The advantages of a rub-over setting
Natural yellow princess cut diamond platinum ring

/One of the questions I am often asked is,  why don’t I claw set my stones, doesn’t it make diamonds sparkle more. which has prompted me to this blog ”  The advantages of a rub-over setting”

There are numerous advantages of a rub-over setting. They are easier to wear, keep the stone cleaner, and last longer. T

For those who don’t know, I have a rather unconventional training within the jewellery trade. I trained as a scientific and medical instrument maker in Cambridge, an engineer with skills I have transferred into the making of jewellery. Put simply, setting a stone is a way of holding it captive. I wasn’t happy with any of the ways I saw in books, or tools in the shops, so I made my own tools, and have been fine-tuning the technique ever since. I have studied both diamonds and gemstones at the Gemmological Association here in London, so have an excellent understanding of gemology.

The first advantage of rub-over setting has been proven to me in the 25 plus years I’ve been making jewellery, ease of wear. Everything I produce, comes with a guarantee for life and complimentary cleaning, Everyone who brings rings in for cleaning is delighted how easy the rings are to wear, no claws to catch, you can easily put gloves on, hands in your pockets, do not snag on clothing, ideal to be worn all day every day.

Diamond rub-over set platinum ring
Platinum Diamond rub-over set ring

The second advantage is related to the first, the rub-over setting helps protect the stones, not only from knocks and bumps, but also from grease and dirt. Being hydrophobic, diamonds readily repel water, but have an affinity to grease. Thus they attract grease readily, which stops them sparkling. Claw settings are especially good at holding grease, which dulls the beauty of not only diamonds but also all faceted stones. As the grease builds up over time, it often completely fills up the void under the diamond in a claw set ring, which doesn’t look attractive, completely kills the beauty of a stone, sometimes even causing skin irritation.

The third advantage is security, the rub-over setting I make is much more secure than claws, and won’t need the regular maintenance a claw set ring will with re-tipping

Of course, I prefer the look of a rub-over setting, the thickness can be varied to suit, and additional stones set within it to give it a more traditional look. Stones always look bigger when rub-over set, especially white diamonds in platinum or the colour of a stone maximised, a ruby will look more opulent by being surrounded by yellow gold. The rings I make can be stacked, thus make ideal engagement and wedding sets, without the compromise of a gap between the two.

In my opinion, rub-over set stones are more attractive and stay that way longer.

Oh I forget to mention diamonds don’t sparkle more when set in claws, it’s an old wives tale. A well-cut diamond will have complete internal reflection, the back facets reflecting all the light back to your eye, thus they sparkle as much when rub-over set, all the above points help keep it that way.

diamonds-all-you-need-to-know-part-3-cut & carat
Why is diamond cut so important

Good jewellery design is the perfect balance of art and science.

GDPR

European Union GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations)

The EU GDPR is designed to help all of us have more control over our personal data, and how is it used.

Who does the information GDPR apply to?

Data subjects, being all visitors and users of any website who are members of the European Union, and therefore who submit personal data. donaldryker.com is the data processor and data controller of this site. You can find out more about this law here.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how I, David Ashton use and protect any information that you give when you use this website.

I am committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should I ask you to provide certain information from which you can be identified when using this website, you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

If I change this policy I will update this page. You should check from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 22 August 2012.

What I collect

I may collect the following information:

  • your name
  • contact information including email address
  • demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers
What I do with the information I gather

I require this information to provide you with a better service and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • I may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • I may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which I think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
  • From time to time, I may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. I may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. I may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
Security

I am committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, I have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information I collect online.

How I use cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

I use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps me analyse data about web page traffic and improve the website. I only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help provide you with a better website by monitoring which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Links to other websites

My website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that I do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, I cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways. If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing or emailing me.

I will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless I have your permission or are required by law to do so. I may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which I think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which I hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. 

If you believe that any information I are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please email us as soon as possible.  I will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

Google Analytics

User and Event Data Retention

User-level and event-level data associated with Google Analytics cookies is retained for 14 months and then automatically deleted.

IP Anonymization

I have implemented IP Anonymization, simply put, the last three digits of your IP address are set to zeros in memory shortly after being sent to the Analytics Collection Network. The full IP address is never retained, or written to disk.