Favourite settings for a three-stone ring? What to consider for a 3-stone setting—pink sapphire, moissanite sides?

[margauxmines]

Hi all!

I posted a few days back about resetting my PC lab pink sapphire from Gene (thread here). My bf and I have finally decided that we'd like to do a three-stone setting, the oval sapphire in the middle flanked by colourless heart-shaped moissanite sides:



The oval is 9.9 x 7.4 mm. We're deciding on the final dimensions for the hearts, and these are our options:



My bf prefers the 4x4 mm as he says the other two might look "too big" on my hand—I'm a size 5 I'm okay with it, I did like the chubby 5x4s but he brings up a good point about it looking too big... I want to be able to wear it everyday hahaha.

So we've got the face of the ring... but now I don't know what to do about the profile! Poking around on Pinterest, I've found that I really like "trellis" 3-stone settings. I see some trellis settings that do without that bar running across the middle (side view middle) of the stone... I like that look, but does that affect stability of the ring in any way? I like the more "open" look of the setting. Some examples of what caught my eye below:




I think they're beautiful and dainty, but I'm not sure if there are others I just maybe don't get to see?

I know I'm definitely not a fan of the "classic" straight basket kind of settings



Are there any other considerations I need to take note of for the setting? I've never had a three-stone before—always been a solitaire gal—so I'm on unfamiliar territory!

I recall reading somewhere before that the height/angles of the side stones matter too? If they're too tucked it will hide away the sides, but you can also "raise" them to be on the same level so you can see all three stones? How do I go about that? I'd love to be able to tell that the side stones are hearts—of course, some compromise necessary since the clefts are small anyway and we'll mostly see the points of the hearts... but, you know what I mean. I hope.

Happy to hear any other suggestions or examples of your own three-stone rings for reference!!

Thanks all in advance!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Oh I just love this idea! I would go with the 5x4mm hearts. My ring finger is 5.5 US (they're also short), and I'd have no problem with that scale. I look forward to seeing the completed piece!

 

[margauxmines]

Oh I just love this idea! I would go with the 5x4mm hearts. My ring finger is 5.5 US (they're also short), and I'd have no problem with that scale. I look forward to seeing the completed piece!

Thank you! I also like the 5x4 mm hearts although they'd have to be custom cut as the "standard" sizes readily available are those with equal measurements: 4x4, 5x5 mm... that's one caveat there

 

[Autumn in New England]

Ahh I see... in that case, I may go with one of the other choices! I really don't think you can make a mistake. It's going to be beautiful no matter what.

 

[Double E]

Same here for not into the straight basket style, but rather prefer a more fluid design.

I think it’s easier and more doable to take away the bar for the centre stone. For the sides, it’s more secure to have the bar, especially we are talking about the heart shape sides which are normally with 3 prongs. I think it’s harder to stabilise the stone if there’s only three claws mounting it without the bar to hold it in place, not to mention their girdle is more prone to damage considering you are envisioning a daily ring.

Personally I lean more towards smaller sides, but it depends on what you are looking for…keep the centre as main focus? Finger coverage? Treat it as a traditional three stone or just a solitaire with subtle accents? And I’ll also set all stones lower for more carefree wearing.

Below stands out the most amongst the designs posted, we can even argue that bars are actually non-existent due to its leaves or petal shaped basket design. It’s actually one of the style I had looked into when I was building my wife’s ring, but turned out we go for something else. That said, the bars on the sides are really not that obvious IMO.

 

[Double E]

I will also say angle or tilt of sides matters so much. I agree not to tuck them too much so that you can see all three stones face up. I also specifically communicated this with my jeweller for our ring.

 

[Avondale]

And I’ll also set all stones lower for more carefree wearing.

So much this.

I remember your stone was cut deep so you really don't need any extra height. It only makes it that much easier to bump it into pretty much everything.

I wouldn't worry about the 5x5 being too big for you. The difference between it and the 4x4 is minuscule, in terms of width it will amount to a grand total of 2mm difference which is nothing. It does matter to proportion and the overall look much more, so I'd say go for whatever pleases your eye best. I'll cast an extra vote for the chubby hearts.

