A matched pair of side stones is judged not on the stones’ own merits but on how closely they agree with the center stone and with each other, and that agreement is measured in millimeters rather than by eye.
In this guide we cover everything that goes into specifying side stones properly, from the color and clarity you set against your center stone, through the cutting styles and shapes that suit it, the length the side stones should run against the center, and the settings that hold them, so that you know exactly what to ask for when you source a matched pair. But first, what they are.
What Are Diamond Side Stones?
Diamond side stones are, most commonly, smaller matching diamonds placed to accent a larger center stone. To do that job properly there are several things to get right: the correct ratio against the main piece, and the color and clarity alongside it.
They appear most often in three stone engagement rings, where a single matched pair flanks the center, and in five stone designs where the pairs step down in size along the shank. They are also set in cathedral settings, where the shank rises in arches to lift the center clear of the finger, and matched pairs are used in earrings, where the two stones answer only each other.
Each of these arrangements asks something different of the side stones in length and proportion, which we cover in detail later in the guide.
Start With the Center Stone
Choosing engagement ring side stones begins with the center stone. Settle its shape and weight first, whether it is a diamond or a gemstone. The side stones come after.
The order matters because side stones are judged by how well they fit the center stone in millimeters. Carat weight is secondary, and it is generally not what leads to the right choice. Until the center’s dimensions are known, there is nothing to measure a side stone against.
With the center settled, the side stones can be specified against it.
Color, Clarity and Depth for Side Stone Diamonds
Couleur
The correct choice is generally one color grade lower than the center stone. This gives the center stone its place, so that it stays present and prominent in the engagement ring.
Clarté
The correct choice is generally up to one grade lower than the center stone, and it can be more. What matters most is that the two side stones are 100% consistent to the eye.
Depth
A window is light leaving through the back of the stone instead of returning to the eye. No certificate reports it, so it is checked by hand.
Two ways to see a window. In section, a correctly proportioned stone returns light to the eye while a stone cut too shallow lets it pass out of the back. Face up over printed text, the correct stone hides the print and the shallow one reads straight through.
It is important to ensure the side stones have the right depth for their specific shape so they do not window.
The GIA are somewhat inconsistent when it comes to elongated shapes. Sometimes they divide the height by the length, and at other times the height by the width.
So how do you get an accurate depth?
Take a trapezoid side stone measuring 6.5 x 3.5 x 2.10 mm. The same stone gives two very different answers depending on what you measure it against.
Against the width alone
Inaccurate. 60.0% suggests an incredibly deep and thick stone.
Against the average girdle baseline
Correct. 42.0% indicates a sleek elongated low profile cut.
Measure against the whole stone, not its narrow side
A trapezoid is not as wide as it is long, so judging its depth against the width alone describes a stone that does not exist. The baseline is the average of length and width.
Avoid choosing flat stones. Flat stones make accumulated dirt and smudges much more visible, and as a result, they lose brilliance and become lazy and cloudy.
Cutting Style: Matching Side Stones to the Center
Center stones come in two cutting styles, and this is true of gemstones as well as diamonds. The popular one is brilliant. The second is step cut.
- Brilliant cut
- uses many small facets that throw light in every direction, giving scattered flashes rather than broad planes.
- Step cut
- uses long parallel facets running in clean lines, producing a calm, mirror-like look. The faceting is linear and geometric, arranged almost like a staircase, and the stone can appear almost transparent.
Neither is better. They do different jobs.
Among diamonds the most commonly used step cut center stones are emerald cut et Asscher cut. In recent years, alternative step cut centers have gained popularity with jewelry designers as a creative option. Shapes more commonly seen as side stones are used in the center position: baguette, hexagon, Carre, shield, kite and more.
Why Matching the Cutting Style Matters
Trapezoid step cut
Trapezoid brilliant cutA well matched pair does more than sit politely beside the center stone. When the facet patterns agree, the eye stops reading three separate stones and reads one continuous expanse of diamond. The center appears to carry through into the shoulders, and the ring gains visual presence without a larger and far more expensive center stone.
