By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Aug 8, 2024
Edited on Dec 6, 2024
East to West engagement rings offer a fresh and modern twist on traditional designs, positioning the diamond in a way that captures attention and exudes contemporary elegance.
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Fans of Great Gatsby will know that no better love story has ever been told than the one between East and West. While east to west engagement rings may be in a different ballpark to Jay and Daisy, they’ve also been capturing hearts for a very long time now. Modern, unique, but a true rival to the most traditional engagement ring styles in both beauty and versatility, this is not a style to miss if you’re looking to turn heads.
Here’s everything you need to know about east to west engagement rings, from what they are to how to pick the perfect one.
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
When delving into the world of East to West Engagement Rings, understanding the 4Cs—Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat—becomes paramount. These unique horizontal ring settings present a modern twist on traditional engagement rings, making the examination of their 4Cs even more crucial.
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
Simply put, east to west refers to the orientation of the diamond. While this doesn’t work for shapes with circular or square proportions like the Round Brilliant or the Princess, it refers to the directions elongated shapes like the Oval, Pear, Emerald, or Marquise are ‘pointing’ in when set in the ring.
Let’s say you’re looking at Oval engagement rings. In the overwhelming majority of rings you’ll come across, the stone will be set north-south, following the length of the finger so that the narrower ends point toward the knuckle and the fingernail.
When an oval is set east to west, it’ll be oriented width-ways rather than length-ways, so that the two narrower ends point toward the pinkie and middle finger.
East to west settings are a lot less usual than north to south settings. Why? Because we generally consider north to south settings as allowing an elongated shape to appear longer. It’s a little like the idea that wearing vertical stripes will make you look taller and slimmer. Since the onlooker’s eye is drawn up and down, both the diamond and the finger are said to appear longer.
Whether or not it works is down to you. The effect will never transform a 0.5 carat diamond into looking like a 1 carat diamond but, to some people, it’s enough to justify the north to south orientation.
The popularity of north to south engagement rings now means that east to west rings have a more contemporary, boundary-pushing vibe that appeals to many of us. We’re so used to seeing diamonds set a certain way that subverting those expectations has a very powerful impact on the ring’s overall vibe.
An east to west orientation allows you to do a lot with very little. You don’t need to go crazy with design features and novel elements here; simply rotating your diamond 45° can be all you need in order to capture that sophisticated, modern vibe you’re looking for.
Then again, combining an east to west setting with another modern element like a bezel will create a really streamlined, edgy ring. Combining the diamond with accent stones oriented in the traditional north-south direction can lead to a very unexpected silhouette – something much more unique than the quintessential designs.
In other words, you can do as much or as little as you want. The east to west configuration is a powerful design element in and of itself, but it’s not showy or over-the-top, and leaves room for a lot more – if that’s what you want.
First of all, the diamond. As always, you’ll want to make sure that the diamond you’re choosing to sit at the very center of your ring is eye clean, devoid of any traces of color (unless, of course, you’re opting for a fancy color diamond), and cut to a very high standard. GIA certification is essential, along with low fluorescence and no significant bow tie effect – a common downside to the elongated diamond shapes.
When it comes to the setting, remember to separate it all into its individual components. Think about the prongs – or whether you want to subvert convention and go for a bezel or half bezel instead. Ask yourself whether you want any accent stones and metalwork, or whether you want to keep things streamlined.
Our Jeweler AI is always on hand to help, and we’ve got all the guides you could need for pinning down your perfect design.
Obviously, you’ll want to pick a diamond with an elongated shape. If it’s square or circular, you won’t know whether it’s pointing east, west, north, or south.
In general, the best results will be found with bilateral symmetry shapes. This means that the shape isn’t just symmetrical on its left and right sides, but top to bottom, too. The Marquise, Oval, elongated Cushion and Emerald are all perfect for the East to West ring style. If you were to divide any of these diamond’s face-up appearances into four by drawing a line down the center and a line across the center, each of those four sections would be identical.
Shapes that have unilateral symmetry can look a little ‘off’ when they’re oriented horizontally. Consider what a Heart shaped diamond would look like if it was oriented east to west instead of north to south. When the shape is symmetrical on one side (i.e., down the middle) but not the other (the top of a heart is very different to the bottom), the weight distribution can look all wrong.
Then again, maybe you want to subvert expectations even more. While the Pear cut is symmetrical along the Y axis, it’s asymmetrical along the X axis – and, as a result, jewelers typically think it looks ‘better’ oriented north-south, along that Y axis – it can look great oriented east to west.
While it’s not a perfect example, Megan Fox’s engagement ring from MGK is a good example of how a Pear (or, in her case, two) can look very intriguing when it’s not oriented along that Y -xis.
When it comes to breaking the mold in engagement ring design, you’ll want to get inspired, inspired, inspired. Look at as many examples as you can, from the rings available on our site to the rings that have graced the fingers of Hollywood royalty.
Remember that, even if your bride is more alternative, you don’t need to cram as many unconventional elements into the ring’s design as you can. As we mentioned above, an East to West setting can be all you need to take a diamond from traditional to totally original.
There is one (potential) downside to an east west engagement ring – it can be more prone to snagging. Take the Marquise diamond, for instance. When those two points are oriented sideways, they can extend beyond the edge of the finger and, as a result, prove more vulnerable to getting knocked and scraped.
Diamonds are strong, so a few collisions won’t ruin its appearance – particularly if those prongs are placed in strategic places – but it may be annoying, particularly when it’s always snagging on the lining of her handbag or pocket.
Choosing a more protective ring setting – in other words, dodging floating engagement ring settings altogether – and picking a diamond that your partner considers a comfortable size should stop your east west engagement ring from causing any trouble.
It may seem like a simple shift away from the traditional engagement ring designs, but opting for an east to west engagement ring is a powerful statement in favor of a more modern, less-expected approach to getting engaged.
It’s not for everyone, but if you’re buying a ring for someone with an edge to their personality and a love for modernity, this could be right up their street.
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