Are all solitaire diamond pendants held from the necklace by a bail?

FYI, at first I wasn't quite sure what a "bail" actually was, so I did some research and discovered that it's that triangular looking hook that holds a small pendant to a chain (thought it would be nice to clear this up as I figured there were a lot of people out there who also had no clue what a bail was). And the previous responder is correct. There are a handful of solitaire diamond pendants that are linked to the chain by soldered metal loops or solid metal links.

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No, not all necklaces featuring a solitaire diamond pendant are held from the necklace by a bail. Although this is the more popular setting choice for a solitaire diamond, there are other settings available if you might wish to opt for a different look. I have listed some of these settings for your consideration:

• Full Bezel – In this design the diamond is actually completely surrounded by a band of metal, varying from white gold, platinum or yellow gold, matching the material used in the necklace chain itself. The band is then fitted with two small hoops on either side so that the necklace chain could be attached to it. Using this specific setting for your solitaire diamond pendant means that the diamond is more protected from wear and tear, and thus less prone to damage. Another clear cut advantage for using a full bezel as your solitaire diamond setting is that it could make smaller diamonds appear larger by adding more volume to its edges. It is a very classy design that is loved by many people throughout the world. The most common shape of a diamond used with a full bezel setting is a round one, however it could also be done with a square shaped diamond as well.


• Half Bezel – Similarly to a full bezel setting, the solitaire diamond pendant in a half bezel setting is surrounded by metal, only that this time the metal doesn't completely surround the diamond. Instead, there are only two strips of metal on two sides of the diamond, therefore leaving the remaining two sides exposed. A lot of people prefer this particular setting over the full bezel, because it allows more light to penetrate through the diamond and thus give it much more brilliance. Just like the full bezel, the two strips of metal in the half bezel setting are soldered with two tiny hoops to allow the attachment of the necklace chain. Personally, I would go with this setting because it seems like the perfect framework for your diamond pendant – it protects the problematic edges of your diamond while still allowing light to penetrate through it and show it off beautifully.


• Three Prong Basket: This is yet another solitaire diamond necklace setting which does not involve the use of a bail in order to attach it to its diamond chain. Just like its name suggests, in this necklace setting the diamond is inserted into a metal basket and held in place by three prongs that are equally distributed along the perimeter of the diamond. The two upper prongs are then soldered with two small loops to allow the insertion of the necklace chain. I would not recommend this particular setting if you have a smaller sized solitaire diamond pendant in mind. If you choose to do so, bear in mind that your diamond might end up looking even smaller than it could if it were otherwise set in a full bezel setting, for example. Remember that in a three prong basket setting the diamond really needs to be able to stand on its own, unlike bezel settings where the diamond has "reinforcements" in the form of encompassing metal which makes it appear larger than it actually is. Having said that, if your solitaire diamond is indeed larger than 1 carat in size, I would definitely recommend setting it in a three prong basket setting! It is the most elegant and graceful looking setting out of the three and it allows light to penetrate from all angles, thus making your diamond sparkle and shine better than any other setting.

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No, not all solitaire diamond pendants are held from the chain by a bail. Most bezel set diamond pendants, for example, are attached to the necklace chain by two metal loops on the side of the setting. This type of setting doesn't seem to hang from the necklace, rather, it looks to be held tightly by the chain.

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