Both runs below carry the same step cut trapezoid sides, and both are cut correctly. Only the center changes. When the center belongs to the same cutting family the facet planes run on through the join; when it does not, the pattern breaks at each join.
The same step cut trapezoid sides beside two different centers. With a step cut center the facet planes carry across the join and the run reads as one line. With a brilliant center the pattern changes at each join and the three stones read separately. Neither is a rule.
That effect depends on the facet patterns matching. Set a brilliant cut trapezoid beside a step cut emerald and the eye catches the join immediately, because one stone is scattering light in every direction while the other returns it in flat planes. The continuity breaks, and the side stones begin competing with the center rather than extending it.
Professional tip
For the most harmonious optical appearance, brilliant cut center stones are generally complemented best by brilliant cut side stones, and step cut center stones by step cut side stones.
Mixing cutting styles should be viewed as a deliberate design decision, used to create contrast, artistic expression or a distinctive visual signature, rather than as a default practice.
Understanding the relationship between cutting style and optical performance allows jewelry designers to create rings that feel visually balanced, elegant and timeless.
Side Stones for a Step Cut Center
When the center is emerald or Asscher, the cutting style called for in the side stones is also step cut. The most popular options are:
- Bullet cut
- Tapered bullet cut
- Baguette effilée
- Trapezoid step cut
- Epaulette cut
Side Stones for a Gemstone Center
The same principle applies to colored gemstones. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, aquamarines, tourmalines, or fancy colored diamonds, and many other gemstones are frequently cut in step cut styles, because these cuts emphasize color, clarity and elegance rather than maximum brilliance.
For this reason, jewelry designers commonly pair step cut gemstones with step cut diamond side stones, such as tapered baguettes, trapezoids, bullets or epaulettes. This creates a smooth visual transition, preserves the gemstone’s character, and maintains consistent light performance across the design.
Side Stones for a Brilliant Cut Center
Center stones cut in the brilliant style are more suited to side stones that are also brilliant, such as trapezoid brilliant, trilliant, half moon cut and others.
This is not absolute. It depends on the design of the ring. Where a deliberate design contrast is wanted, step cut side stones are used against a brilliant center, and they create flow and a distinctive look in the engagement ring.
The Side Stone Combination Chart
We built this chart as a guide to choosing your side stones. Select the center stone you are working with, and it returns 25 side stone options for that shape, each one illustrated, so the match can be seen rather than imagined.
Ten center stone models, 25 side stone shapes, 250 combinations in total.
Chaque association que nous coupons. Commencez par la pierre centrale choisie par votre client, puis voyez chaque forme de pierre latérale assortie à celle-ci.
250 appariements montrés
Sélectionnez une pierre centrale ci-dessus pour affiner le tableau — elle réduit 250 associations à 25.
Side Stone Combinations by Center Stone
Recommended Side Stones by Center Stone Shape
The chart shows every pairing we cut. What follows is which ones we recommend, for each center stone models we cut.
The tapered baguette is the classic side stone for almost every center shape, and one of the first side stones ever cut. It gives the center presence. What changes from one shape to the next is the alternative worth considering, and what suits a three stone ring.
Round Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is a round diamond with tapered baguette side stones. A round diamond with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a round diamond with pear side stones also looks very classic.
For a three stone look, we strongly recommend a round diamond with half moon side stones.
Round is a curved center, so side stones for a three stone look run at 50% to 60% of its length.
Oval Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is an oval diamond with tapered baguette side stones. An oval diamond with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and an oval diamond with oval side stones also looks very classic.
For a three stone look, we strongly recommend an oval diamond with half moon side stones, or an oval diamond with epaulette side stones, which is more modern.
An oval is a curved center. Against a 1ct oval of 7.80 mm, side stones for a three stone look run 3.90 to 4.68 mm.
