East-West Set Diamond Rings

My obsession with east-west set diamond rings began in August, when I tried on this one-of-a-king diamond ring by Lauren Wolf at the NY Now show. Granted, I’ve never really been fond of the marquis cut for myself, but turned on its side — I was hooked!

lauren wolf diamond ring
This really got me to thinking about how turning a stone on its side, be it oval, emerald, pear, or whatever, really gives the stone a whole new look! Plus, there are quite a few advantages I can see to this style:

  • easier to stack other rings with it
  • makes some cuts look “larger” as it takes up more horizontal real estate on your finger
  • would be ideal for shorter fingers, which may find certain stone cuts set in the traditional way too “tall”
  • if you wanted to re-design a current ring, it could be a great option instead of getting a whole new stone
  • unique and outside the box, which is always a plus in my book

With east-west set stones on my mind, I started searching for other examples. Jillian Abboud posted this photo of three antique diamonds, resting horizontally, on her Instagram feed and I started picturing different designs in my mind’s eye. (Which one would you choose?)

jillian abboud antique diamonds
Elizabeth Street had me drooling at her selection on Instagram as well!

elizabeth street jewelry
And then my dear friend Laura, who recently got engaged, had Polly Wales make her this fantabulous ring!

polly wales custom diamond ring
All of this spurred me onto an afternoon-long search online to see what other intriguing designs I could uncover. I did find quite a few to share with you, although I think this design is still up-and-coming, as there weren’t as many as I anticipated. In no particular order, here’s some variations on the east-west theme:

Trabert Goldsmiths

trabert goldsmiths
Cathy Waterman

cathy waterman grey mogul diamond ring
Monique Pean x Pamela Love (MPL)

monique pean and pamela love collaboration
Anita Ko

anita ko three stone baguette diamond ring
Polly Wales

polly wales fancy grey marquise diamond halo ring
Susan Wheeler

susan wheeler design
Rebecca Lankford

rebecca lankford espresso diamond halo solitaire
What do you think of this east-west idea? Is it something you could see yourself wearing? Or perhaps you do already? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below — I’ve love to hear from you!

10 thoughts on “East-West Set Diamond Rings”

  1. Loved this blog, daughter. I and LOVE the pieces you highlighted – I couldn’t pick my favorite as they are all so beautiful. Didn’t know I loved the E-W setting so much. Glad you’re back 🙂

  2. I am constantly amazed at the imagination and creativity of these artists! I would never be able to choose a favorite!

  3. I’ve always been a fan of the marquise and when I first saw it set east/west I was hooked! Those Elizabeth Street rings . . . Le sigh.

Leave a Reply to Amy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *