What Is a Pavé Setting: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying

What Is a Pavé Setting?

Pavé (pronounced “pa-vey”) is a setting that consists of a lot of small gemstones or diamonds attached to the setting by small prongs that look more like droplets of metal. As a result, the surface of the jewelry looks like it has been paved with diamonds or other stones.

The word “pavé” comes from French and means “paved” (also “pavement”), but in the U.S., it is also spelled as “pave”.

Why Choose a Pavé Setting?

Jewelry with pave settings is a good choice if you want a piece that provides a lot of sparkle but also has an affordable price tag.

Diamond wedding ring with a pave setting

Since the individual stones in these settings are small and less visible, their cuts are simpler, and the gems are therefore cheaper.

In addition, the bead-like metal droplets that hold the stones together also add to the visual effect, as long as they are not too large.

Here you can design your own diamond ring and choose from a number of settings, including pave.

How to Choose and Evaluate Pavé Diamonds

The value of pave diamonds is based on the four major diamond quality characteristics: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight (size).

Color

As with all diamonds, the more colorless a pave diamond, the higher its value.

Check the color grade of the stones in the pave setting, and keep in mind that you don’t need to pay for the highest possible grade to get pave diamonds that look reasonably white.

Diamonds graded G or H look pretty colorless and do not cost as much as stones with a color grade of D, E or F.

Also, make sure the color of the diamonds in the setting is consistent throughout – you don’t want patches of brighter or darker stones standing out in the diamond cluster and spoiling the overall impression.

Clarity

The higher the clarity grade of pave diamonds, the higher their value. However, since these stones are small, you don’t need to go for perfect clarity, which nobody would be able to appreciate anyway.

So, instead of buying pave diamonds of FL or IF clarity, take a look at the jewelry made with VS1 or VS2 stones – in most cases, you will find that it looks not much different but is much cheaper.

As with diamond color, you also need to make sure the clarity of the stones in the pave setting is consistent and no diamonds stick out as darker spots when you look at the jewelry.

Cut

The cut of pave diamonds is something you don’t need to worry much about. Since these stones are small, they are cut in simpler shapes than diamonds of regular size to reduce labor costs.

Cut affects sparkle and brilliance, and the best way to evaluate them when it comes to pave diamonds is to just look at the set of stones and see how bright it looks.

Size

Pave diamonds are small, and the smaller a diamond, the less it costs per carat. The carat of a pave-diamond piece of jewelry is usually stated in total carat weight (abbreviated TCW or CTW), which is the sum of the carats of all stones in the setting.

By dividing the price of pave jewelry items by their TCW, you can compare them on their price per carat and see which piece is a better deal.

Also, make sure the size of the pave diamonds is consistent and there are no stones that are visibly bigger or smaller than the rest.

Tips for Buying a Pavé Setting with Diamonds

When picking a pave setting, you should pay attention to some important points to ensure you are getting your money’s worth. Here are some guidelines on how to inspect a pave setting to make sure its quality is acceptable:

Check for loose stones.

To ensure that the pave diamonds are held securely in their places, touch the surface of the piece and run your fingers over it.

There should not be any stones that move or wiggle when touched. Look at the setting with a loupe, and see if there are any prongs that hold their stones loosely.

Check the alignment of the diamonds.

Make sure the pave surface is smooth to the touch. Sometimes, there are stones that are out of alignment because they were not set properly. Check for such diamonds that stick out.

Check for damaged diamonds.

Oftentimes, when pave diamonds are set in a mounting, some of the stones may break if too much force is exerted in the process.

Take a magnifying glass, and look closely at the diamonds: There shouldn’t be any stones that are chipped, cracked, or otherwise damaged.

Stones should not overlap.

Inspect the diamonds with a loupe, and look at how they are arranged. The stones should be set close next to each other, and they can even touch, but they shouldn’t overlap.

If a diamond is set so that a part of it is on top of another stone, the pressure and friction can cause either diamond to chip or crack at some point.

Prongs should not stick out.

Run your fingers over the pave setting’s surface to feel if some of the prongs stick out.

Also, check them using a loupe. If the prongs’ tips sit too high, they could catch on clothes or hair and get easily damaged when hit accidentally.

Prongs should not be too big or too small.

This is a somewhat aesthetic consideration: If the prongs holding the pave diamonds are too big, the stones will be overshadowed.

On the other hand, the prongs should not be too small to hold the stones in place securely.

How to Care for a Pavé Setting

Generally, pave settings don’t need much special care. The stones are usually held pretty tight together by the tiny prongs. And the prongs themselves are very safe as they are not worn out, bent or broken off as easily as larger, standard prongs. As a result, pave settings are safer when it comes to everyday wear and tear.

All that doesn’t mean that pave settings can’t get damaged at all, so try and avoid hitting or bumping your jewelry as much as possible.

Click here to browse an extensive selection of pave jewelry.

Wearing Pavé Jewelry

When wearing your pave jewelry, make sure it is clean, as it is very easy for dust or other particles to get caught between the stones.

Be careful when wearing pave jewelry with other pieces because their hard or abrasive surfaces may damage your pave gemstones.