Emerald Cut Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is an emerald cut with tapered baguette side stones. An emerald cut with tapered bullet side stones is also a very beautiful pairing.
For a three stone look, we strongly recommend an emerald cut with trapezoid step cut side stones.
An emerald cut is a step cut center, so every step cut side stone is available to it: bullet, tapered bullet, tapered baguette, trapezoid step cut and epaulette. Straight sides, so against a 1ct emerald of 6.71 mm, side stones for a three stone look run up to 4.70 mm.
Asscher Cut Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is an Asscher cut with tapered baguette side stones. An Asscher cut with tapered bullet side stones is also a very beautiful pairing.
For a three stone look, we strongly recommend an Asscher cut with trapezoid step cut side stones.
Asscher is the other of the two most common step cut centers, and shares the emerald’s range of side stone options. Straight sides, so side stones for a three stone look run up to 70% of its length.
Radiant Cut With Side Stones
Flowing very well with the center diamond is a radiant cut with trapezoid brilliant side stones.
The classic look is a radiant cut with tapered baguette side stones. A radiant cut with tapered bullet side stones also gives flow, and because of the difference in the step cut style of the side stones it gives the center diamond more presence.
A radiant cut with epaulette side stones is another of our favorites, where the angled shoulders of the epaulette answer the cropped corners of the center.
Radiant has straight sides, so side stones for a three stone look run up to 70% of its length.
Princess Cut With Side Stones
Flowing very well with the center diamond is a princess cut with trapezoid brilliant side stones.
The classic look is a princess cut with tapered baguette side stones. A princess cut with tapered bullet side stones also gives flow, and because of the difference in the step cut style of the side stones it gives the center diamond more presence. A princess cut with half moon side stones suits it very well too.
Straight sides, so against a 1ct princess of 5.61 mm, side stones for a three stone look run up to 3.93 mm.
Cushion Cut With Side Stones
The classic look is a cushion cut with tapered baguette side stones. A cushion cut with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a cushion cut with half moon side stones also looks very classic.
For a three stone look, we strongly recommend a cushion cut with half moon side stones, or a cushion cut with epaulette side stones, which is more modern.
Cushion is a curved center. Against a 1ct rectangular cushion of 6.74 mm, side stones for a three stone look run 3.37 to 4.04 mm.
Pear Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is a pear diamond with tapered baguette side stones. A pear diamond with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a pear diamond with pear side stones also looks very classic.
For a classic and modern look, we strongly recommend a pear diamond with shield long side stones.
Pear is a curved center, so side stones for a three stone look run at 50% to 60% of its length.
Marquise Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is a marquise diamond with tapered baguette side stones. A marquise diamond with tapered bullet side stones is also a very beautiful pairing.
For a three stone look, we recommend a marquise diamond with half moon side stones, or a marquise diamond with epaulette side stones, which is more modern.
Marquise is a curved center, so side stones for a three stone look run at 50% to 60% of its length.
Heart Diamond With Side Stones
The classic look is a heart diamond with tapered baguette side stones. A heart diamond with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a heart diamond with pear side stones also looks very classic.
For a classic and modern look, we strongly recommend a heart diamond with shield long side stones.
Heart is a curved center, so side stones for a three stone look run at 50% to 60% of its length.
Hexagonal Cut With Side Stones
The classic look is a hexagonal cut with tapered baguette side stones. A hexagonal cut with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a hexagonal cut with kite step side stones gives a very modern look.
For a three stone ring, we strongly recommend a hexagonal cut with hexagonal side stones. For this center, it is perfect.
Against a 1ct hexagonal of 6.11 mm, side stones for a three stone look run up to 4.28 mm.
French Cut With Side Stones
The classic look is a French cut with French cut side stones. The French cut is an old Art Deco stone, and its own cut suits it best, giving the look of a three stone ring. A French cut with tapered bullet side stones is another strong choice, giving flow, and a French cut with kite step side stones gives a very modern look.
For a classic and modern look, we strongly recommend a French cut with shield long side stones.
