What is a Trellis Setting Ring?

Elegant and stylish, trellis settings offer subtle design elements that elevate the charm and distinctive nature of a ring. It’s a popular setting style for engagement rings because of its versatility, beautiful way of highlighting a center stone, and subtle yet unique appeal. Often considered to be a very artistic way to set a stone, the trellis setting is definitely one to know when you’re thinking about an engagement ring.

What is a Trellis Setting?

From a face-up view, you may not even notice a trellis setting. But when you view the ring from any other angle you’ll see the intricate beauty of the trellis setting design. The actual setting is a type of prong setting that features interweaving or overlapping prongs. When viewed from a profile angle, the crossing of prongs creates a distinctive X in the center of the setting.

One of the original interpretations of the trellis setting was the Lucida engagement ring from Tiffany. The ring featured sweeping and interlacing prongs and a small bar that encircled through the middle of the prongs creating a basket. This created a bridge between the prongs helping to reinforce their rigidity and keeping them from bending any further. Today, most trellis settings continue to have this basket feature for added strength and security.

Pros

A trellis setting adds an extra element of elegant design that works very well with a wide variety of engagement ring styles.
The interwoven prongs with the added support of the bar making a basket hold the center stone very securely.

Cons

While trellis settings are quite popular, there may not be as many examples of trellis setting designs as more traditional prong settings.
Trellis settings have additional crevices where dirt and debris can build up, so it’s more work to clean.

trellis setting ring viewed from the side

What to Know About a Trellis Setting Ring

In comparison to the traditional prong setting, the trellis setting has some additional features that are pleasing to the eye while still staying practical and durable for many different lifestyles.

Adds Subtle Elegance

While the focal point of any engagement ring is usually the center stone, it’s fair to say that the setting of the ring also makes a big impact. A trellis setting adds unmistakeable elegance and charm, but it’s subtle. When viewed from a face-up angle, the trellis setting isn’t obvious. It becomes apparent from different angles that are often neglected design parts of the ring.

Room for Multiple Gemstones

The most common design for engagement rings is a solitaire setting. But the trellis setting has a great advantage of being able to hold multiple gemstones in prominent positions, not just one. The sweeping crossover design of the trellis means that long, thin prongs stretch from one side of the main gemstone to the far side of the adjacent gemstone. The resulting pattern can hold many gemstones in U-shaped prongs without looking like too much metal.

Works as Simple or Embellished

The nature of the trellis setting is that it completely holds its own as a simple design featuring interwoven metalwork. But it can also support all types of embellishments without overwhelming the design or the center stone. The more open configuration allows space for milgrain or filigree work or even extra diamond accents, without overshadowing the ring itself.

More Support for Prongs

Prongs are the most popular way to set a gemstone in an engagement ring. However, they’re not the most secure way to go. The interweaving design adds strength to the design, and the additional placement of a metal band wrapping between the prongs as a type of basket reinforces the strength of each individual prong and the design structure on a whole.

Any Shape Stone Will Do

Trellis settings are a very flexible choice for an engagement ring setting as they will beautifully showcase any shape of center stone. As the prongs curve up to the stone, they can be rounded to cradle more rounded shapes like cushion and oval, or left more straight to accommodate squared shapes like princess and emerald.

Fewer Options Available

Trellis settings and cathedral settings are often considered similar types of prong settings. When it comes to available designs to peruse and consider, there are simply more cathedral style settings as opposed to trellis style settings. While seeing trellis settings already created may be more difficult, you should be able to design a trellis setting you love with a skilled jeweler.

More Difficult to Clean

Once a year, your engagement ring should be professionally cleaned. In between those visits, doing maintenance cleanings on your ring will be slightly more difficult with a trellis setting. The curving nature of the prongs creates areas where dirt and residue are more likely to get trapped and build up over time. Effectively reaching those areas will be tougher and make the cleaning process lengthier.

Montana Sapphire in Trellis Setting

Should You Choose a Trellis Setting?

Trellis setting engagement rings are very popular as three stone and even five stone rings. Many consider it to be one of the most unique and elegant ways to accentuate the setting of a multiple gemstone ring. And because it’s so versatile, any size or shape of gemstone is suitable for a trellis setting, as well as any color of metal.

If you lead a more active lifestyle, or have a profession in which you use your hands a lot, a trellis setting is ideal as long as you’re still careful. Since the prongs have multiple areas of support built in, the gemstones are held very securely – one of the most secure styles for a prong-based setting. And you don’t have to sacrifice any embellishments or a certain design aesthetic to achieve that strength and security.

The trellis setting tends to be a bit more of a high profile setting, but it’s not as likely to snag on clothes or furniture as a cathedral setting. The setting is quite suitable for a range of budgets, depending on whether you opt for extra stones, additional metalwork, or diamond accents along the trellis or the band. But for many who love this style, simple and sleek is a favorite way to go.

We created the epitome of this simple and sleek concept with our Hetty. It’s a stunning three-stone engagement ring with a trellis setting where the interwoven prongs create the appearance of hearts to cradle the diamonds. The curving nature of the prongs in a trellis setting also make them very well-suited for nature-inspired looks, something our Adamaris exudes.

Timeless, practical, and elegant, the trellis setting has something so subtly special about it that it’s hard to go wrong with it when considering your engagement ring. If you’re looking for a perfect balance between functional strength and unexpected beauty, a trellis setting may be just what you’re looking for.