Want to create your own engagement ring? Many jewelers offer an option – a semi-mounted ring. Compared to a custom engagement ring, a semi-mounted ring allows you to create a style that is unique to you with less time and expense.
Should I choose a custom or ready-made engagement ring?
Technically speaking, a custom engagement ring is a one-of-a-kind piece created from scratch, designed and crafted to your exact specifications.
However, you can customize your engagement ring by selecting existing components. You can choose the diamonds and the setting to create an engagement ring that is unique to you. Or you can select the ring style, metal material, and other elements from a fixed menu of options. All else being equal, this type of engagement ring can be much less expensive than a fully custom engagement ring while also creating a unique effect. And because the components are readily available, you save the time and effort of designing a custom engagement ring.
If you choose custom-made, you should be aware of the limitations. Since the components you choose are pre-made, you won’t be able to change their design or construction. In addition, some settings may limit your choices of center stone size, shape, and cut. However, with so many options and the right amount of care, it’s easy to create a beautiful engagement ring that expresses your love.
This 14K rose gold ring with melee diamonds is perfect for customization. Although shown with a round brilliant diamond, you can easily change the shape or size of the center stone in your design. The ring can be made with a different metal, or you can choose to use melee colored gemstones instead of diamonds.
What you need to know to create your own engagement ring
When you order your engagement ring, you’ll have a number of decisions to make. Jewelers will usually ask a few questions to get a better idea of what you want and your budget so they can narrow down the options. It helps to do a little research beforehand: Browse online and visit stores to get a feel for the various engagement ring designs. It’s also important to get to know your fiancée’s tastes – if you’re unsure, pay attention to the jewelry she wears and see what she thinks of her friends’ or celebrities’ engagement rings.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What is your budget?
- Does she prefer gold or platinum?
- What shape of diamond does she want: round, square, oval, or something else?
- Do you want a diamond solitaire ring, or would you like to add side stones?
- What is your overall goal: the most sparkling diamond? The largest diamond you can afford?
- Engraving? You can have your wedding date or a romantic message like “I love you” or “Yours forever” engraved on the inside of the band.
You can mix and match settings and diamond shapes when creating your own engagement ring. This includes choosing the metal (yellow, rose, white or platinum) and selecting the style of setting (modern or classic, with or without melee, etc.). Your jeweler may be able to show you in-store samples, a catalog from a manufacturer that makes a variety of settings, or a manufacturer’s website so you can select the components you prefer.
Some jewelers have large stocks of semi-mounts and diamonds; others may have to order from suppliers (usually simple, with components sometimes arriving within two days). Once the components are complete, the bench jeweler will begin assembling the ring. The store may have its own bench jeweler, or they may outsource the work.
If you order this 14K white gold engagement ring as a semi-mounted ring, you can choose a different shape or size of center stone. This setting also works perfectly with square, princess or emerald cut diamonds.
What is a semi-mount ring?
A setting is a prefabricated band that holds gemstones. The overall design of a ring may include the head of a center stone, the heads of side stones, or areas of diamonds that are channel, bead, or pavé set.
Semi-mounted rings have a portion of the setting already filled with melee diamonds, baguette diamonds or colored gemstones. Semi-mounted rings can include a variety of gemstones in addition to the center stone, giving you the choice.
You can choose a diamond in a 14K white gold semi-mounted ring or add colorful garnets to a 14K rose gold semi-mounted ring. Which one would you choose?
How customizable are semi-mount rings?
This depends on the type of semi-mount. Some semi-mount rings are cast as one piece, limiting the size and shape of your center stone.
Other semi-mounted rings may have interchangeable heads (the part of the setting that actually holds the center stone), giving you more flexibility in choosing contrasting metals and/or diamonds of different shapes and sizes. Tip: If you want to make your engagement ring your own and want to change diamonds later, choose a semi-mounted ring with an interchangeable head.
The real advantage of a semi-mount is that the melee is already mounted, which gives you more certainty about how the finished ring will look. Most semi-mounted rings will show the color and clarity of the melee, and you can usually set a semi-mount with the melee that best matches the quality characteristics of your center stone.
Creating Your Own Engagement Ring: Understanding the Components
Before you create your own engagement ring, here’s a summary of the main components, including some of the terms mentioned above:
Setting : The setting is the metal framework that makes up the finished ring. This includes the shank and any heads, channels, or other metal components that hold the melee diamonds. The terms setting and frame are often used interchangeably in the industry.
