Pave Engagement Rings

Pave engagement rings are absolutely beautiful. The most common style pave ring has small diamonds running along the band which makes the band look like it's composed of stones and not metal—literally encrusted or paved with diamonds, as the name pave suggests. This is such an impressive look, and what girl doesn’t want more diamonds! With the band covered in stones, even a smaller center stone has more sparkle and looks larger.

Rings courtesy of JamesAllen

There are two basic types of settings when it comes to pave. You can go for a 'full pave' which means that the diamonds run around the entire band or, a 'half pave' which means that the diamonds stop about halfway down the band.

We personally like the stones to go entirely around the band, just to provide coverage from any angle. There are times when we notice that a ring slips around the finger, and we find it more attractive to have diamonds showing no matter what area of the band is exposed.

Although a 'full pave' can be awesome to look at, many women find it a little uncomfortable because the smaller diamonds that extend fully along the band end up rubbing against their other fingers and the palm of their hands.

We noticed that a co-worker was sporting a pave eternity band last month, and when we admired it, she spun it around to reveal the center stone. She said that when she doesn’t want her large stone showing, like if she’s traveling alone, the pave band is “showy” enough. This reminded us of women in the subways of big cities who turn their rings around for security.

The center diamond in a pave ring is usually a round brilliant or princess cut diamond since the sparkle and brilliance of the band itself looks best with a simpler shaped diamond that is prong, basket, or bezel set. These basic settings help to visually separate the center diamond from the surrounding pave.

We love the stones that are set more low profile, creating a sleek, timeless look. And if you add a yellow or blue center stone, the pop of color against a white diamond pave engagement ring band it stunning!

You can also find pave engagement rings with pave-set frames or "halos" that surrounds the center stone. We love, love, love, this ring from James Allen! It is a contemporary yet classic Art Deco style engagement ring in white gold with a beautiful princess cut diamond. It is so elegant and sophisticated.
Click on the ring to check it out.

In fact, the diamonds are so small that it is really hard to distinguish one from the other and gives the impression of one solid band of sparkle. The problem with micro-pave can be that because the diamonds are so tiny and because you don't want to see all the prongs holding them in place, they become less durable because the small stones cannot be set quite as securely. Our advice here is to inspect your ring often, to check for loose or missing stones, and to insure your ring with a low-deductible, if possible, so that replacing stones is simple.

Micro-pave engagement rings can also produce so much sparkle in the band itself that the center diamond can lose some of its luster. But if the center diamond is correctly proportioned and set properly like this beautiful and romantic Meno Collection Full Pave below, the setting can really shine!

There is no denying that pave engagement rings are beautiful. Depending on the actual design they can be a little more delicate than other engagement ring settings but you'd be hard pressed to find a girl that swoon over one. When you shop for rings in a jewelry store, do yourself a favor and try one on and check out the extra sparkle for yourself. Pay close attention to the comfort level—you might find that the beauty of a pave engagement ring is just perfect for you.

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