Tension Setting

Everything You Need to Know About Tension Settings

Oval lab grown diamond solitaire ring in platinum, front view — A tension setting removes even the prongs you see here, leaving the stone apparently unsupported

Oval solitaire lab grown diamond ring in yellow gold inside Ronora box — A tension setting removes even the prongs you see here, leaving the stone apparently unsupported

Quick Summary

A tension setting holds the diamond by compression alone. The two ends of the band are sprung apart, the stone is fitted into small grooves cut into each end, and the metal squeezes back together with several hundred kilograms of force. There are no prongs and no bezel, so the diamond appears to float between the ends of the band. It is the most dramatic setting there is and the most demanding to build, because the metal has to be engineered to hold that spring permanently.

Tension setting was patented in Germany in the late 1960s and has stayed a specialist technique ever since. The effect is unmistakable: a diamond suspended in mid-air with light reaching it from almost every direction, and the highest proportion of visible stone of any setting.

An honest note. Ronora does not currently hold a tension set piece in the published collection. We build them to order, and the guidance below is written so you can decide whether it is right for you before you commission one.

True Tension and Tension Style

Two very different things are sold under the same name, and the difference matters.

True tension. The stone is held only by the compressive force of the band. Nothing else touches it. The metal must be work hardened to a precise spring temper, the grooves must be cut to the exact girdle thickness, and the band cannot be resized afterwards without rebuilding the whole ring.
Tension style. The band looks open, but a discreet bar, rail or partial bezel behind the stone carries the load. Visually very similar from the front. Far more forgiving, resizable, and safer for a stone worn every day.

Most rings described as tension settings in the market are tension style. Neither is dishonest, but you should know which one you are buying.

True Tension vs Tension Style

The front view is nearly the same. Everything behind it is different.

True Tension vs Tension Style
	True tension	Tension style
What holds the stone	Compression only	A hidden bar or partial bezel
Look from the front	Fully suspended	Almost identical
Resizing	Not possible without a rebuild	Possible within limits
Metal required	Spring tempered, high purity limits	Any standard alloy
Suitable shapes	Round, oval, princess, emerald	Most shapes
Everyday wear	Needs periodic tension checks	Straightforward
Cost	Highest of any setting	Comparable to a solitaire

For a ring that will be worn daily for decades, tension style is the sensible choice. True tension is worth commissioning when the engineering itself is the point.

Before You Commission One

The girdle does the work. The stone is gripped at its thinnest point, so a diamond with a knife-thin girdle is a poor candidate. See diamond anatomy.
Diamond is the right stone for it. At 10 on the Mohs scale, diamond handles the pressure. Softer gemstones generally do not.
Size the finger before we start. A true tension band is built around one finger size. Read the ring size guide first.
Metal choice is not free. The band must hold a spring temper, which rules out the softest alloys. Platinum and 14K white gold are the usual answers. See jewelry metals.
Have the tension checked. Once a year, like prongs. A knock hard enough to spread the band is the one real risk.
If you want the floating look without the constraints, a floating bezel with an open gallery or a minimalist east-west design gets close with none of the trade-offs.

Tension Settings at Ronora

Tension and tension style rings are made to order at our Surat workshop around real CVD lab grown diamonds at Excellent cut, D-E-F colourless and VVS clarity. Tell us the shape, the carat and the finger size and we will tell you honestly which of the two constructions suits you. Meanwhile, see all setting types or the published solitaire rings.