Pavé Engagement Rings

Pavé means paved: small diamonds set close together along the band so the metal almost disappears under them. The effect is continuous brightness from the centre stone outwards, instead of a single bright point on a plain shank.

Coverage is the variable that matters and it is rarely stated plainly. Half coverage runs diamonds along the top half of the band, which is all you see when the ring is worn — and it costs less and resizes more easily. Three-quarter and full coverage carry the stones further round; full pavé is the most brilliant and the hardest to resize later, because you cannot cut through a diamond-set section.

If you expect to change ring size in the years ahead, half or three-quarter coverage is the sensible choice, and visually the difference is almost nothing.

What to look for: the pavé stones should be even in size and height, with the tiny beads of metal that hold them neat and regular. Irregular pavé catches the eye as untidiness rather than sparkle. Shared-prong versions, where two stones sit under one prong, show more diamond and less metal.