Straight sides, so against a 1ct French cut of 5.52 mm, side stones for a three stone look run up to 3.86 mm.
What Shapes Are Used as Side Stones?
Nearly any diamond can be used as a side stone. The shapes below are the ones most commonly used, and the list is not a limit. Which of them belongs beside your center stone is what the rest of this guide covers.
Diamants de taille trapèze sur les côtés
Four sides with one pair parallel, cut in three versions: the trapezoid brilliant, the trapezoid step cut and the trapezoid French cut. Its large surface area gives good coverage across the finger and a fuller look to the ring. More comfortable in wear than a trilliant, because its short end does not extend down between the fingers.
Diamants latéraux taille baguette/baguette effilée
Long, rectangular, step cut. The most versatile shoulder we cut, and the one that blends with almost any center stone.
Pierres latérales avec diamants en forme de demi-lune
A straight edge against the center and a curved outer edge. Once made only as a step cut, now cut in two versions: the half moon brilliant and the half moon step cut.
Diamants de taille trilliant pour pierres secondaires
Triangular, cut relatively shallow with an above average width, so it appears larger than its weight would suggest.
Diamants latéraux coupe droite
A modification of the baguette with a narrow V-shaped end, almost always step cut. Straight bullets read cleaner and more geometric; tapered bullets carry a more antique look. Both need a V-prong at the point. Bullet side stones are often used alongside large diamonds and other gemstones.
Diamants de fiançailles en forme de bouclier avec pierres latérales
A family rather than a single shape: tapered corners, a bowed top and a V-shaped base. Variations include the bouclier de Superman and the elongated shield. Step cut shields are the more popular.
Diamants sertis en français
An antique-style stone dating back to the 14th century and central to Art Deco design. High crown, four triangular facets, between 18 and 24 in total, and a rhombus table.
Epaulette / Cadillac Cut Side Stone Diamonds
Elongated, and used only as a side stone. Named for the shoulder boards it resembles, which is where it sits on a ring.
Kite Cut Side Stone Diamonds
Four sided and angular, and back in wider use as designers reach for more unique geometry.
Carre Cut Side Stone Diamonds
A square step cut with angled corners. Like most step cuts it calls for high clarity rough, because open faceting hides nothing.
Diamants rond brillant en pierre latérale
The easiest of all shapes to match in pairs. It works beside a marquise center, or supporting a larger oval or pear.
How Big Should Side Stones Be on an Engagement Ring?
Side stones are sized against the length of the center stone rather than by carat weight, and how large they run depends on the arrangement the ring uses.
Five Side Stone Design Lines
Side stones are judged by how well they match each other in millimeters relative to the center stone. Carat weight is secondary, because it is generally not what leads to the right choice.
The five side stone design lines against one 7.00 mm center: flanking at full scale with a 4.90 mm span at 60 to 70 percent of the center length, flanking at reduced scale at 3.15 mm and 40 to 50 percent, elongated along the shank at 5.25 mm and 70 to 80 percent, mixed shape at 4.90 mm, and a graduated trapezoid run beginning at 4.90 mm with every step held to 0.05 mm.
There are five design options.
Flanking Side Stones, Full Scale
The first line is the look of a three stone ring, with side stones of up to 70% of the length of the center diamond. That gives the ring its ideal proportion.
This suits diamonds with straight sides: emerald cut, radiant, Asscher cut, princess cut and French cut.
Over the last twenty years the trend has shifted toward contrasting geometry. In three stone rings it has become much more popular to frame the center with side stones in a different shape, such as the trapezoid, half moon or epaulette.
For center diamonds built with curves, such as pear shape, heart shape and round cut, the length measurement is slightly misleading. For these, choose a smaller side stone size of 50% to 60% to keep a proportion that flatters the center.
Side stones in this line sit slightly smaller than the center.
Flanking Side Stones, Reduced Scale
The second uses side stones at 40% to 50% of the length of the center diamond, again depending on the model. This gives the look of supporting stones while keeping the center stone present, and emphasizes its size.