 

[margauxmines]

Same here for not into the straight basket style, but rather prefer a more fluid design.

I think it’s easier and more doable to take away the bar for the centre stone. For the sides, it’s more secure to have the bar, especially we are talking about the heart shape sides which are normally with 3 prongs. I think it’s harder to stabilise the stone if there’s only three claws mounting it without the bar to hold it in place, not to mention their girdle is more prone to damage considering you are envisioning a daily ring.

Personally I lean more towards smaller sides, but it depends on what you are looking for…keep the centre as main focus? Finger coverage? Treat it as a traditional three stone or just a solitaire with subtle accents? And I’ll also set all stones lower for more carefree wearing.

Below stands out the most amongst the designs posted, we can even argue that bars are actually non-existent due to its leaves or petal shaped basket design. It’s actually one of the style I had looked into when I was building my wife’s ring, but turned out we go for something else. That said, the bars on the sides are really not that obvious IMO.

I will also say angle or tilt of sides matters so much. I agree not to tuck them too much so that you can see all three stones face up. I also specifically communicated this with my jeweller for our ring.

@Double E my friend, thank you for your incredible input—as always!

I indeed went with this setting you suggested. It's also the one that spoke the most to me! My boyfriend likes it as well, so win-win all around! I so agree with you on the sidebars for the hearts—they're very cleverly disguised here, so I don't sacrifice any stability, but they don't look "harsh" to me either!

I told my (new) jeweller to please make sure we can see all three stones face up, not to tuck them in too much, and not to hide the cleft of the hearts. I have great faith in him!

 

[margauxmines]

Ahh I see... in that case, I may go with one of the other choices! I really don't think you can make a mistake. It's going to be beautiful no matter what.

So much this.

I remember your stone was cut deep so you really don't need any extra height. It only makes it that much easier to bump it into pretty much everything.

I wouldn't worry about the 5x5 being too big for you. The difference between it and the 4x4 is minuscule, in terms of width it will amount to a grand total of 2mm difference which is nothing. It does matter to proportion and the overall look much more, so I'd say go for whatever pleases your eye best. I'll cast an extra vote for the chubby hearts.

Thank you kindly @Autumn in New England and @Avondale !!

I ended up going with the 5x5 hearts! Unfortunately I couldn't source any chubby hearts at this time, and (against my bf's wishes ) I jumped the gun on the 5x5s instead. I feel like it would just look more substantial, more like a proper three-stone than an oval-with-sides. I really want the hearts to be just as much the stars as the oval, the hearts are very meaningful to me!

My jeweller will get started on the setting while I wait for the moissy hearts to come in. Fingers crossed, I should have the finished ring in maybe four or six weeks! Will update the thread with pics then

 

[Double E]

@Double E my friend, thank you for your incredible input—as always!

I indeed went with this setting you suggested. It's also the one that spoke the most to me! My boyfriend likes it as well, so win-win all around! I so agree with you on the sidebars for the hearts—they're very cleverly disguised here, so I don't sacrifice any stability, but they don't look "harsh" to me either!

I told my (new) jeweller to please make sure we can see all three stones face up, not to tuck them in too much, and not to hide the cleft of the hearts. I have great faith in him!

Patiently (or impatiently) await your pics as always~

 

[Avondale]

I ended up going with the 5x5 hearts! Unfortunately I couldn't source any chubby hearts at this time, and (against my bf's wishes ) I jumped the gun on the 5x5s instead.

Well, you'll be wearing the ring and not your bf, so your opinion trumps his on this particular occasion. And it's important that you choose exactly what you love most so you don't end up facing regret later down the line. This is supposed to be a happy, flowers and sunshine project after all.

 

[margauxmines]

Well, you'll be wearing the ring and not your bf, so your opinion trumps his on this particular occasion. And it's important that you choose exactly what you love most so you don't end up facing regret later down the line. This is supposed to be a happy, flowers and sunshine project after all.

