The Durability of the Micro-Pavé Design
The pave setting uses very small diamonds and sets them closely together, in the way cobblestones are set. There is something called micro-pavé, which can only be set while viewing under a magnifying glass, with the melee diamonds used in this being no bigger than 0.005ct.
This is a very popular setting choice when it comes to engagement rings. However, there are some very obvious durability concerns that come with it. With melee diamonds, there is the chance of them falling out of pave shanks, which means the wearer can lose diamonds at any time that they are not looking. This makes the use of handmade prongs a sensible choice, although it would not require hand fabricating the entire ring. For instance, the cups holding the melee diamonds can be CAD-casted, and the pave beads can be added by hand after that.
Bright Cut Pavé
This is one type under micro-pavé, where the durability is boosted by securing
each stone with two or even four beads. Either choice allows the jeweler to come up with the look you have in mind.