These two lines draw on the same shapes:
Half moon cut · trapezoid French cut · trapezoid brilliant · trapezoid step cut · triangular cut · epaulette cut · calf cut · shield cut · half moon step cut · French cut · hexagonal cut
Elongated Side Stones Along the Shank
A very classic, rich and long-established line. Side stones with an elongated structure that follow the line of the shank. This is a style used by large and prestigious fashion and design houses, including Tiffany, Graff and Harry Winston, for a classic look with straight lines. It is a very popular contemporary design.
Here the reference is different. What matters is the length of the side stone diamonds, generally 70% to 80% of the length of the center diamond or gemstone.
The models that suit it are tapered baguette cut, bullet cut and tapered bullet cut, and more recently kite cut et shield long cut.
Where pear shape or heart shape diamonds are used as the side stones, the recommended length is generally 40% to 60%.
Mixed Shape Diamond Rings
Built with two or three stones on each side of the center stone, in different shapes. Trapezoid with tapered baguette. Trapezoid with tapered bullet. Half moon with pear. There are many possibilities, and it depends on the geometric shapes you like. It is possible in almost any shape.
Two things matter. The side stones must descend gradually in size, and the diamonds must all be the same color, in order to keep uniformity and flow across the engagement ring.
Graduated Trapezoid Side Stones
Called a ladder or tower in professional language, because of how the shape appears. It is built from three or more trapezoids on each side of the center stone, stepping down in size as they move away from it, in different cutting styles such as trapezoid brilliant, trapezoid step cut and trapezoid French cut. Together these create the overall tower structure.
Because the stones scale down along the shank, this is what the trade calls a graduated side stone layout.
Precision is mandatory here. Every step must hold ±0.05mm, and all the trapezoids in the run must match in color. The style works across all twelve center stone models.
This is not a cheap product. It is generally used for very high end rings, with fancy color diamonds or unique gemstones at the center.
Both runs step down in size away from the center and hold one color across the set. Illustrations of the layout rather than photographs of specific goods.
A mixed shape diamond ring graduates in the same way. The difference is whether the graduation is achieved by repeating one shape or by varying the geometry.
Orientation
Side stones can be set north to south, parallel to the finger, or east to west, across it. The same percentages apply either way.
Ring Settings for Side Stone Diamonds
Diamond ring settings with side stones have to do more than hold the stones in place. How a side stone is set decides how much of it is protected, how much light reaches it, and how its color reads on the hand. For designers, goldsmiths and clients who want professional depth, these are the decisions that follow once the stones are specified.
Five ways a side stone is held, each shown in profile and face up. Prong sits the stone above the band on a few points. Bezel wraps the girdle in a rim of metal and lets small accents sit flush with the shank. Channel holds the side stones in a groove between two rails, protected along both long edges. Cathedral sweeps the shank up in arches to meet the head and lift the center clear of the finger. V-prong forms metal to the tip of a pointed stone, one at each end of a marquise.
The three stone diamond settings in common use are prong, channel, and flush or bezel. Each behaves differently with a side stone.
Prong Settings for Side Stones
Metal extends from the base of the mount and curves over the stone, holding it at its edges or corners. It is the most classic route, and there are dozens of variations, so choosing prongs does not mean choosing a single look.
Prongs meet the stone at a small number of points. Most of the girdle and pavilion stay open, which leaves the side stone lit from the sides as well as the top and keeps the pavilion reachable when the piece is cleaned. That matters for side stones specifically, because a pavilion that cannot be cleaned gathers residue and loses brilliance.
Channel Settings for Side Stone Diamonds
Stones sit between two continuous walls of metal, with no metal separating one stone from the next. The girdle is held along its length rather than at points.
This suits side stones with straight edges: tapered baguette, bullet, and the trapezoids. A straight girdle can sit against a channel wall along its whole length. It is also the natural setting for a graduated side stone layout, where a run of three or more stones per side has to hold an exact progression.
