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If you’re shopping for a diamond engagement ring and see the price tag, you may wonder, are diamonds rare? Why do they cost so much? Is demand only driven by advertising? Do they have intrinsic value? We look at these questions and more.
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The three stone engagement ring is a classic style, and now that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is wearing one, it’s a popular choice. What does it symbolize? Which diamond shapes work best? Follow these tips to pick a beautiful one.
In this blog, we cover:
What’s the meaning of a three stone engagement ring?
What has more sparkle: a diamond solitaire or a three stone engagement ring?
Which diamond shapes work best for a three stone engagement ring?
Diamonds are popular side stones in a three stone engagement ring
Colored stones can be side stones in a three stone engagement ring
What mountings work best for a three stone engagement ring?
A three stone engagement ring typically has one center diamond bordered on each side by another gem of the same size or smaller. The three stone engagement ring style dates back at least to the 17th century, and it is rich in meaning. To some, the three stones represent a love that encompasses “yesterday, today and tomorrow.” To others, they symbolize “friendship, love and fidelity” or “mother, father and child.” Others believe the three stone engagement ring represents the Holy Trinity. In some designs, the center stone is a colored gem, but here we will focus on three stone engagement rings with a diamond at the center.
A treasure from the Victorian era (1837-1901), this three stone engagement ring is set with old mine cut diamonds in 18K gold. Courtesy: DoyleDoyle.com
Cut, one of the 4Cs of diamond quality (the other three are Color, Clarity and Carat Weight), is an important factor in how much a diamond sparkles – diamond experts call that ‘scintillation.’ The GIA cut grade takes into account the diamond’s proportions, culet size and girdle thickness, as well as the symmetry of its facet arrangement and the quality of the polish on those facets. Facets are like tiny mirrors. Their size and placement will influence how light behaves as it passes through the diamond and back to your eye.
A diamond solitaire in a six-prong setting is a classic engagement ring. Courtesy: JK & Co. Jewelers
GIA only grades the cut of round brilliant diamonds; other diamond shapes do not receive cut grades. A round brilliant’s potential cut grade ranges from Excellent to Poor. You can take a deep dive into understanding diamond cut by reading GIA Diamond Cut Grade: Six Things You Need to Know. A GIA Diamond Grading Report can tell you a round brilliant’s cut grade, giving you objective information you need to make a comparison. Learn more about comparing loose diamonds by reading our blog.
Assuming in both cases the diamonds are of equal size and quality, a three-stone diamond engagement ring will have more sparkle than a diamond solitaire. But what if you’re comparing diamonds with different cut grades? Or you’re comparing diamonds that are not round brilliants? Or for the same price as the three stones you can get a solitaire that is significantly larger? If sparkle is what you’re looking for when comparing diamonds of different shapes, cut grades or sizes, view the solitaire and the three stone rings under different lighting environments – and not just under the bright lights of the store.
A trio of oval diamonds creates a mesmerizing piece. The center diamond weighs 1.70 carat (ct) and the two side stones total 0.78 carats. Courtesy: EraGem.com
Since the round brilliant is the most popular diamond shape, it’s no surprise that you’ll see many three stone engagement rings set with round brilliants. Other popular diamond shapes for three stone engagement rings are the oval and the square or rectangular princess cut and cushion cut. An engagement ring with one large and two smaller emerald cuts has a sleek, sophisticated look. The symmetry of this shape brings a grace and rhythm to the ring.
You can also mix and match shapes. For example, a trilliant cut diamond on either side of a marquise, oval or princess cut diamond would frame the center stone nicely.
Mixing diamonds of different shapes and colors can create an unforgettable piece. This ring has a 3.03 ct fancy yellow cushion cut diamond bookended by 0.54 carats of half-moon cut diamonds. Platinum, yellow gold and rose gold are artfully used to create more visual richness. Courtesy: Novel Collection
Many three stone engagement rings feature a prominent center diamond flanked by two smaller side stones. To create a harmonious look, jewelry designers and manufacturers often pick side stones that have color grades identical or close to the grade of the center diamond. GIA organizes diamond color into five groups:
You can use this information when searching for side stones to complete your three stone engagement ring. Diamond Color: Seven Things You Need to Know gets to the heart of diamond color.
