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Diamond Side-Stones

Choosing the Right Side-Stones for a Three-Stone Ring

A classic three-stone engagement ring is an elegant design featuring one larger center stone flanked by two matching stones on either side. At Lauren B, there are different design elements offered such as band thickness, gallery style, and adding pave diamonds; be sure to check out our entire three-stone engagement ring gallery on our website here. While there are various combinations of center-stone and side-stones to consider, below we are going to analyze each side-stone shape and offer our expertise on which center-stones pair best with it. We have broken them down into four tiers based on popularity.

Tier 1

Tapered Baguettes

Elongated cut diamond with step cut faceting that tapers to one side. These types of side-stones emphasize clarity and elegance and act as great accents that will not compete with the center stone.

Pairs With: Because of their understated appearance, these side-stones can be found with any center-stone shape. The most common combinations are with an emerald, radiant, round and oval cut center stones. Equally as beautiful you can find them in three-stone engagement rings with cushion, pear, and marquise with the rest of the shapes following in popularity. They can also be used as the end-stones in a five-stone ring setup usually preceded by a trapezoid cut.

Trapezoids

Also referred to as ‘trapz”, have four sides with two parallel to each other and the other two sides inclining forming a tapered edge. This works great with engagement rings as it makes for a smooth transition from the stone to the band. Because these stones are cut to be wider and take more space vertically on the hand, they will create more of a statement when combined with the center-stone.

  • Step cuts: have the same linear faceting pattern as an emerald cut or asscher cut which allows you to easily see within the stone.
  • Brilliant: has a more brilliant, continuous sparkle throughout similar to that of a round cut diamond.

Pairs With: This shape is quite versatile and can be found in almost any combination of three-stone engagement rings. For the most part, the step cut variety is typically shown with an emerald or asscher cut center-stone. The brilliant trapezoids are most often paired up with a radiant, princess or cushion center stone and less commonly with an oval or pear shape as the main stone.

Pear Shapes

While thought of as a main stone for an engagement ring, pear shapes are often used as side-stones to help accent a three-stone ring. With its brilliant cut faceting and tear-drop outline that comes to a sharp point at one end, it flows together beautifully with the band of a three-stone ring with the center-stone.

Pairs With: Unlike the previous side-stones mentioned, pear shapes are usually limited to the following shapes as the center-stone: round, oval, cushion, marquise and the pear shape itself.

Tier 2

Half Moons

As the name suggests, this shape has the appearance of a round diamondcut in half. It can also have a more elongated appearance which would be like an oval diamond sliced in half.  While they do come in both brilliant and stepcutfaceting styles, the ladder is much less common. 

Pairs With: Because of its rounded edges it will most commonly be seen with similar style shapes like a cushion, round or oval center diamond.  While there are no set rules as to which stones you can pair it with, you will rarely find it with any other center-stone shape.

Trillions

This three-sided triangular shape diamond has brilliant cutfaceting that can really add some sparkle to your ring.  While they are not as popular as they were several decades ago, they can still make for a great accent diamond.

Pairs With: The most classic combination you will find is a radiant or princess cut center diamond and trillion cutside stones; the parallel edges of the radiant or princess fit perfectly with the flat edge of a trillion cut and both have brilliant cutfaceting.  Next in line, you will also find them paired with oval, cushion, pear and round cut center-stones.  Because they are a brilliant cut it will clash with an emerald or asscher cut center-stone.

Tapered Bullets

Born out of the baguette cutdiamond, this side-stone has a narrow ‘V-shape’ end that gives it a distinct appearance.  Coming in both stepp and brilliant cutf aceting, setting this shape with the proper v-shape prong on the end is crucial in order to accentuate its look. 

Pairs With: Mostly commonly you will find this side-stone with either an asscher or cushion cut center.  While similar to a tapered baguette in that it can go well with most any center-stone shape, because of the scarcity of this side-stone you will not find it as often in three-stone rings.

Rounds

Rounds are not only the most popular center-stone shape, but they also make for a great accent stone. Because of the ease of cutting and matching a pair of rounds, they are a great option to add to your three-stone engagement ring.

Pairs With: Initially this shape was almost solely used as the side-stone for a larger round center. However due to the popularity of the Megan Markle three-stone engagement ring, we are seeing a surge in popularity of using it with a cushion cut center diamond. Along with that you can also see it with a pear or oval shape center for a more unique look. One thing all these center-stone shapes have in common is they have rounded edges which make it work well with round brilliant sides.

Tier 3

Epaulettes

This five-sided shape earns its name from the French word for 'shoulder' and resemblance to a shoulder ornament. This cut has a pronounced "v" shape edge creating a distinct point as it meets the band of the engagement ring which differentiates it from the similar looking trapezoid cut side-stone.

Pairs With: For the most part you will only see this center-stone with an emerald cut center diamond. It can work well with other shapes, just as trapezoid cuts do, but because they are rare on the market the options may seem limited

Cadillacs

Also known as 'chevrons', they got their name from its similar look to the "Cadillac" car logo. This five-sided pentagon shape has a similar faceting pattern to the aforementioned Epaulette but has a less defined point.

Pairs With: They can go well with shapes like radiant, emeralds, asscher cuts and less commonly with cushions and oval center-stones. Because they are costly and difficult to cut i.e. you will not find much variety on the market.

Shields

These mirror the look of shields used by warriors throughout history thus earning its name. In the same family as trapezoids, epaulettes and cadillacs, this side stone has the top side 'bowed out' to give it its 'shield-like' shape.

Pairs With: Shields come in both brilliant and step cut so they can pair well with a variety of center-stones most notably emerald, radiant and asscher cut diamonds.

Tier 4

Classic Diamond Shapes

We can group the rest of the diamond shapes not mentioned above which are more commonly used as center stones but can act as side-stones well. Emeralds, radiants, cushions, ovals, princess and even heart shapes come in smaller pairs and can be used as accent stones for a three-stone engagement ring

Pairs With: One thing all these side-stone shapes have in common is that you would almost always see them with a larger center-stone of the same shape. For instance, an oval center with two smaller ovals on the sides or an emerald with emerald cut sides.

Choosing the Right Side Stones for a Three-Stone Ring

 

At Lauren B, all of our three-stone engagement rings are made by hand to the exact dimensions of each stone for a seamless look throughout. Because each diamond has unique measurements, ensuring that the setting is made to fit them is very important. For our in-stock engagement rings we always select side-stones that match in color and clarity to the center-stone. Having the three stones be within the same color range is very important; you always want them to look similar as to not detract from the beauty of the engagement ring.

For our custom rings, we always start with the center-stone. Once you have selected one, we will work with you carefully to choose matching side diamonds. Aside from matching the color and clarity, the proportions and overall shape of the side-stones are very important and can make the look.

For instance, tapered baguettes come in shorter/wider varieties or longer/narrower shapes; the choice of which ones to pair with your engagement ring is a matter of preference. Generally, speaking, if you want the center-stone to be more of the main attraction you should opt for scaled downsizes of side diamonds. If you want a more blended look where all three-stones combine to form one larger looking centerpiece, then aim for larger/wider side stones.

Please free to reach out to our design team via our contact page or schedule a visit to our New York showroom here.

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