Flush and Bezel Settings
Metal surrounds the stone, either as a rim standing above the mount, which is a bezel, or set level with the surface, which is flush. These are the most enclosed settings and they give the girdle the most protection.
The enclosure has an optical consequence worth knowing about. Closed-back and bezel settings block some of the ambient light that would otherwise reach the stone, which can make a faint tint less visible.
Cathedral Settings for Side Stone Rings
Cathedral is an architecture rather than a way of holding a stone. The shank rises in arches to meet the head, and side stones sit along those arches. A cathedral can carry any of the settings above, and it is one of the popular routes for side stone engagement rings alongside prong and bezel.
Bagues de fiançailles cinq pierres
Five stone rings are frequently built with colored diamonds or gemstones alongside the classic all-diamond version.
The five stones are variously read as five years of marriage, or as the stages of a relationship: friendship, courtship, engagement, marriage, family.
Setting Pointed Side Stones
Professional tip
Sharp corners need special protection when they are set. Trilliant, kite, shield, lozenge, bullet and marquise all end in points, and these shapes call for V-prongs, formed to cradle the point rather than grip across it.
This comes up more often than it might appear. The kite step pairings we recommend for a hexagonal or French cut center both call for it, as does any three stone ring built with trilliants. Name the V-prongs in the design rather than leaving it to the setter.
Metal Color and Side Stone Color
A set stone is lit in part by its own mount. The facets of a diamond behave like a series of mirrors, picking up the surroundings, so the metal a side stone sits in carries into how its color reads face up.
- Yellow gold
- casts warmth into the stone and masks a faint tint. A side stone in the H or I range set in yellow gold reads as consistent with what surrounds it, because the eye attributes the warmth to the metal. This is why the rule of one grade below the center sits comfortably in yellow gold.
- Platinum and white gold
- do the opposite. A white metal gives the eye a neutral reference right beside the stone, so any tint in the side stone becomes easier to see. The same H or I pair that disappears into yellow gold can read as noticeably warmer against platinum.
Setting style pushes in whichever direction the metal is already pushing. A bezel or flush setting wraps the stone in metal and increases its influence, so it masks more in yellow gold and exposes more in platinum. Prongs touch less and let the stone’s own color dominate.
A practical consequence for specification. Common trade guidance for settings with side stones is not to go below H color, with I acceptable where the stones are round, princess, emerald or Asscher. Read that alongside the rule of one grade below the center, and in a white metal it is worth tightening the gap rather than taking the full grade.
One point that is easy to miss at the design stage. White gold is finished with rhodium plating, and that plating wears. It is normally refreshed every one to two years. As it thins, the warmer gold beneath begins to show, which changes the reference the side stones are being read against. Platinum does not do this.
What to Look for in a Side Stone Supplier
A matched pair is rarely the end of the relationship. A client comes back for a matching band, a stone is lost and has to be replaced, or the same design is ordered again two years later. That is worth keeping in mind when choosing who cuts them.
Do they cut to your specification, or sort to it? A supplier working from stock can only match to what the stock allows. A cutting house matches to the measurement you give. The difference shows in the tolerance, and it shows again when you reorder.
Natural or laboratory grown? Either can be the right answer, but the choice has a practical consequence beyond the obvious one: it fixes what can be supplied again. A house working in one or the other consistently can repeat a specification years later.
Can they tell you where the stones came from? Origin documentation is no longer only an ethical question. A European buyer now carries obligations that rest on what their supplier provides, so the paperwork matters as much as the stones.
Is anyone holding them accountable? Bourse membership is not a logo. It requires vetting and financial references, and it binds members to the bourse’s code and to its arbitration. It is the difference between a supplier’s word and a supplier’s obligation.
Where AVA stands
We cut to specification rather than sorting to it, and hold every matched pair to within ±0.05mm.
We work exclusively in natural diamonds, so a matched pair or a calibrated row can be reordered to the same specification next year as today.