Clarity grades should also be similar but need not be identical, as most inclusions are not visible with the unaided eye unless the diamond has a grade of Included (I1, I2 or I3). Learn more in Seven Things You Need to Know About Diamond Clarity and VVS versus VS Diamond: What’s the Difference in Diamond Clarity?
Want to add a pop of color to your three stone engagement ring? Then consider adding rubies or sapphires as side stones. Both gems are cherished for their beauty. They are also a 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, making them durable, long-lasting choices for an engagement ring (only a diamond is harder). You can use colored gems as the center stone of your ring. Here are tips for picking a stunning ruby or sapphire. You also have other choices for colored gemstones, and we share them in our Buying Guide: Colored Gemstone Engagement Rings.
A 1.39 ct round brilliant cut diamond is framed by two round rubies weighing 1.41 ct and 1.37 ct. Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
Two sapphires are a tranquil evening sky against which the center diamond glitters like a bright star. Courtesy: Omi Privé
Deciding how to set the stones in a three stone engagement ring is a matter of personal preference and your beloved’s lifestyle. The most common choices are prong and bezel settings.
A prong is a narrow metal support, usually in groups of four to six, used to hold a gemstone securely in place. A bezel is a thin metal strip that is pushed or hammered around the edges of a gem to hold it in place. Prongs will show off the diamond better, as the least amount of metal will be on the stone. Less metal means more diamond to see and admire. The trade-off is that diamonds in a prong setting can be more vulnerable to damage than those in a bezel setting. Because a bezel setting protects the stone, it is an excellent choice for individuals who are physically active and love the outdoors.
In this engagement ring, prongs hold the three diamonds in place. Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
Play ball! Or go hiking, rock climbing or whatever your favorite sport. The center 0.25 ct brown diamond and 0.07 carats of colorless side diamonds are secure in their bezel settings. Courtesy: K. Mita Design
The three stone engagement ring has charmed for centuries – and is now especially chic. Pick a beautiful one, and you’ll have an engagement ring that is timeless.
The three stone engagement ring is hot, and so are these seven other irresistible Engagement Ring Styles.
“Will you marry me?” It’s the ultimate question. You want the marriage proposal to be perfect and the answer to be “yes!” There’s a lot that goes into popping the question. But have no fear. Follow these common tips for how to propose in a few simple steps. (more…)
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Many jewelers offer a way to create your own engagement ring featuring the use of semi mount rings. These partially set mountings let you create an engagement ring that is uniquely yours, often more quickly and for less money than a custom engagement ring. (more…)
Ready to propose but not ready to buy an engagement ring? A placeholder ring is a great stand-in while you work out the thousand-and-one details that go into buying your forever engagement ring. Here’s what to consider: (more…)
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If you’re shopping for an engagement ring, you need to know about carat weight – the measurement of how much a diamond weighs. Carat weight is important because it helps determine a diamond’s price and reflects its rarity. We take a closer look. (more…)
Gold engagement rings are forever favorites. But how do you pick the right color gold for your ring style and center diamond? Here’s a quick breakdown on gold alloys and what to consider when making this important engagement ring decision. (more…)
A GIA diamond cut grade is key to knowing how well your round brilliant diamond will sparkle. Cut is the most complex of a diamond’s 4Cs. Let’s cover some essentials so you can pick the perfect round brilliant diamond engagement ring.
In this blog, we cover:
The most popular diamond in the marketplace is the round brilliant. Experts estimate that this cut alone accounts for more than 70% of all diamonds sold today. The quality of a round brilliant diamond’s cut determines how much the diamond sparkles. To pick a diamond whose flashes of light enchant the eye, you need to know the 4Cs of diamond quality, the universal standard for judging diamonds: color, cut, clarity and carat weight. All else being equal, the better the cut grade, the more valuable the diamond.