The shank : The shank is the ring-shaped part of the ring that goes on your finger. You may hear it called the band.
Head : The component of a setting that holds the center diamond in place. The head may be a prong or bezel setting. The head may be the same metal as the setting or a different color for contrast. Heads are often interchangeable (for example, a peg-style head). The shape and cutting style of the gemstone to be set in the setting will determine the type of head to use.
Prongs : Prongs are narrow metal supports, usually in groups of four or six, that secure the gemstone in its setting. Six-prong settings are more stable than four-prong settings because of the possibility of prong breakage. Conversely, setting a diamond with four prongs means there is less metal covering the gemstone, making the diamond more visually impressive. There are many more factors to consider, and you can learn about the pros and cons of different prong settings in How to Decide: Four or Six Prongs for Your Engagement Ring .
In this semi-mounted ring, a platinum band with melee diamonds tops the four-prong head. If you like the ring but want a different shape or size of diamond, or want a band in yellow or rose gold instead of platinum, your jeweler may be able to provide the combination you want.
Bezel setting : This setting uses a narrow band of metal to surround the gemstone and hold it in place. A bezel setting protects the edges of the gemstone from bumps and dings, but it also reduces its brightness.
A 14K white gold bezel protects the center stone. Bezels are a good choice for active people. This bezel setting is suitable for round diamonds. If you want a different shape of diamond, your jeweler will order a bezel setting to match the stone.
Channel Setting : A channel setting is one in which gemstones of the same size are set edge to edge along two parallel metal walls, with no metal between the stones. This setting is often used for melee diamonds.
Channel-set melee diamonds adorn the band of this diamond engagement ring and the matching wedding band. Six prongs securely hold the center diamond in place.
Bead setting : This style places diamonds or other gemstones in small holes drilled into the metal. The surrounding metal is then pushed into a bead to hold the gemstone securely in place.
This 14K yellow gold semi-mounted engagement ring uses a bead setting to secure the smaller diamonds before adding the oval center stone to complete the look.
Pave setting: Pave setting is a setting where many small diamonds are densely packed in a honeycomb pattern. Like a bead setting, the diamonds are set in small holes drilled in the metal and held in place by tiny metal beads. The overall effect is a continuous field of diamonds that sparkle.
Pave diamonds can add sparkle to an engagement ring.
Halo Setting : This design style typically features many smaller diamonds set around the center diamond. Diamonds are usually bead-set or channel-set. The halo setting is very popular because it adds sparkle and makes the center diamond appear larger.
Halo settings have been a popular design over the past few years, as have split-shank engagement rings (where the shank splits on either side of the center stone), and this semi-mounted ring has both—and features 0.75 ct of melee diamonds.
Creating Your Own Engagement Ring: Choosing a Gemstone
Diamonds have become a universal symbol of love. Given their rarity, it’s only natural that you’d want to use lots of diamonds to create your own engagement ring. Using center diamonds, side diamonds and melee diamonds ensures your engagement ring sparkles like no other.
Center Diamond : The center stone is the center of attention, so you should choose the best diamond within your budget. Not sure where to start? Start with the shape. Round diamonds are the most popular for engagement rings. Square diamonds are also popular, most commonly in the princess cut . Oval, rectangular, marquise and heart shapes, each shape has its own advantages for establishing a special look or style. Not sure what to choose? Our diamond shape guide can help you.
If you want sparkle in a diamond, then you can choose a diamond with brilliant cut facets. This gemstone cutting style is available in a variety of shapes, with triangular and kite-shaped facets extending from the center of the diamond to the girdle. The popular round brilliant cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets, depending on whether the culet is faceted or not.
The round brilliant will always be the most popular diamond shape and cut, so many semi-mounted ring designs can accommodate this type of diamond in a variety of sizes.
No matter which diamond shape and cut you choose, it’s important to be familiar with the 4Cs of diamond quality : color , clarity , cut and carat weight . If you’re trying to prioritize your choices, read What Criteria Matter Most? Once you have this important information, you can choose the perfect diamond for your unique engagement ring.
Many brides-to-be love the sparkle and classic beauty of a princess cut diamond.
Diamond Side Stones : Side stones play a supporting but important role in an engagement ring. They frame the center stone and add sparkle to the ring. You can choose diamonds of any shape and size. Baguettes are commonly used as side stones. These diamonds are usually rectangular and step-cut, small diamonds that are square or tapered in cross-section. Some baguettes are almost square, while others are rectangular with a length-to-width ratio of 5:1 or even longer.
