The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Tension Set Wedding Rings By Kirsten Hawkins, Sat Dec 10th
As an alternative to the traditional channel set wedding andengagement rings, rings created with a process called tensionsetting have started to become popular in recent years. Tensionset wedding rings and engagement rings have a stone (typically adiamond, although tension setting can be used with any preciousgem) that is set in an opening in the ring itself and held bytension of the open ends of the ring pressing against the stone.Jewelers agree that there are both positive and negative aspectsto choosing tension set rings. The Benefits Tension set rings are beautiful. Because the design is sounique, your tension set wedding or engagement ring willdefinitely draw people's attention. The rings are available inall the typical styles one would expect, including rings ofgold, platinum, titanium, and white gold, but the tensionsetting gives them a stylized and modernistic look that channelset rings are simply not capable of. People will examine thering up close and, if they've never seen a tension settingbefore, will wonder how in the world that stone stays in place.You'll find that your tension set wedding ring will be a topicof conversation at many a social gathering. Makers of tension set wedding rings insist that the stone isimmoveable and will never be lost. Whether this is actually trueis the topic of some debate, but it is a claim that can not bemade for channel set rings as we know that channel set stonescan sometimes work their way loose and be lost. The
Drawbacks It is difficult for a jeweler to effectively resize a tensionset ring of any kind. The process of resizing a ring actuallyalters the shape and thickness of the metal and this will causea change in the amount of tension holding the stone in place.This is particularly troubling for someone with a tension setwedding ring, since the ring is meant to be worn forever. As aperson ages, their body changes so, even someone who doesn'tgain or lose weight over the years (and that's a scant few ofus) will still likely have a different ring size when he or shereaches the age of fifty than he or she did at age twenty five. While proponents of tension settings do make the aforementionedclaim that the stone is immoveable, opponents of the process sayquite the opposite. Several jewelers claim that they have beenapproached by people looking for advice on how to replace a loststone from a tension set wedding ring. The jury is still out,therefore, on whether tension settings really are more effectivethan the more traditional channel settings.
The final drawback is for the jewelers themselves. Jeweler KeithFarley
states on the InForm web site that it is very easy for aperson to
intentionally remove the stone from a tension setring. This, obviously,
makes it that much easier for a dishonestcustomer to remove the stone
and then come back to the jewelerseeking a replacement under the
terms of a warranty, claimingthat the setting was lost.
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