We are members of the Israel Diamond Exchange and the Diamond Dealers Club of New York, both World Federation of Diamond Bourses affiliates, and are listed with the Jewelers Board of Trade.
How to Order Matched Side Stones
How Matched Pairs Are Measured
Length and width in millimeters, using a caliper or gauge, on both stones. The deviation between the two stones in a matched pair is ±0.05mm.
What to Specify
A matched pair is ordered against a known center stone, so the specification begins with the center. Give the shape, and the length and width in millimeters. Carat weight is useful context but it is not the instruction; two 1 carat stones of different shapes have very different lengths, and it is the length the side stones answer to.
Then give the side stone requirement: the shape, the cutting style, the span in millimeters along the same axis as the center’s length, the color grade and the clarity grade. Note whether the stones are to be set north to south or east to west, since it changes which dimension the pair is being matched on.
Earrings are the exception. A pair destined for earrings is not ordered against a center stone, so there is no center to specify from. Give the pair’s own dimensions in millimeters instead, along with the shape, cutting style, color grade and clarity grade, and say how many pairs the design needs. Here the two stones are matched only to each other.
What to Ask For
Ask about depth specifically, since it is the one thing a certificate will not tell you.
Why a Matched Pair Is Harder to Cut Than a Single Stone
A single fancy shape is a cutting problem. A pair is a compounding one. Both stones have to agree on outline, length to width ratio, depth, color and clarity at the same time, and every criterion added narrows what the second stone can be.
Cutters working in matched pairs describe the same constraint: making a pair often means reducing size to bring the two stones into agreement, which is a judgment that comes from experience rather than from a formula. Rough cannot simply be halved and assumed to yield a pair.
This is why some shapes are common and others are not. Rounds are straightforward to cut and to match, which is why they appear so often as accents. Bullets are scarce, which is why fewer three stone rings carry them than their popularity would suggest.
Cleaning Matched Side Stones
A pair is chosen so the two stones agree on color, dimensions and clarity. That agreement is what you are paying for, and dirt undoes it faster than anything else. The two stones rarely soil evenly, and the moment they stop matching, the whole piece stops matching.
Hand cream or sanitizer left on one side is enough. That stone loses its internal reflection while its partner is still masking the dirt on its back, and the ring reads as mismatched even though nothing about the stones has changed.
How Cutting Style Affects the Cleaning Rhythm
Cutting styles differ in facet masking, which is how much dirt the facet pattern hides from view, so a ring that mixes them and a ring that does not will ask to be cleaned on different rhythms. Neither is better. It is only worth knowing which behavior you are dealing with, because it changes what tells you the ring is ready for a clean.
- Step cut pairs
- Baguettes, tapered baguettes and emerald cuts have very low facet masking. Set beside a brilliant cut center such as a round or a radiant, they behave like clear windows and go cloudy well before the center does, which keeps masking its own dirt and stays bright. In practice the side stones are the part that tells you where the ring stands: when they start to look flat, the ring wants cleaning, even though the center still looks fine.
- Brilliant cut pairs
- Trilliants and tapered brilliants have high facet masking. Seen from above they hide dirt well, and they will hide a dense layer of oil underneath along with it, so the ring looks right for longer and then loses its light return all at once. There is no early warning to read here, so these are better cleaned to a routine than when they start to look like they need it.
Cleaning a Matched Pair
Whatever you do to one side, do to the other. Uneven cleaning produces the same result as uneven wear.
- Soak before you brush
- Put the piece in hot water first. The heat breaks the surface tension of the grime and it lifts far more easily under the brush. Take care lifting the piece out of hot water.
- Get under the stones
- The setting leaves narrow channels and tight angles beneath the stones, in the central basket, and the center stone’s own setting shields most of that space from the sides. A soft toothbrush and a drop of baby shampoo will reach it, but only if you work the bristles in sideways through the openings in the setting rather than brushing down from the top. That is where the uneven dirt sits.
