Pave set­ting is where small stones encrusted along the ring’s sur­face give the illu­sion of a solid dia­mond sur­face rather than a metal band. Unlike chan­nel or bezel set­tings, a pave set­ting uses only tiny beads or minute prongs to hold each stone, min­i­miz­ing the appear­ance of the metal while max­i­miz­ing the illu­sion of free-​​standing diamonds.

Most pave set­tings are con­structed from white gold or plat­inum in order to fur­ther min­i­mize the metal, though yel­low gold can add a mea­sure of tra­di­tional elegance.

As an engage­ment ring, a pave set­ting incor­po­rates a larger cen­tral stone above the encrusted dia­monds, typ­i­cally in a high Tiffany set­ting. Round and princess are the most fre­quent shapes for cen­ter stones because the remain­der of the set­ting adds suf­fi­cient bril­liance to the ring with­out need­ing a fancier cen­ter stone. In some cases, the cen­ter stone may be a col­ored dia­mond or other gem­stone that is height­ened by its glit­ter­ing surroundings.

While most cen­ter stones are also set with prongs, bezel set­tings are also pop­u­lar because they high­light the stone away from the setting.