additional structure and can help balance the weight of a larger center stone.

that doesn't mean a large diamond requires a chunky band.

there are ways to keep a ring looking visually delicate while adding structural support exactly where it's needed.

for example, the band can become slightly wider or thicker as it approaches the center setting while remaining more delicate around the rest of the finger.

you get the aesthetic you wanted without pretending your five-carat diamond weighs nothing.

think about where the metal actually needs to be

one of our favorite things about custom design is that adding strength doesn't necessarily mean adding bulk everywhere.

sometimes you just need more metal in the right places.

thicker prongs around vulnerable corners.

a stronger connection between the basket and band.

slightly more width near a heavy center stone.

a partial bezel around a pointed edge.

a gallery rail connecting and supporting the prongs.

these are tiny decisions, but they're exactly the kind of decisions that can make a beautiful ring much more practical.

good design isn't about using the least amount of metal possible.

it's about using the right amount in the right places.

think about how you actually use your hands

this might be the most important consideration of all.

there is no universally perfect engagement ring design because there is no universally identical person wearing it.

someone who works with their hands every day might want a very different setting from someone who plans to take their ring off whenever they're doing something active.

some people are incredibly careful with their jewelry.

some of us have hit our hand against three things before breakfast.

know thyself.

if you know you're going to wear your ring constantly, tell your jeweler. if you hate when rings spin, say that. if you live in sweaters and you're terrified of snagging them, that's relevant. if having an exposed diamond makes you nervous, that's relevant too.

these aren't limitations on the design.

they're part of the design brief.

beautiful and functional aren't opposites

you shouldn't have to choose between the ring you want and a ring you can actually wear.

that's the entire point of custom design.

we can make the setting lower.

we can add another prong.

we can protect the point of your pear with gold.

we can make the band a little thicker where your giant diamond actually needs the support.

we can design your wedding band at the same time so the two rings nest exactly how you imagined.

none of those things make a ring less special.

they make it more intentionally yours.

at not your mom's diamonds, we're obviously obsessed with the fun part — unusual cuts, rare colors, champagne diamonds and designing something no one else has.

but we also want you to actually wear it.

because your dream ring shouldn't just look good in a photo.

it should feel good on your hand, fit into your life and still be there for all the years you're planning to wear it. 🤍