ENGAGEMENT RING SETTINGS
In the world of engagement rings settings, there are four major style categories around which designers base their designs: halo, solitaire, three stone, and side stone engagement ring settings. While those terms may be slightly foreign to you, they're fairly easy to comprehend when they're broken down. Keep reading to learn more about these different engagement ring designs!
HALO ENGAGEMENT RINGS
The halo engagement ring ring, as the name implies, is a style in which a glamorous center stone is surrounded by a halo of precious metal and jewels. An extremely popular style at the turn of the 20th century, halos are no less popular now than they were in the 1910s. In the Art Nouveau and Deco periods, designers often utilized colored gems like sapphires to accentuate the metal and center stone, but today, a lover of diamond can find rings that surround the center stone with carats of the glittering jewel. If you prefer pink and yellow diamonds, you can add them to the halo design as well!
SOLITAIRE ENGAGEMENT RINGS
If halo rings are on one end of the spectrum, solitaire rings are on the opposite end. The solitaire style is one where the only jewel on the engagement ring is the center stone. This style, despite the simple description, has traits that make it ideal for many women: A solitaire setting shows off the center diamond better than any other, so if you’ve got a big chunk of glitz you want to show off, you may like this style. Plus, without side stones, designers have more space to add sculpting, texture, and filigrees to the metal of the shank, making it perfect for the woman who appreciates those features.
SIDE STONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS
The side stone engagement ring setting covers a whole host of different styles. Side stones refer to the decorative use of diamonds or colored gems along the shank of the engagement ring. This can range from a few jewels channel-set in the metal or pave-encrusted diamonds working along braided split shanks. The space and number of jewels used in a side stone ring also allows designers to do inventive things with the format. For instance, certain engagement rings offered at Merry Richards Jewelers pair marquise - and round-cut diamonds or rows of princess-cut diamonds with baguette cuts.
THREE STONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS
Similar to side stone rings, the three-stone engagement ring setting features a center stone framed by secondary jewels. But while side stone rings' jewels are of comparable size, the three stone model places two large jewels on either side of the center stone. Usually, these stones are selected to either complement the center stone's shape (such as framing a round-cut stone with two smaller round cuts) or to contrast beautifully with them (like using princess cuts instead). The effect is immediately dramatic and eye-catching, making the three stone ring a kind of happy medium between a solitaire ring and the side stone model.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ENGAGEMENT RING SETTINGS AT MERRY RICHARDS JEWELERS
Having served bridal jewelry to the women of Chicago since 1985, Merry Richards Jewelers knows what makes an engagement ring special. Our expertise in the realm of luxury jewelry means that no matter your tastes or unique sensibilities, when you visit our showroom, we’ll be able to point you in the right direction. If you’d like to find out more about engagement rings, don’t hesitate to visit our showroom in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois today or call us at 1-630-516-8000!
