Making engagement ring look bigger with stackable rings?

Celebrities wear much larger stones with thinner bands and it looks fine (yes, that's my only reference bc I don't know people in real life with 3+ carat rings). My point is you don't need to stack. But if you prefer the look, go for it

3.5 carats is HUGE. He will still shell out a ton of money for that....

If size is important and you don't want him to spend a ton of money, you may need to consider a stone that isn't a diamond.

Don't understand your question and don't know what "not a lot of money" means to you. My 1/2 Carat diamond solitaire was about $3,500 so I don't know what you're expecting him to pay for 5. Go with a non-diamond gem or a fake one altogether.

I have a very traditional one carat solitaire and small fingers (size 4.5). I tried on many wedding bands and ultimately found that I wanted a thin wedding band, not stacked. Stacked rings started detracting from the beauty of the solitaire, which FH spent hours picking out for me. It's all about personal preference, as I don't care for modern settings like the halo styles but others love them.

I agree that without knowing what "a ton of money" means to you, it's hard to give advice. But consider another type of stone if you insist on a 5 carat ring without "shelling out a ton of money".

Also be aware that a lower quality diamond will help reduce costs, but you can absolutely tell it lower quality with a larger stone. FH opted to go with a white, nearly flawless diamond that was smaller rather than a larger stone with yellow tones and inclusions.

I'm confused. How would stackable rings make the e-ring bigger?

3-5 carat solitaire is huge! Like really huge! What is your future finance's budget? The stackable rings will distract from the large stone not make it "look bigger" as you said in your subject.

Adding more on the sides will make the center stone look smaller, IMO. First, think about what kind of stone (what can you get THAT big?), second, I think that the more the setting stand out, the more prominent the stone will look. We got my setting altered, and before the center stone sat up higher, and it made it look slightly bigger. I don't care about that, so I had them make it lay closer to my finger, if that makes sense, because I thought it looked better and more durable. Third, I would think less about the size in numbers, but go try some on and see what it will LOOK like. If you haven't done that, which you may have!

3-5 carat solitaire- whoa! I mean, maybe if you got a gemstone that isn't a diamond...My ring is about 2.25 carats total (center stone is 1.72) and it appraised for 5 figures... (I don't know what he paid). He will spend a TON of money for that- if it's a quality certified stone. And, a smaller higher quality diamond is better than a larger lower quality in my opinion. I would really go look at prices...

Yes, 3.5 is huge.... for the avg person to afford something like that it would be very low quality. If you're on this board asking about price or tricks to make it look bigger, I'm guessing you don't have the kind of affluence to afford a decent stone in that range... you should rethink this.

Mine is under a carat, but high on the color/clarity scale and it's gorgeous... I wouldn't have it any other way. Who wants a big dull stone?

I think I understand what you want. My dh and I got my ering for $500 as an estate piece from a jeweler. They estimated that the blue topaz was equivalent to a 7 carat diamond ( they don't really have the same sizing for other gem stones as they do diamond)

Here is what I do, I just bought the center band the other week.

eta: Added the photo, my topaz is dirty ;-/ usually it looks more sparkly

the thin band is my wedding band, the braided one was a treat for myself lol.

i would look at estate pieces! both the ering and the wedding band are estate pieces and match perfectly.

Here's mine...I wanted a non-diamond ring, and I have huge fingers so dainty doesn't suit me lol

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Do you even know how big 3-5 carats is? my center stone is 1 carat, and the stones around it make up another .25, and my wedding ring makes the entire thing just under 2 full carats. I had really small fingers and hands (about a size 5), and it's perfect for my fingers. I always wanted a huge rock, but bigger isn't always better. My diamond shines like nothing i've ever seen before, even when it's dirty, that's how good of a quality it is.

She did say in the original post that she was looking at gemstones rather than a diamond center stone, just to be fair

Jenny- clearly only a few of us caught that one. there are actually some very pretty cheap gemstones.

I think stacks can actually make the center stone look smaller unless there is a lot of contrast. I love Jenny's ring above for that reason- the emerald is really accentuated by the white of the bands. If the bands were also emerald then it wouldn't have the same effect.

Depending on the gemstone, many are just as or more expensive than a diamond. A 3 carat ring of any stone is pretty big. Let him get you what he can afford.

I wouldn't worry about any other rings until you actually get the engagement ring.

You can give your FH some ideas of what you like, but I think it's more special when they ultimately make the decision. So you can't quite plan out anything yet. My advice is to not buy any other bands until you purchase your wedding band, I'm not clear as to whether or not the additional band are intended to be your wedding band. Go to any jewelry store with your E-ring and try on different styles before purchasing anything. I had to see what everything looked like with my E-ring on and somethings didn't look as good as I expected.

I agree with Carlyle- i picked out my e-ring 1st and got the other rings after.