How to Choose Side Stones for Lab-Created Diamond Rings
Diamonds are the traditional choice as center stones or side stones on engagement rings. Side stones are used to enhance the look and overall brilliance of the center stone by correctly accenting it.
What Are Diamond Side Stones
The side stones are put around the largest gem and are normally used in engagement rings, pendants, and bracelets. A lot of times, side stones are the only accent stones on a piece of jewelry, or, depending on the design, they might also have halos, pave gems, or other decorations. Whichever piece of jewelry you decide on, side stones can add an element of individuality and personality regardless of design.
Types of Diamond Side Stones
There are a lot of diamond cuts that can double as center gems and side stones to make the ring look more symmetrical. For example, there can be a three-stone ring that features diamonds that are each the same cut. You can choose from different cuts like round, oval, or princess. These are some of the most popular choices.
What Kind of Diamond Side Stone Should You Choose?
There are tons of cuts and shapes of diamond side stones, and they can vary. However, most of the time, the cuts used are the baguette, trillion, trapezoid, half-moon, Asscher, emerald, cushion, marquise, oval, pear, princess, and round cuts. These are some of the most paired with diamonds due to their varying shapes. Which one you need depends on the center stone. The right type of side stone will add an amazing contrast that can make your ring even better.
The baguette cut, both straight and tapered, is one of the most sought-after choices because of its incredible symmetry and size, which is usually larger than other cuts. This cut normally pairs beautifully with step-cut diamonds like emerald and Asscher. The baguette makes an amazing contrast, often considered more beautiful than most other cuts.
The trillion cut side stones can have either rounded or pointed ends. The round cut goes extremely well with the round and cushion shapes of center stones. The pointed trillion cut goes well when it is paired with the princess diamond cut.
The trapezoid, also called trapeze or trap cut of side stone, goes well with most types of center stones. This kind of side stone comes in brilliant and step cuts. These both complement square and rectangular kinds of center diamonds. The crescent trapezoid is one of the newest cuts, and it features a curved edge. This allows it to pair perfectly with oval and marquise diamond cuts.
The half-moon cut is a semi-circular cut that is usually used to accent a larger center stone. The lines of this half-moon cut of side stone can be used with rounded and intricate designs. This is a popular design, but it is also one of the most intricate designs.
The Asscher, emerald, cushion, marquise, oval, pearl, and round cuts are the more simple cuts, Sometimes, simplicity is key. A guideline to follow is that step cuts for side stones are usually paired well with step-cut diamonds, and the brilliant-cut diamonds accent the other brilliant cut stones in the center.
How Many Diamond Side Stones Should You Choose?
You can pick however many side stones you want because it all depends on your personal preference. Choosing lab created diamonds will help save you money on your ring.
The most popular choice is to get somewhere between two and four side stones. Most people decide to get an even number of side stones because the center stone will end up making it an odd number of stones, which most people find the most aesthetically pleasing.
Choosing the Size of Diamond Side Stones
When you choose the size of your side stones, you need to consider the size of the center stone and how many accent stones you have chosen. This will to a perfectly balanced ring.
Choosing the Color of Diamond Side Stones
You want your side stones to have the same color grade as the center stone, or at least as close as you can get it. If you do not, then the lower color graded stone will appear more yellowish. You probably do not want the stones to be more than one color grade apart.
Choosing the Clarity of Diamond Side Stones
When picking the diamonds, they need to pass the eye test, meaning the gemstone should not have any visible flaws. This does not necessarily mean that you should pick the highest graded clarity gem. It simply means that when you look at it, you see no flaws with the naked eye.
Choosing the Settings of Diamond Side Stones
The setting is extremely important. It can make or break a ring. The setting determines not only how the gems look, but also how much the gems will be protected if the ring falls off somewhere. Each setting has its pros and cons. You will need to consider which one will work best for your ring.
In the end, it all depends on your personal preference. But, these tips can help ensure your ring is safe and hold value as time marches on.
