Diamond studs
The perfect
diamond stud
Five prongs, Y architecture, French clutch. Reduction, beauty, comfort and security cannot be balanced better than this on a round brilliant stud. I have built a great many. This is the result.
The arithmetic
More stone, less metal
A stud has one job: to show a stone. Everything the metal does beyond that is taken from the diamond. Which is why the setting is not a matter of taste but a calculation with four quantities pulling against each other: visible stone, quiet of form, comfort, and security.
Six prongs are the standard of the trade. They are straightforward to make and they are safe, but they cover more girdle than necessary and lay an even grid across the stone. Four prongs are the other extreme: the most reduced solution, elegant and open, but the tilting moment grows with the stone. Five prongs are the point where the curves cross.
From one and a half carats there is no better construction for a round brilliant than five prongs in Y architecture with a French clutch.
1.5 carats each, round brilliant, platinum 950.
The Y architecture
From the front you see five slender prongs. It gets interesting in profile: the prongs do not run vertically down the stone but open upward and draw together beneath it. That Y carries the diamond a little higher, lets light reach the pavilion from the side, and needs less metal than any setting that encloses the stone.
The effect is immediately visible on the ear. The stone reads larger than it is, because almost no metal competes with it, and it sits upright instead of tipping forward.
The closure
The French clutch
The most underrated part of a stud. An ordinary push-back presses on a single point and lets heavier stones tip forward. The French clutch lays a broad, gently domed surface against the lobe: it supports from behind, holds the stone upright and distributes the weight.
It is also more secure, because it does not merely grip — it engages. Anyone wearing a stone of this size would rather not think about it.
- A broad bearing surface instead of a pressure point — comfortable after twelve hours
- The stone stands upright instead of leaning forward
- Secured by engagement, not merely clamped
- Platinum 950 or 18ct gold, matched to the setting
The settings compared
Four, five, six — or none at all
Four pieces from my workshop, photographed face-up. Watch how much stone is left in each case, and how quiet the setting reads.
The metals
Platinum, yellow gold, rose gold
18ct white gold on request; indistinguishable from platinum in a photograph. The price is the same in every metal.
The sizes
When four prongs, and when five
The five-prong construction is the answer for large stones. On small ones it would be overbuilt: a stud under a carat has too little mass to tip, and there less metal genuinely is the better choice. So I build in both worlds — and tell you where the line runs.
Configurator
Your pair
Carat per stone
Quality
Metal
- Setting
- Five prongs, Y architecture
- Closure
- French clutch
- Total weight
- 3.00 ct
- Diameter
- 7.44 mm
- Certificate
- GIA, per stone
Including German VAT. Calculated on the day; I select the pair myself. The image shows a genuine MXHM stud in the five-prong setting on a model, to scale with the size you choose.
Price table
Every size at a glance
| Carat per stone | Total | Diameter | Prongs | Wesselton SI | Top Wesselton VS | River VVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.33 ct | 0.66 ct | 4.49 mm | 4 | 1,600 € | 2,300 € | 2,700 € |
| 0.50 ct | 1.00 ct | 5.16 mm | 4 | 2,000 € | 3,400 € | 4,500 € |
| 0.75 ct | 1.50 ct | 5.91 mm | 4 | 3,200 € | 5,900 € | 7,900 € |
| 0.80 ct | 1.60 ct | 6.03 mm | 4 | 3,600 € | 6,600 € | 9,600 € |
| 1.00 ct | 2.00 ct | 6.50 mm | 4 | 6,200 € | 12,000 € | 19,500 € |
| 1.50 ct | 3.00 ct | 7.44 mm | 5 | 14,500 € | 28,500 € | 46,000 € |
| 2.00 ct | 4.00 ct | 8.19 mm | 5 | 33,000 € | 59,500 € | 97,500 € |
| 3.00 ct | 6.00 ct | 9.37 mm | 5 | 81,000 € | 148,500 € | 236,000 € |
| 4.00 ct | 8.00 ct | 10.32 mm | 5 | 158,000 € | 261,000 € | 413,500 € |
| 5.00 ct | 10.00 ct | 11.11 mm | 5 | 265,500 € | 371,500 € | 735,500 € |
Prices per pair, including German VAT. Platinum 950 or 18ct gold. Diamond prices move daily; a binding quote is calculated on the day, and I select the pair myself. Grades to GIA: Wesselton SI = H · SI1–SI2, Top Wesselton VS = F–G · VS1–VS2, River VVS = D–E · VVS1–VVS2.
The pair
Two stones that belong together
With studs you are not buying one diamond but two that nobody should be able to tell apart side by side. That is harder than it sounds: two stones with identical certificates can look different, because cut and liveliness cannot be fully captured in letters and numbers.
I choose the pairs myself and lay them next to each other before anything is set. Colour, clarity, proportions — and above all the same light. A pair in which one stone runs a shade warmer than the other is obvious on the ear, whatever the two certificates say.
Frequent questions
What I get asked about studs
- Why five prongs and not six?
- Six is the trade standard because six is easy to make. But it costs visible stone: every prong lies over the girdle. Five prongs hold just as securely, show more diamond, and read more quietly, because the eye finds no double axis.
- And why not four?
- I like four prongs very much — it is the most reduced solution there is. But the tilting moment grows with the stone. From about one and a half carats a four-prong stud leans forward in the lobe. Below that it is the right choice; above it, the fifth prong.
- What is the Y architecture?
- It is the side view. The prongs do not run vertically down the stone but open upward and draw together beneath it. The Y carries the diamond a little higher, lets light reach the pavilion from the side, and uses less metal doing it.
- What is a French clutch?
- A closure with a broad, gently domed back plate that rests against the lobe instead of pressing on one point. It supports the stud from behind, holds it upright, and still sits comfortably after a long day. For larger stones there is no better solution.
- Which size suits me?
- As a guide: one carat measures about 6.5 millimetres, one and a half carats 7.4, two carats 8.2. Going from one carat to two does not double the diameter — it doubles the presence. Best is to try two sizes side by side.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes: an independent GIA certificate from half a carat per stone upward. For a pair I also make sure both stones match in colour, clarity and cut — two separately bought certified stones do not yet make a pair.
- Can existing stones be reset?
- Gladly. Inherited pieces and older studs often feel completely different in a five-prong setting with a French clutch, without buying a new stone at all.
Enquiry
Your diamond studs
Let's talk
Every piece begins with a conversation
A first conversation is free of obligation and entirely confidential. In Munich, wherever you are, or online. No catalogue, no sales team.