5 Reasons You’ll Love a Low Profile Engagement Ring

Love sweaters? Us too. We love cotton, merino, those $99 cashmere sweaters Nadaam makes. There’s nothing better than pulling on a sweater and cozying up with your partner in front of a crackling fire. But, when that sweater starts coming off, the pointy prongs of a taller setting are likely to snag. Prepare to spend the next few moments untangling your sweater rather than doing, ahem, other things. For that reason, it’s best to use protection — meet the bezel.

While any type of engagement ring setting can be low profile, low profile bezel set engagement rings are the lowest maintenance of the bunch. With a thin, streamlined frame of metal holding your diamond firmly in place, you can worry less about what to wear, and more about what’s for lunch.

You have a dog

Dog parent? Whether your fluffy friend is a a Terrier or a Komondor, the kind of care you’ll want to take of your dog might not be compatible with taking care of your ring. Imagine the leash getting caught on your pointy solitaire as your dog does a 180 to chase a squirrel. How about the brushing, bathing, grooming, and of course petting that happens every day. Prong-set rings can get stuck in hair. Poorly made rings can bend or even break. With a low-profile engagement ring it’s much less of an issue.

You love to travel

Like most self-respecting millennials, we love to travel. Even better if it’s spontaneous. We might complain about the lack of legroom inside that 500mph aluminum tube, but, the journey is always part of the fun.

Now imagine future you, jet setting all over for your new job. Do you want a tall ring getting in the way when you lift your bag into the overhead? Do you want to worry about the diamond snagging your coat liner when you pull your passport from your interior pocket? How about when you pull out your laptop to work on a presentation. You have better things to do than continually upright your ring. Why not choose a low-profile setting that won’t get in the way of your trips or your career.

How to choose a low profile engagement ring that won’t catch or snag

Once you’ve decided to choose a low-profile engagement ring, the next question you might ask yourself is how? Most engagement rings aren’t labeled low-profile. Because of this, it can be difficult to know what to buy. Here are our top three tips for evaluating a ring’s practicality.

Look at the point of the diamond

For a low profile look that stacks flush with an engagement ring, the point of the diamond (known as the culet) should hover a fraction of a mm above the band.

For a low profile look that doesn’t stack flush you can recess the point into the band for an even lower look.

Choose your setting wisely

If you want the lowest-maintenance, lowest-profile setting: a platinum or yellow gold bezel is the way to go. This combination requires the lowest maintenance over time. It won’t require the occasional re-plating that white gold does. It also won’t require prong tightening the way that prong-set styles do.

If you’re set on a stackable solitaire, remember what we said earlier. Take a look at the ring’s profile view to see where the point of the diamond ends. This is the best way to evaluate a setting’s height.

Opt for three stones

If you want that big look without a tall stone, a three-stone setting like our cushion cut three stone could be perfect for you. Three stone settings are generally lower profile and complement the curvature of your finger. This means they are less likely to get stuck or caught on things.

Love a low profile look but afraid your diamond will look dull?

Worry not. The way diamond work — light passes through the top of a diamond, entering the stone at the table and crown areas. In poorly cut diamonds, light will exit through the lower facets of the diamond that make up the pavillion. In well cut diamonds, light will bounce around the inside, and come back out through the top of the diamond, creating sparkle that will be impossible to ignore.

Moving your diamond a few millimeters closer to the sun is not going to make it sparklier, it’s just going to make it harder to wear. Focus on the quality of cut and a setting that suits your lifestyle.