First developed by a German designer, Friedrich Becker, for the German company Niessing in the late 1960's, a technology known as "tension setting" (a term coined by Niessing) can actually make rings so tough that they will last a millennium before losing their spring power and loosening their hold on their captive gemstones.
But then again, you do need incredible strength for a tension setting...which does away with prongs, channels, bezels or any other kind of enclosure to hold gems in place.
In tension setting, the whole ring acts as a stone holder: the stone is held in place by the ring itself, an intrinsically better system than a prong setting which holds with a claw just one-fortieth of an inch thick.
Ironically, though (and much as you might expect), jewelers who sell tension settings must routinely reassure customers that stones seemingly suspended in thin air, with no visible means of support, are actually more secure than gems held by clamps or fasteners of some sort. (They are, incidentally.)
Gelin and Abaci, Inc., a long-standing leader in this technology, produces a wide range of tension settings including earrings, pendants and rings...in platinum, or 14-karat or 18-karat gold.
Our tension-set rings and pendants are manufactured individually, to customer order, by Gelin and Abaci (GAI). The stone selected must be of sufficient quality to withstand the considerable pressure exerted by the setting (SI1 range or better), and GAI remains the final judge as to the suitability of a stone in any case. (If you were to supply a stone which was found by GAI to be unsuitable, it would be returned to us, and to you, unset.) Each setting style has its own specifications for the cut (round, princess, etc.) and size of stone that it can accommodate, although with additional custom charges, Gelin & Abaci can often create a tension set ring or pendant with a stone as large as 5 carats. (We can, of course, help with your diamond selection). In the case of rings, each is made to a specific finger size, and can be resized only by GAI?but they do not guarantee that resizing is possible on all rings. When possible, a variation of only about a quarter-size up or down?or, less frequently, a half-size?may be expected.
Being held by the lateral pressures that are carefully brought to bear at the time of a ring's (or pendant's) creation by GAI, a tension-set stone is protected to a greater extent than if it were held traditionally, with prongs...and in fact, the tension setting is the BEST setting possible for protecting the stone. However, it is still possible to scratch the stone, as in any mounting.
If the stone were to become cracked at some point in the future?for example, by being hit against a hard object?the tension which holds it in place would be lost. If the diamond were to fall out for this reason, there would be no warranty coverage. However, if the stone were to be lost for any other reason?an enormously unlikely occurrence?the ring would be reconstructed under warranty by GAI. The stone itself, however, would not be covered by GAI...and as with any fine jewelry, having the ring protected under one's personal insurance is always a good idea.
We have not listed prices for the items shown in these pages: constant fluctuations in gold and platinum require that we get up-to-the-minute quotes from GAI in order to offer a firm price. If you choose to communicate with us, we will be more than happy to provide current price quotations.
Please contact us if we may be of assistance.
The following information is provided by Gelin and Abaci:
Gelin & Abaci, Inc. is one of four companies in the world that manufacture tension products...and we are one of two such companies in the United States.
We are considered the largest manufacturer of tension products in the world.
The tension concept is over forty years old.
With over 10,000 units sold, there have been no known diamond losses due to design or craftsmanship.
Every unit is closely inspected to ensure that it meets the high standards of G.A.I.
Each tension ring is custom made for a specific diamond size and finger size.
Our tension products are manufactured with special alloys by a sophisticated technique which enables the metal to retain its "memory."
Tension products are considered to be as safe as, or safer than, four-prong settings.
Depending on the style, tension products exert from 65 to 95 pounds of pressure on the center stone.
Tension products have been manufactured for stone sizes from .10 carat to 8.0 carats.
Due to the special "memory" in tension products, all adjustments must be performed by G.A.I. (no exceptions).
Rubies, sapphires, Moissanites and cubic zirconia, as well as diamonds, may be tension set.
Any stone with a surface fracture is not suitable for tension mounting.
Tension mounting is the very best method for showing a stone's brilliance: it can enhance the color as much as two grades.
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