THREE STONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS

For your past, present and future

Three stone engagement rings are a classy way to get a seriously impressive engagement ring, without being overtly ‘blingy’ or flashy. Three stone rings radiate luxury while still retaining an air of elegance.

Three stone settings are sometimes called ‘Past, present and future’ rings, and like many things to do with diamonds, this came from De Beers. In 2000 they started a marketing campaign promoting three stone rings as the jewelry gift of choice for an anniversary – tying the three stones to the past, present and future of a relationship. However, three stone rings are definitely not just for anniversaries and are a popular choice for engagement rings.

On this page we’re going to look at

What’s good about three stone engagement rings
What’s not so good
A selection of three stone engagement rings settings for you to check out.

By the end, you should have a great idea of what to look for with three stone rings, and hopefully have some inspiration to help you make your choice.

What’s good about three stone engagement rings?

Price

Buyers of a three stone diamond ring, have an advantage over those who choose a solitaire ring because a three diamond ring does not necessarily require a large single diamond, which can be expensive. Instead, the buyer can select three smaller stones of better quality, but since they are smaller, may have a lower price.

Versatility

Three stone engagement rings give you more opportunity than most other ring setting styles to mix up the design and really make it your own. As well as the choice of center stone shape, as you would have with other setting styles, you can also choose to pair these with almost any other diamond shape as side stones. And, if you want to add a flash of colour, you can pair a center diamond with other gemstones as the supporting stone. Emeralds, sapphires and rubies are popular choices.

As we’ll see in the next section, there’s almost no limit to the combinations that you can choose in terms of shape and color for your three stone ring.

Three stone engagement ring settings

The three stone ring offers the most variety of any format of engagement ring due to the combinations of stones shapes and styles that are possible, which means that it’s possible to create a ring that is truly individual

I’ve selected a few examples below to give you an idea of what is out there, but it is by no means a definitive list. Click through on any of the rings to find out more about it, or click through to the Ringspo Ring Finder to see more options.

The classic three stone ring has two smaller stones flanking the central stone, often using the same type of stone and the same shape. Classic and simple three stone settings like this can be a great way of getting a ‘past, present and future’ ring, without the added expense that extra bling like pavé or a halo setting would bring.

Check out more info on this ring and other three stone options here

Princess cut diamond three stone engagement ring

Three stone settings are available using a wide variety of diamond shapes – Princess cuts are a popular choice as their flat sides mean that they work particularly. This ring holds the diamonds in place using a ‘trellis’ setting which adds a delicate flourish to what would otherwise be a straightforward design.

See more info on this ring and other Princess cut options here

Side stones in three stone rings don’t need to be the same shape as this example shows – the baguette stones will offer large flashes of reflected light to complement the center stone’s sparkle.

Click here to see more info on this ring

Three stone ring with baguette cut side stones

Three stone diamond ring with half moon diamonds

Diamond shapes that are not commonly used in other settings can work extremely well in three stone settings – these ‘half moon’ diamonds offer great sparkle and complement the center round brilliant diamond perfectly.

See more detail on this ring and other three stone options here

Side stones don’t need to be the same gemstone as the center stone though, as this ring with pear-shaped emerald side stones shows. Mixing up the side stone colour can be a great way of incorporating a colored gemstone, while keeping all the positive qualities that a diamond offers as the center stone – incredible sparkle and durability.

Click here to check out this ring and other similar options

three stone diamond engagement ring with pear shaped emerald side stones

Princess cut diamond engagement ring with princess cut ruby side stones

See more info here

Rubies and sapphires can also make excellent supporting stones in side stone rings, and each is available in a range of shapes, either to match the center stone or as a great way to introduce another shape of gemstone too.

Check it out here

Three stone diamond engagement ring with pave setting

If the main three stones just aren’t offering enough sparkle, then pavé can be added to the band to make your ring even more special. This ring has nearly two thirds of a carat of diamonds in the setting, even without the center stone.

Check out this ring and other pavé three stone engagement rings here

Of course, three stone settings don’t need to be white-colored though. They work equally well in yellow gold, or in a mixed gold setting.

See more info on this ring and other yellow gold three stone rings here

Three stone diamond engagement ring in yellow gold

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Three stones could mean that your diamonds are three times as likely to get chipped or damaged. This bezel halo ring puts a protective lip of metal around the main stones and surrounds it all with a halo of smaller diamonds to ensure that it still sparkles incredibly.

Click here to see more info on this ring and other three stone halo engagement rings

The sky is the limit with halo settings, as this extremely ornate ring from Ritani shows. With halo settings around all three stones and a pavé band, the setting has a diamond weight of 0.75 carats even without the center stone.

See more info on this ring and other three stone halo engagement rings here

Diamond three stone asscher halo engagement ring

This designer three stone ring combines many embellishments to incredible effect, with halos, pavé, a split shank and secret ‘suprise’ diamonds set into the side of the band to create a stunning ring.

Check out this ring in more detail here

Although most of the rings featured here are either platinum or white gold, there is also a wide selection of rose gold and yellow gold three stone engagement rings for you to check out. Click through and have a look!

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