If you’re going for a 3 stone, a 5 stone, a cluster or a diamond ring with shoulder stones then you might have to think about which cuts of diamond go well together, especially if you’re having it custom made.
An Asymmetrical diamond ring design.
Of course, you can have any cut stones you like to flank your band and asymmetric rings are more popular than ever, but, traditionally, you would choose two stones of the same cut to nestle your centre stone in between. For instance, a pear-cut diamond bordered by two round brilliant cuts.
As well as matching the cut the jeweller will try and match the colour and the clarity of the two side stones and the centre stone.
Round brilliant-cut diamonds are the most popular cut of diamond and they are also the most popular choice for side stones. Because there are so many round brilliant cut diamonds in the global supply, it is relatively easy to find a matching pair, though this does get harder the bigger and better quality the stones.
Pear Cut Diamond Side Stones
Pear cut diamonds are another popular choice to use as side stones. They are most often used horizontally on the finger and with the points of the pear cuts pointing away from the centre, pear cut diamonds offer an elegant more dynamic element to the ring design.
Because fewer diamond crystals lend themselves to being cut into a pear shape, there are fewer pear cut diamonds on the market, thus finding a ‘pair of pears’ can be more of a challenge than sourcing round brilliant cuts. This may mean that the two pear cut diamonds you use as side stones won’t match exactly, but it will mean that the ring will maintain its value more as the stones you have are rarer.
The most popular diamonds cuts you see in 3 stone rings flanked by pear cuts are, pear cut, round brilliant cuts, ovals and emerald cuts.
Baguette Cut Diamonds
Another popular choice are baguette-cut diamonds. Baguettes are rectangular diamonds and can be used either horizontally or vertically alongside a centre stone. There are also tapered baguettes, these are stones that are wider at one end than the other and are almost always used horizontally and with the wider end closest to the centre.
Baguette-cut diamonds that worn vertically help to create a ring with clean modern lines reminiscent of art deco jewellery.