If you have a really nice diamond in the center of a ring.....

[innerkitten]

and you get two diamonds for the sides that aren''t quite as quality, would it show? Does it matter. How is it usually done? Also what proportions look good together with three stones?

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/7/2003 10

1:15 AM innerkitten wrote:

and you get two diamonds for the sides that aren't quite as quality, would it show? Does it matter. How is it usually done? Also what proportions look good together with three stones?

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Most people feel it is a good idea to keep the sides within a color grade or so of the center diamond......so, if center diamond is a G, most wouldn't go below H on sidestones. Regarding clarity, it depends on the size of the stones. If you have a .75 center stone at a VS2 clarity flanked by two .25 sides, the sides can be of lower clarity because they are smaller and less likely to be visible with the naked eye.

Proportions of sides to center tend to be a personal preference thing. I see many folks say the total cwt of the sides should equal half the weight of the center. (Example, 1 ct center means .50 sides of .25 each). But some prefer to make the sides even smaller to make the center stone appear even more prominent. Depends on the look you're going for and how big your center is to begin with.

Good luck.