- Judge the pair, not the center
- A ring is not clean because the center looks clean. Look across the side profiles and compare the two side stones against each other. If one is not throwing back the same bright reflection as the other, the grease has not fully lifted on that side and the piece wants a longer soak. High facet masking is what makes this check worth doing rather than trusting a glance from above.
Both pairs show nothing more than the natural oil from handling. Creams and oils built up over time make the difference considerably wider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Est-ce que les paires assorties doivent avoir la même nuance de couleur que la pierre centrale ?
En général, le choix correct est une nuance de couleur inférieure à celle de la pierre centrale, afin de mettre en valeur la pierre centrale pour qu'elle reste présente et proéminente dans la bague de fiançailles.
Est-ce que les pierres d'accompagnement doivent avoir le même degré de pureté que la pierre centrale ?
En règle générale, il convient de choisir des pierres d'un grade inférieur à celui de la pierre centrale. L'important est que les deux pierres latérales présentent une apparence homogène à l'œil nu.
Qu'est-il important de vérifier avant d'acheter des diamants d'accompagnement ?
Depth. Every shape has its own correct depth, so the figure is judged against the side stone’s own outline rather than matched to the center’s, and a stone cut too shallow for its shape will window and lose brilliance over time. Avoid flat stones, which gather dirt from soap and creams in the setting and become lazy and cloudy. Ask your supplier to check for windows, meaning light return escaping the stone. A gemological certificate does not cover this.
Comment les mesures d'une paire appariée sont-elles prises ?
Longueur et largeur en millimètres, au pied à coulisse ou à la jauge. L'écart entre les deux pierres est de ±0,05 mm.
Quelles pierres d'accompagnement conviennent à la forme de ma pierre centrale ?
Notre recommandation pour chacun des douze modèles de pierre centrale, avec leurs tailles, se trouve dans la section de combinaison ci-dessus.
Quelle est la forme de pierre d'accompagnement la plus populaire ?
La baguette fuselée. C'est le choix classique pour presque toutes les formes de pierre centrale, et elle donne de la présence au centre. Ce qui change d'une forme à l'autre, c'est l'alternative à envisager et ce qui convient à une bague à trois pierres.
Combien plus petites les pierres d'accompagnement doivent-elles être par rapport à la pierre centrale ?
It depends on the center’s outline rather than its weight. Centers with straight sides, such as emerald, radiant, Asscher, princess and French cut, take side stones of up to 70% of the center’s length. Centers built with curves take 50% to 60%, because on a curved outline the length measurement is slightly misleading. Smaller supporting stones run 40% to 50%.
Qu'est-ce qu'un diamant taille à degrés ?
Une pierre taillée avec de longues facettes parallèles aux lignes nettes, offrant un aspect calme et semblable à un miroir plutôt qu'un éclat dispersé. La taille est linéaire et géométrique, disposée presque comme un escalier. Parmi les pierres centrales, les tailles en gradins les plus couramment utilisées sont la taille émeraude et la taille Asscher. Les pierres d'accompagnement à taille en gradins comprennent la baguette, la baguette effilée, le trapèze à taille en gradins et l'épaulette.
Can side stones be a different shape from the center stone?
Yes, and over the last twenty years it has become much more popular. In three stone rings, side stones in a shape different from the center, chosen to frame it, are now a common choice: trapezoid, half moon or epaulette.
Do side stones have to match each other?
Yes. The two stones in a pair should agree completely to the eye. AVA holds every matched pair to within ±0.05mm, so the two stones agree with each other on length, width and depth.
Why do some side stones need V-prongs?
Trilliant, kite and shield shapes all end in points, and a point is the most vulnerable part of a cut stone. A V-prong is formed to cradle the point rather than grip across it. This is worth settling when the stones are cut rather than at the bench.
What is a Cadillac cut diamond?
Another name for the epaulette cut: an elongated shape used only as a side stone, named for the shoulder boards it resembles, which is where it sits on a ring.