What Are Pave Diamonds?
When you are looking for diamond jewellery, you will frequently see the word 'Pavé' in the description for the jewellery. Sometimes retailers will use the term 'Pave Diamonds', which can make the choice of diamond jewellery even more confusing.
Pavé is not a type of diamond, nor is it related to the diamond itself or its cut or shape. The word 'pavé' refers to the setting style. The word comes from the French word meaning 'to pavé'. Pavé diamonds are set very closely together to resemble the way stones were placed close together to form roads in past centuries.
Pavé needs care and craftsmanship. The artisan needs to work under at least 10x magnification. Many people are unable to appreciate the detail of the work unless they use a jeweller's loupe.
What Does Pavé Add To Diamond Jewellery?
Firstly, each of the three styles of pavé setting look beautiful! At All Diamond, we use pavé settings to accentuate the central diamond in many of our stylish fine jewellery pieces.
Pavé is used to accentuate the central diamond in engagement rings and many other types of jewellery. Pavé can be added to a wedding band to blend with the engagement ring with a subtle sparkle.
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Pavé can be used to create a halo around a central diamond. The halo can make the central diamond look more prominent. Where you see jewellery described as having a halo, this effect is often achieved using pavé.
Round Diamonds And Pavé
Typically only round diamonds are used in pavé settings. That is because the round diamond has the most sparkle and brilliance of all the diamond shapes. Because pavé settings use smaller diamonds, the jewellery designer will use round diamonds to maximise the brilliance and sparkle of the entire piece.
Micro, Petite, Normal Pavé
There are three types of pavé setting; although we only use the main word most of the time, it is helpful to know what the types are so that you can recognise them.
Micro-pavé, petite pavé and pavé refers to the size of the diamonds used and the size of the prongs used to fix the diamonds in place.
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Pave diamonds are sized in the range of 0.01-0.02 carats. Micro-pavé diamonds are diamonds that are smaller than 0.01 carats each. The tiny prongs used to fix the diamonds are smaller in petite pavé than in pavé settings and even smaller in micro-pavé settings. The micro and petite settings are almost invisible in a pavé setting, with tiny metal beads at each corner of the diamonds. The larger settings used in pavé look somewhat like cobblestones at the corner of each diamond.
If you want the diamonds to look like a single band of diamond, then micro-pavé is the way to go because the prongs and gaps are so small. Micro-pavé tends to give a shimmering effect due to the small diamonds. Pavé tends to have more sparkle because the larger diamonds catch and reflect more light.
Pavé Accentuates A Large Centre Stone
Although pavé settings need a high degree of skill to execute well, the effect gives simplicity of design. One of the most common uses for pavé is to accentuate a central diamond on a ring. The pavé diamonds are used in a line leading up the ring's shanks toward the main diamond, drawing the eye to the diamond without overpowering it. The effect on the4 viewer is that the central diamond seems larger because its sparkle appears to be greater than expected.
Our designers sometimes use pavé where they want to use accent stones but do not want to overshadow the main diamond with gemstones that are too large.
If you have a limited budget, look out for a ring or other piece of jewellery that has pavé set around the main stone in a halo. This technique creates a very effective illusion that the diamond has a greater carat weight than it actually has.
A Pavé Field Of Diamonds
Pavé is not only used to accentuate a larger diamond. Pavé and micro-pavé can look fabulous when set into multiple rows. This can have a very striking effect on a diamond ring or earrings. Bear in mind that the tiny diamonds used in pavé are much less costly than larger diamonds. Several rows of pavé used to create a field of diamonds, all sparkling away, can give an impressive appearance on a relatively tight budget.
Pavé The Ring!
We have mentioned using pavé on the shanks of a ring as accent diamonds to call attention to the central diamond, but more can be done! The sides (shanks) of the ring can be split onto two or more strips, each set with pavé. Different sizes of gemstones and patterns can be used to give a great visual effect.
Some of our bands consist entirely of pavé with diamonds and other gemstones mounted in the same row. Blue sapphire and diamonds set as pavé, for example, can give a sophisticated effect that looks like a million dollars, but for a relatively low outlay.
Several of our eternity rings use pavé around the gold or platinum band. These can be a good purchase because it is relatively easy to match up a pavé eternity band with an engagement ring later. Some people even give our pavé eternity rings as engagement rings and even use them as wedding bands.
All Diamond Loves Pavé!
We are huge fans of pavé. This type of ring setting is so versatile and can be used in so many ways. Our clients like it for the same reasons. Still, we think they also appreciate that pavé can give a lot of extra sparkle for not too much money – and we won't argue with the good sense of that idea!
You can check out our fine diamond jewellery that uses pavé settings. We are confident that you will find our UK designers and artisans have something just right as a treat for yourself or as a gift for somebody special.
