What are talon claws?
Talon claws describe a claw or prong setting style based on the appearance of the talons of a bird of prey. Elongated polished claws narrow to a fine point pointing inward towards the centre of a gemstone. This is one of many setting styles used to hold diamonds and gemstones in place.
What are round claws or prongs?
Round claws or prongs differ from talon claws and do not point inward towards the centre of the stone. In fact, round claws hold a diamond or gemstone around its girdle. As the name suggests, prongs are polished to a round, circular shape and positioned at equal intervals around the diamond or gem.
Which is better for an engagement ring?
Both types of claw settings provide a popular prong style for engagement rings. A talon-shaped claw can provide added security for the gemstone and a flair of style. This setting style remains popular for large diamonds and gemstones. When it comes to smaller gemstones, round claws remain popular, polished to a very small size—less intrusive around a smaller gem.
The shape of the stone often inspires jewellery design. For example, talon-shaped claws suit round and Emerald-cut diamonds and complement the shape of facets. Conversely, Princess cut diamonds suit square, angular claws.
How are talon and round claws created? Common issues.
Both prong styles originate from the same straight prong design, bent over the edge of the stone during the setting. Round prongs are shorter and fashioned into a distinctive circular shape. By comparison, talon prongs appear longer, tapered to a fine point.
Unless each type of prong rests flush against the gemstone surface, snagging can occur against clothes. For this reason, we recommend you contact your jeweller if you experience any sharpness or snagging during wear. If left unattended to, claws can be bent and damaged as a result.
Finer details for each prong style
Depending on the level of attention to detail, some setters rotate the diamond or gemstone to position the points of each talon in alignment with the facets of the diamond or gemstone.
Examples of talon claws and round claws for jewellery
Many of our jewellery commissions provide excellent examples of each prong setting style. We create jewellery with both styles, taking into account personal preference, design and security for gemstones.
Firstly, we’ll look at pointed talon-shaped prongs around two types of gemstone jewellery we created.
The ‘Lola’ Emerald cut diamond engagement ring with pointed claws complimenting the diamond facets.
Next, we have included round claw examples taken from previous jewellery commission photos. Notice how the prongs remain closer to the edge compared to the above setting styles.
Video examples of each claw style
The following videos show further examples of each prong type. Firstly, round claws.
Next, our following example shows the beautiful effect created by pointed prongs securing the diamond or gemstone.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.