Thank you very much! Bf was mostly in jest, but he says that in the end he will always go for what makes me most happy.

This has been really therapeutic for me and really great for helping me move past the incident... jewellery does work wonders. haha!

 

[diamondyes]

Hi all!

I posted a few days back about resetting my PC lab pink sapphire from Gene (thread here). My bf and I have finally decided that we'd like to do a three-stone setting, the oval sapphire in the middle flanked by colourless heart-shaped moissanite sides:



The oval is 9.9 x 7.4 mm. We're deciding on the final dimensions for the hearts, and these are our options:



My bf prefers the 4x4 mm as he says the other two might look "too big" on my hand—I'm a size 5 I'm okay with it, I did like the chubby 5x4s but he brings up a good point about it looking too big... I want to be able to wear it everyday hahaha.

So we've got the face of the ring... but now I don't know what to do about the profile! Poking around on Pinterest, I've found that I really like "trellis" 3-stone settings. I see some trellis settings that do without that bar running across the middle (side view middle) of the stone... I like that look, but does that affect stability of the ring in any way? I like the more "open" look of the setting. Some examples of what caught my eye below:




I think they're beautiful and dainty, but I'm not sure if there are others I just maybe don't get to see?

I know I'm definitely not a fan of the "classic" straight basket kind of settings



Are there any other considerations I need to take note of for the setting? I've never had a three-stone before—always been a solitaire gal—so I'm on unfamiliar territory!

I recall reading somewhere before that the height/angles of the side stones matter too? If they're too tucked it will hide away the sides, but you can also "raise" them to be on the same level so you can see all three stones? How do I go about that? I'd love to be able to tell that the side stones are hearts—of course, some compromise necessary since the clefts are small anyway and we'll mostly see the points of the hearts... but, you know what I mean. I hope.

Happy to hear any other suggestions or examples of your own three-stone rings for reference!!

Thanks all in advance!

I love it, this is going to look amazing!!

 

[margauxmines]

I love it, this is going to look amazing!!

Thank you so much!

 

[margauxmines]

After bouncing the idea around in my head the last few days, I've decided to make the middle basket + the prongs of the pink sapphire in rose gold. I wear a lot of rose gold jewellery and I was worried that a stark white gold + rg combo on different fingers would look a little odd. Plus, I really like how rg prongs look on a pink stone... Keeping the rest of the ring in white gold though, so really just the middle basket!

Really surprising myself with this project because two-tone wasn't something I previously liked I think it's because I've been looking at a lot of photos of pink diamond rings online for inspo and the rg + wg combo just looked really lovely to me.

 

[Autumn in New England]

After bouncing the idea around in my head the last few days, I've decided to make the middle basket + the prongs of the pink sapphire in rose gold. I wear a lot of rose gold jewellery and I was worried that a stark white gold + rg combo on different fingers would look a little odd. Plus, I really like how rg prongs look on a pink stone... Keeping the rest of the ring in white gold though, so really just the middle basket!

Really surprising myself with this project because two-tone wasn't something I previously liked I think it's because I've been looking at a lot of photos of pink diamond rings online for inspo and the rg + wg combo just looked really lovely to me.

Two-tone rose and white gold (or platinum) is my VERY favorite look!

 

[margauxmines]

Two-tone rose and white gold (or platinum) is my VERY favorite look!

Happy it's been christened by your impeccable taste, Autumn! Thank you for the support!!

 

[Double E]

After bouncing the idea around in my head the last few days, I've decided to make the middle basket + the prongs of the pink sapphire in rose gold. I wear a lot of rose gold jewellery and I was worried that a stark white gold + rg combo on different fingers would look a little odd. Plus, I really like how rg prongs look on a pink stone... Keeping the rest of the ring in white gold though, so really just the middle basket!

Really surprising myself with this project because two-tone wasn't something I previously liked I think it's because I've been looking at a lot of photos of pink diamond rings online for inspo and the rg + wg combo just looked really lovely to me.