Some professionals consider cut the most important C of diamond quality. A well-cut round brilliant delivers that unmistakable, stop-in-your-tracks light show that telegraphs “diamond” across a crowded room. If the diamond is well cut, most compromises in clarity, color and even carat weight can be forgiven. A diamond’s cut grade is also an indication of how well it was designed and crafted. So, understanding the diamond cut grade is key to picking a round brilliant that’s not only beautiful, but also the best value.
In arriving at its cut grading system, GIA spent 15 years studying how light behaves within a round brilliant cut diamond. GIA’s aim was to understand the factors that contribute to a round brilliant’s appearance and to determine which of those factors – or combination of factors – produce diamonds that people consider attractive.
GIA’s research included the use of advanced computer modeling to analyze tens of thousands of possible proportion combinations. GIA then validated its research with human subjects, conducting more than 70,000 observations on actual diamonds, to determine which diamonds people found appealing and why.
The result was the GIA Cut Grading System, which evaluates the cut quality of a round brilliant diamond along a five-point scale ranging from Excellent to Poor.
A GIA cut grade evaluates:
The GIA diamond cut grade is based on seven factors: brightness, fire, scintillation, weight ratio, durability, polish and symmetry.
This 2.02 carat (ct) round brilliant has excellent cut, polish and symmetry. Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
The reason behind the sparkle of this 1.01 ct round brilliant cut diamond engagement ring is the quality of the diamond’s cut. The diamond received an Excellent cut grade from GIA. Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
A key component of a GIA diamond cut grade is the diamond’s face-up appearance – or how the diamond looks when viewed from above, as if it was set in an engagement ring. People love diamonds for their dazzling interplay with light – which the layperson often translates as “sparkle.” But there’s a lot more going on here.
When you see internal and external white light reflected from a diamond, you’re noticing “brightness.” If you see the scattering of light into all the colors of the rainbow, you’re being treated to “fire.” Sparkle is actually “scintillation,” the pattern of bright and dark areas caused by reflections within the diamond as it or the light source moves. What you might consider “sparkle” is really the overall visual effect of these three factors. A GIA cut grade includes an assessment of how well a diamond delivers on each of these attributes.
This round brilliant cut diamond shows good brightness and fire. Scintillation, the pattern of light and dark areas and the flashes of light, or sparkle, can only be seen when a diamond is moved. Copyright: GIA & Harold and Erica Van Pelt
A diamond’s proportions – its crown and pavilion angles and the relative measurements of its facets – are key contributors to a diamond’s overall face-up appearance. Remember that facets are tiny mirrors. Their size and placement will influence how light behaves as it passes through the diamond and back to your eye.
A diamond’s proportions can help predict how well a diamond will deliver brightness, fire and scintillation. However, an important outcome of GIA’s cut research was the finding that there is no single set of proportions that defines a well-cut round brilliant diamond. In fact, diamonds with different proportions can receive the same cut grade. The diamonds may look and perform differently but they will still have a similar impact on the observer. So, as a diamond shopper, you need to look beyond the measurements on a grading report. Be sure to view a diamond in person to see if it’s the right choice for you.
This graphic illustrates the proportions that affect a diamond’s cut grade. The crown and pavilion angles and the relative measurements of its facets contribute to a diamond’s brightness, fire and scintillation.
While face-up appearance is all about how a diamond looks, design and craftsmanship evaluate the quality of the diamond’s manufacture. Poor design could add unnecessary weight to a diamond or cause durability issues that would prevent you from enjoying it for a lifetime. A diamond with poor craftsmanship won’t deliver much in the way of brightness, fire and scintillation. In evaluating these two components, the GIA Cut Grading System takes into account the diamond’s physical shape, its proportions, its weight ratio, and the care that went into fashioning and polishing its facets.
