Choosing an engagement ring can sometimes be more complicated than anticipated. Unless your partner conveniently leaves their Engagement Ring Pinterest page open, it's easy to be intimidated by the amount of options out there. A common question we get when helping with ring selection is ‘what is a semi-mount?!’ & ‘why do they cost less than the other rings?’.
A semi-set ring, semi-mount or mountings are prefabricated rings that do not have a centre stone set (or often have a cubic zirconia temporarily set to help you visualize a diamond). This gives you the freedom to choose the colour, quality, & price of the centre stone yourself. Semi-mounts not only allow you to customize your ring, but can also help you stick to your budget while getting the perfect ring. Since the ring components are ready-made, you save much time & labor that typically goes into designing a fully-custom engagement ring.
Much like buying a finished ring, you have choices & details to consider when purchasing a semi-mount:
Style: popular engagement ring styles include solitaire, halo, accented, vintage-inspired, & 3-stone.
Metal: yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and platinum are beautiful & durable metals ideal for a ring meant to last a lifetime.
Centre Stone: the most important choice, as the centre stone is the star of the ring. Diamonds are the most popular as they are vibrant & durable. However we are seeing more and more clients have fun with coloured sapphires & gems such as spinel. The beauty of semi-mounts is you can choose any type of stone you’d like.
Settings: a detail often overlooked that actually makes a big impact on the design! Setting styles include basket, peg-head, bezel, channel & pavé.
Mountings allow you to create a ring that is uniquely yours. Once you’ve chosen all your components, a bench jeweler will assemble them to create your dream engagement ring. Though we love designing engagement rings, we understand that your partner has individual tastes that we might not have in stock. Semi-mounts are a quick & cost effective alternative to going full custom (an item made completely from scratch).
Check out our blog on The Best Stones For Engagement Rings for some inspiration. We are now fully open with safety procedures in place! Book here or stop by our downtown storefront at 206 Sparks Street in Ottawa. Our jewelry professionals are happy to help you with this exciting process.