Two tone design is really a way to have something new while making the new ring sort of an extension of the collection of rings that you have owned.

This is the two tone version of our ring, although we chose to go for all rose gold in Matt finish. The pic may be isn’t showing the colour difference too clearly, but it could be very beautiful.

 

[margauxmines]

Two tone design is really a way to have something new while making the new ring sort of an extension of the collection of rings that you have owned.

This is the two tone version of our ring, although we chose to go for all rose gold in Matt finish. The pic may be isn’t showing the colour difference too clearly, but it could be very beautiful.

Ahh that is beautiful!! I'm warming up to the two-tone design (even for other rings)... you're right, it's such a great way to expand your collection with something new but still having it tie in with everything you already own!

 

[margauxmines]

The heart moissanites are finally here! I can now send them to the bench so they can finally get started on the setting. I've also opted to have 7 pcs of these little Jedi spinel melee dotted along the band as another symbolic element to the design—our anniversary is in August, and this ring is meant for our 7th!



I am GLAD I went for the 5x5 hearts... Looking at them now in person, I feel like I probably could have even gone for 6x6 shrinkage is real, and I only held them for a few minutes before packing up to be delivered!

 

[dk168]

Personally, I am not keen on using hearts as side stones set east-west next to a round or oval centre stone, as I believe the cleft of the hearts would not be noticeable, depending on the setting.

I prefer to use pears.

Personal preferences and all that.

DK

 

[diamondyes]

I can’t wait to see this completed!

 

[margauxmines]

She is FINALLY here!!! and I am in LOVE!

• Two-tone 14k gold (rose and white gold)
• 9.9 x 7.4 mm oval lab PC pink sapphire (Precision Gem)
• 5x5 DEF heart moissanite sides
• 1.7 mm jedi spinel melee along the band

I think they did a wonderful job with it! It's not flawless, but I expected as much since it's handmade. No glaring faults, and I love wearing it!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

How beautiful is that?! Look how it came together and you can easily discern that they're heart sides. Proportioned perfectly.
The color on that sapphire is just vibrantly juicy and the spinel in the band, I love and have never seen done.

 

[margauxmines]

How beautiful is that?! Look how it came together and you can easily discern that they're heart sides. Proportioned perfectly.
The color on that sapphire is just vibrantly juicy and the spinel in the band, I love and have never seen done.

Thank you so much !!! As expected, my bf said he felt it "looks too big" but I told him I think it's perfect. End of discussion. but he does agree that it's very pretty! I personally love the proportions and I'm glad I went with the 5x5 hearts, they're just right!

The smith understood perfectly that I wanted to be able to see the hearts from top view, without them being spaced too far apart. What a feat! I'm so grateful!

The spinels on the band—our anniversary is in August and spinel is the modern birthstone for August. This ring is for our 7th anniversary so there are seven little jedi spinel melee on the band (it's no secret that I'm obsessed with jedi spinels hahaha!)

Thank you so much again for your kind kind words

My circle of friends don't "get" jewellery, so I'm happy to have a community here on PS who can share my joy

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Isn't it great?! My immediate family just starts rolling their eyes.
Spinel is my favorite stone so any excuse to add some to the mix is always a plus.
I would love a jedi eternity, it's not so easy to source without paying a ransom for the stones, but maybe one day. I'm also cool with just holding my family hostage while extolling the virtues of spinel

 

[Avondale]

As expected, my bf said he felt it "looks too big" but I told him I think it's perfect. End of discussion.

You go girl!
It’s beautiful. And you love it, which is most important of all. I’m very happy for you.

 

[elle_71125]

Too big my a**. The proportions are perfect! What a gorgeous ring and I love the meaning behind the spinel set in the band. I mean, I loved them before I knew they were sentimental but now I love them even more. Congrats on your stunning new ring!

 

[diamondyes]

I love it but I think I need 100 more pics!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Oh it turned out beautifully, @margauxmines!! I didn't know you were also bezeling spinel along the band?! Genius!! Enjoy your new beauty.