Three-Stone Engagement Rings – What to Know Before You Buy

If you’re searching for a meaningful engagement ring, then the three stone ring style is one not to be missed. Also called a trio or trilogy ring, this popular ring style is full of symbolism and an excellent way to make a statement to your loved one when you propose.

While the solitaire ring style is the most famous, accounting for a majority of engagement rings sold worldwide, the three stone ring is arguably more meaningful. Let’s take a look at why you need to check out the three stone ring design.

Three Stone Ring Style Meaning

A three stone ring typically has a large center stone flanked by two smaller side stones, or three equal sized stones.

Each of the three stones represents a stage in your life, standing for the past, the present and the future. The ring tells a story about the memories you’ve shared, the love you currently share and a look towards a joyful future that you wish to share together.

The three stones can also stand for friendship, love, and fidelity, three characteristics that are essential for a successful relationship.

You can choose to have the center stone more prominent, larger and flanked by either diamonds or stones of different color. With this ring style, the focus is on the present – the here and now. You can also choose to have all three stones in the same color and size to represent that each stage holds equal importance to you.

It is this symbolism of the three stone ring that has made it one of the most enduring of engagement ring designs out there.

Pros of Buying a Three Stone Ring

If you’re one the fence about the three stone ring, here are some advantages of this ring style to help you make your decisions:

1. Symbolism

We’ve already talked about it, but it’s worth reiterating it here. Other ring styles like the solitaire or halo are beautiful in appearance but don’t hold meaning or have the ability to represent a story. An engagement ring is a symbolic piece of jewelry so adding this extra touch of symbolism is a nice touch.

2. Beauty and Sparkle

The overall aesthetic of a well-crafted three stone ring is stunning. The three stones work together to create a cohesive look, making the diamonds on your ring look large and creating additional sparkle. When worn, light reflecting off three stone ring diamonds makes for a dazzling, brilliant ring.

3. Suits Your Style

A three stone ring allows the bride-to-be to stand out from the crowd with a piece of jewelry that turns heads. For a lady who loves bold and flashy jewelry, this ring style can easily be customized to stand out on her finger. However, three stone rings can also be crafted in petite, minimalist styles for a simplistic yet alluring look.

4. Many Design Options

One of the best things about the three stone ring style is that it allows you to customize the ring according to your specifications, with numerous design options. By changing up the stones and the shapes, you can easily create a unique ring.

5. Can Be Affordable

Diamonds increase in price exponentially with the increase in carat weight. This means that a single 2 carat diamond will cost much more than four .50 carat stones or two 1 carat stone. In a three stone ring, you can use this to your advantage by utilizing three smaller sized diamonds, instead of going with a single large solitaire diamond.

Choosing Your Three Stone Ring Style

One of the main decisions you have to make with regards to the three stone ring is the shape and size of the stones.

1. Three Stone Ring Stone Shapes

When considering the shape, note that three stone rings are usually set with either round brilliant or princess cut diamonds. This is because these two shapes are the most popular diamond shapes and due to their symmetrical and well-proportioned cut, can be easier to set in a three stone ring design.

However, if you choose a center diamond shape like oval, heart, marquise or pear, pay special attention to the side stones. These need to be carefully chosen to ensure that the overall look is well-matched.

Take a look at the heart cut and oval cut diamond rings below with marquise side stones. Which look do you think works better?

While this is entirely subjective, the heart shaped diamond seems to work better with the marquise side stones. This is because the sides of the heart shape are wide enough to accommodate the pointed corners of the marquise cut whereas the oval shape, while still beautiful, doesn’t seem to work as cohesively with the marquise side stones.

One of our favorite styles is the three stone ring with tapered baguette side stones. This works with any center diamond shape, whether curved or angular.

2. Three Stone Ring Diamond Quality

If you’ve chosen diamonds for all three stones, it’s important to ensure that the quality of the stones work together. Think about the carat and clarity of the diamonds. Because all three diamonds are important in a three stone ring (unlike in a side stone ring setting where the side stones can be small diamond melees) choosing a high-quality center diamond but failing to consider the side stones will result in a mismatched looking ring.

In general, it’s best to choose all three stones from the same color category. For example, you can opt for colorless (D-E-F) or near colorless (G-H-I) but if you mix a D grade stone with two I grade stones, the yellow tints of the I stones will be visible when set side by side. Unless that’s the look you’re going for, it’s best to avoid this.

In terms of clarity, the grade isn’t all that important. What matters is whether or not the diamonds are eye-clean. Carefully inspect the diamond to ensure that there are no visible flaws.

In general, your jeweler should be able to do this for you according to their specifications for three stone ring designs.

3. Three Stone Gemstone Ring

There’s no need to limit yourself to diamonds. There are many diamond alternatives that are perfect for use in engagement rings, including sapphire, ruby and morganite.

You can choose different a mixture of gemstones and diamonds for the three stones, adding more meaning to the ring. For example, one idea is to choose the three stones to correlate to both your birthstones and the month you met or got engaged. Or you could simply choose her favorite gemstones to be the side stones of the ring. The sky’s the limit with how creative you choose to get.

Where to Buy Three Stone Rings

A three stone ring is a big purchase. By taking your search online, you’ll be able to access competitive prices and have a wide range of options to source from. However, it is imperative to choose a trustworthy and reliable vendor, known for the quality of their products and services. We recommend the following retailers when it comes to online shopping.

• James Allen

James Allen has a wide range of beautiful three stone settings and allows you to carefully inspect each setting with compatible diamonds from all angles using their ground-breaking Diamond Display Technology. They also have Diamond Experts on hand to help you through the process.

• Blue Nile

Blue Nile has a large inventory of engagement ring settings at competitive prices. With excellent quality and great customer service, Blue Nile has something for everyone.

• Whiteflash

If you’re looking for a designer three stone ring, this is the place to search! With three stone ring styles from over 8 renowned designers, plus diamonds with exceptional cut quality and sparkle, Whiteflash offers you the best of the best.

• Leibish

For three stone rings with colored diamonds or gemstones of the highest quality, we recommend checking out Leibish.

Wrapping Up

A timeless classic and a meaningful design, three stone ring settings offer lots of options to customize the stone. From choosing the sizes of the stones, to their placement, color, and shapes, you can truly design a ring that you love.