Thanks to the engagement ring Prince Harry gave to Meghan Markle (now the Duchess of Sussex), three-stone engagement rings have become a popular, classic style.
This three-stone engagement ring features oval diamonds. The 1.70 ct center stone is flanked by 0.78 ct diamond side stones. In this ring style, you will most likely choose side stones as well as the center stone.
Melee Diamonds : Adding melee diamonds is sure to add a lot of sparkle to a diamond engagement ring. These diamonds can be as small as 0.001 carat (1/1000 of a carat) and are usually cut into tiny round brilliant cut diamonds and set around the center stone or in the band.
Melee diamonds are an essential element of semi-mounted rings, often used to create a halo of light to compliment the center diamond. Melee diamonds can be channel-set, bead-set, or pave-set. Melee diamonds can also be set in the band or even with prongs to create a dramatic sparkle. The semi-mounted ring you choose reflects the setting style you choose for your melee diamonds.
This double halo semi-mount ring features 0.60 carats of melee diamonds in a 14K white and yellow gold band. The semi-mount setting includes all the melee diamonds, leaving the client to select only the center stone.
Colored Gemstones: If you want additional ways to accent your diamond engagement ring, consider colored gemstones. Sapphires and rubies are two classic choices. They have been prized for centuries, either as center stones or as beautiful accents for side stones or melee. With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale , they are hardwearing and suitable for everyday wear.
Six sapphire side stones bring this semi-mounted engagement ring to life.
If you want to use a colored gemstone as the center stone for your engagement ring, you have many other options: morganite , garnet, spinel, and more. Any of these will give a semi-mounted diamond ring a unique look. Our Buying Guide: Colored Gemstone Engagement Rings will help you decide which colored gemstone is best for you.
Creating Your Own Engagement Ring: Choosing the Metal
Gold, rose gold, white gold and platinum are all metals that work well for semi-mounted rings. They are beautiful and hardwearing, ideal qualities for a ring that will be worn for a lifetime.
Each metal has a different look: white metal fits perfectly with a stylish, modern aesthetic; yellow gold is a traditional choice; rose gold evokes romance and is very on trend. Different metals were also popular during different periods, such as platinum during the Art Deco period and rose gold during the vintage period. You can use them to evoke a certain fashion or period.
This 14K rose gold engagement ring started life as a semi-mount. Made to complement a pear-shaped center stone, it comes pre-set with 0.33 ct of melee diamonds that form a halo along the shank. Semi-mounts can be ordered in different metal colors to match diamonds of various shapes and sizes.
Mixing metals is very popular—like a yellow gold band with white gold prongs. Jewelers will also recommend different colored prongs based on the color of the diamond or gemstone. For example, if you choose a diamond in the D to J color range, white prongs will highlight the colorlessness of the center stone. If the gemstone is M to Z color, yellow prongs will complement the pale yellow color of the diamond. The goal is to best bring out the beauty of the diamond or gemstone. Here is a detailed guide on how to choose the right color of gold for your engagement ring .
A 1 ct round brilliant cut diamond is framed by two halos of cushion cut melee diamonds set in both white and rose gold. The crown rests on a split shank with a halo of diamonds.
This 14K yellow and white gold engagement ring features a round brilliant cut diamond and a halo of melee diamonds in the shank.
Creating Your Own Engagement Ring: Defining the Style
When you look at the steps to creating your own engagement ring, you’ll find that semi-mounted rings offer a lot of options. That’s the good news. The bad news: You have a lot of options! So how do you choose?
It helps to have a style in mind. If you’re looking for inspiration, start by looking at engagement rings from the Victorian , Art Nouveau , Edwardian , Art Deco , and Vintage periods . Different motifs, popular diamond shapes, and other features are characteristic of each period. You’ll find that many semi-mounted rings feature carvings, filigree inlays, and other decorative touches that evoke a specific historical period. Choosing one of these themes will surely add personality and sparkle to your engagement ring.
The center stone of this modern ring can easily be swapped out for a different shape or size diamond, or even a colored gemstone. Using a simple yet elegant half mount technique, an engagement ring can be customized to fit your taste and budget.
If you want a more modern setting, flip through some bridal magazines, look at the offerings online, or better yet, spend some time browsing jewelry stores to familiarize yourself with the various options for semi-mounted rings.
Are you ready to create your own engagement ring? Or maybe you’re looking for more inspiration? Read our blog Engagement Ring Styles: 7 Unstoppable Trends for more ideas on how to create a beautiful, unique engagement ring just for her.