Design
Design refers to decisions made during the fashioning process that determine the diamond’s physical shape, as seen in its proportions, weight ratio and durability. Weight ratio is the diamond’s weight in relation to its average girdle diameter (a fairly complex mathematical equation). A diamond with a smaller girdle diameter relative to its weight might appear smaller face-up than its well-designed counterpart, because much of the weight would be “hidden” in the overall depth of the diamond. For example, while a diamond with a thicker girdle could look great, the girdle is hiding unnecessary weight. As a result, you might end up paying more for a heavier diamond with no greater visual impact for the added cost. The bottom line: A diamond should not weigh more than its face-up size would indicate.
These pictures show the importance of weight ratio. Both of these diamonds have the same average girdle diameters, so face-up they appear to be the same size. But the diamond on the right has a much thicker girdle, so it weighs more (0.71 ct vs. 0.61 ct). The thicker girdle has no visual benefit, but the added weight will make the diamond more expensive. Photos: Maha Tannous/GIA
Durability in the case of a round brilliant diamond refers to the risk of damage that might result from an extremely thin girdle. Such a girdle can make a diamond highly vulnerable to damage during the jewelry setting procedure or even normal wear. Considering how much a diamond costs and its emotional significance, you want to avoid one that is susceptible to damage. A GIA Diamond Grading Report can eliminate this concern.
Here is an example of why durability is important. This 1.35 ct diamond has girdle areas that are very thin to extremely thin, making it more susceptible to damage during everyday wear. Courtesy: Gary Roskin, G.G., F.G.A.
Craftsmanship
Craftsmanship describes the care that went into fashioning the diamond, as seen in its polish and symmetry. Polish refers to the overall quality and condition of the facet surfaces. It includes evaluation of any blemishes created by the polishing process or during wear. Polish is critical to the mirror-like performance of a diamond’s facets.
The diamond on the left shows lines created during the polishing process. The diamond on the right has abraded facet junctions caused by wear. Polish lines and abraded facet junctions can also affect a diamond’s clarity grade. Photos: Mitchell Moore/GIA
Symmetry is the exactness of a finished diamond’s shape and the arrangement and placement of its facets. A symmetrical diamond has an even display of brightness, fire and scintillation. A diamond with poor symmetry will have poor light performance, meaning that it’s likely to look flat.
All eight sections of a round brilliant cut diamond should be identical. This symmetry will help produce even brightness, fire and scintillation. Illustration: GIA
GIA evaluates a round brilliant diamond’s cut based on seven components – brightness, fire, scintillation, weight ratio, durability, polish and symmetry – to arrive at a GIA diamond cut grade, which ranges from Excellent to Poor. The grade is set by the lowest assessment the diamond receives for five of the seven components. In other words, if a diamond receives a Poor grade for brightness, then the highest its overall cut grade can be is Poor. The exceptions are polish and symmetry, which are assessed using standard GIA grading methodology: A diamond with Very Good polish and/or symmetry, for example, may receive an Excellent cut grade.
A GIA Diamond Grading Report contains the diamond’s full cut assessment, in addition to a diagram showing the diamond’s proportions and relative measurements. Consider the report an invaluable tool in helping you pick a dazzling diamond.
The official GIA Cut Scale for round brilliant cut diamonds. Illustration: GIA
While knowing a diamond’s cut grade is essential, it shouldn’t be a substitute for seeing a diamond in person. As mentioned above, a diamond cut grade represents a range. For example, two diamonds with an Excellent Cut Grade may look – and perform – very differently. In addition, a diamond will look different under various lighting conditions, so you should take it for a test drive, so to speak. Last, you need to fall in love with the diamond – and no report can substitute for what stirs your heart.
An Excellent cut grade makes this 2.03 ct round brilliant diamond mesmerizing. Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
Diamond cut is extremely important. So is diamond color. Learn about it, too, so you can pick a spellbinding diamond.
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