Side Stone Engagement Rings

The Best Side Stones Engagement Rings

Jewelry stores have had a variety of engagement rings with side stones. Over the many years, the engagement ring has gone through many changes. The first recorded exchange of a diamond engagement ring was in 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria proposed to Mary Burgundy. This exchange was more for the elite than anyone else. People could not afford such a luxury back then. It was around the 1840’s that the engagement ring was recorded in the United States, but it was still uncommon. Sixty years later, the Edwardian Engagement ring became popular. A center stone with filigree, fine details, and small accent stones adorn the hand cut center stones. The Edwardian Engagement ring was the first recorded engagement ring that can be identified as a popular style in 1901-1910. From there, the engagement ring changed in orientation and style but they had one thing in common, a center stone flanked by side stones.

Decades of Changes Where Side Stones Make the Difference

After 1920 the engagement ring slowly became less art deco. Center stones were set in geometric shapes. Side stones were becoming surrounded in milgrain capturing a unique vintage engagement ring style.

The 1930s had a more blocky appearance. Side stone engagement rings were symmetrical with 90 degree angles, square settings with round diamonds as the center. The 1940’s, perhaps due to WWII, was very similar to the 30’s style. The 1940’s engagement ring looked like a smaller version of the 1930’s. Side stone engagement rings were simpler with less variation.

The 1950s gave way to larger center stones that had a much better cut. From here, the last 70 years had 2 main center stone shapes. One was a type of round and one that looks like today’s cushion cut. The designs, however, still looked like the last 20 years.

The 1960s look like a variety of eras not being truly defined by a style. Wide bands with no side stones, side stone engagement rings with small centers, art deco designs come back. The lack of a defined style during the 60’s gave birth to new concepts adopted in the 1970s.

In 1970 side stone engagement rings saw great changes in design using different shapes other than single cut round diamonds as side stones. Baguettes, and princess cut diamonds can be found in these new designs. Engagement ring design starts to look more varied with different shape center stones. Although, many of these designs appear thicker, these engagement rings start a new revolution in ring design that changes the look of engagement rings to come. 

The 1980’s and 1990s side stone engagement rings have more flowing channels of side stones where the side stones flow in slight curves than straight lines. And yet, many engagement rings of this era style use side stones to create width and definition not seen previously. These side stone engagement rings use fewer prongs that will continue into the 21st century.

Today’s side stone engagement rings started to see its evolution around 2005. Previously, these rings were wider and had very little to no prongs. Becoming less popular, these wide rings gave way to side stone engagement rings with less width, more prongs, and National Designers take center stage in jewelry stores across the United States. 

Today, many side stone engagement rings have a center stone with micro pave diamonds (small diamonds that are prong set in a straight row). Customers are looking for unique and they are finding it in the center stone. With the popularity of the oval and pear shape engagement ring and the increasing appeal of the marquise shape center stones, customers are adding smaller pear shapes or marquise as side stones. Customers now have more choices of center stones like lab grown diamonds and moissanite. Sofia Lior uses natural and lab grown diamonds as side stones in our hand crafted designs.

Side Stones Make or Break the Design

Customers are looking for UNIQUE, BIG, DAINTY, BEAUTIFUL. When choosing an engagement ring the side stones should complement the center stone and not take away from it. The side stones, if too large, can make the center stone appear smaller. Side stones can complete the look. For example, an emerald cut center stone with smaller emerald cut diamonds on each side. These side stones are generally larger than round diamonds used as size stones and complete the look like round diamonds cannot. With the popularity of oval engagement rings, customers have chosen a variety of designs.

Sofia Lior Promise

Sofia Lior designers painstakingly choose the appropriate side stones to complete the look of all of our side stone engagement rings. Your Sofia Lior engagement ring accommodates, lab grown diamonds or moissanites. For a complete look of our handcrafted engagement rings with side stones, please check out our online inventory at Sofia Lior Diamonds to find your perfect side stone engagement ring.