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Make Your Lifelong Commitment Crystal Clear with a Cushion Cut Three Stone Engagement Ring

Why settle for a statement ring, when you can make two statements in one? Three-stone engagement rings — also known as past, present, and future rings — are much beloved for their symbolism: The trio of gems are believed to connote these three different stages of a relationship.

Make your center diamond a cushion cut (a.k.a. "pillow cut" for its wide, deep spread), and your engagement ring will catch the eye as well as the imagination. Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for a cushion cut three stone engagement ring, along with some of our favorite picks in that style.

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Spend some time picking out your cushion cut diamond

Cushion cut diamonds come in two main styles. "Modified brilliant" has a similar faceting arrangement as the super-popular round brilliant cut, just translated to the longer, broader cushion profile. The "cushion modified brilliant," also known as "crushed ice," has an extra row of facets below the diamond's girdle. Both styles are beautiful, but their looks are different, and each has strengths and weaknesses. Decide which look you like best, then choose your diamond based on the strengths of that cut.

A crushed ice diamond masks inclusions better, so you can get a larger diamond at a lower clarity grade (as long as it's excellently cut). But this style also emphasizes the color of the stone, so you won't want to compromise on that aspect of the four C's.

Modified brilliants help mask the body color of diamonds, so you can go down a color grade or two and use your savings to invest in a larger stone. But here, you need to pay extra attention to clarity: Because they have fewer facets, modified brilliants tend to show inclusions more than crushed ice, so exercise caution before choosing to compromise on clarity grade.

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Ratio is also important for cushion cut

When choosing a cushion cut diamond, you need to add an R to your consideration of the four C's: ratio. A cushion cut diamond that isn't quite perfectly square can look larger at the same carat weight, and these elongated cushion cuts can have some of the same finger-lengthening effects as ovals. (In fact, some people think they look like ovals at their more extreme ratios, which is something you may or may not like.)

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Decide what look you like with side stones

Your central cushion-cut stone is a brilliant-cut diamond, but your side stones can be brilliant cuts or step cuts. (Which look as they sound: These diamonds have a wider table, or surface area, that "step down" toward the sides.) Do you like a variation in styles? Or would you prefer to stay uniform, opting to make them all brilliant cut for maximum sparkle?

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Top cushion cut three stone engagement rings

While, yes, these are all things you should consider before buying your cushion cut three stone ring, looking at different styles to see what you like will give you an idea of where to start. Below we’ve rounded up some of our favorite three stone engagement ring settings that can show off your cushion diamond. See what appeals to you and what doesn’t, then target your search from there.