Guide to Marquise Diamond Ring Settings

With an elegant appeal, the marquise cut diamond’s long and unique shape makes quite the statement in engagement rings. Coming from a romantic beginning in the 1700s, the marquise diamond has become quite a popular choice for an engagement ring today. It appears larger than diamonds of similar carat weight, conveys a timeless vintage aesthetic, and offers incredible versatility for marquise diamond ring settings. With so many options, we’re answering all your questions for how to best showcase a marquise cut diamond in a ring setting.

What to Consider with a Marquise Cut Diamond

The marquise diamond possesses a very beneficial feature in a diamond: its larger surface area and shallow cut produces more visual size when compared to other diamond shapes of similar carat weight. This can be really helpful for your budget, but also good to keep in mind when considering how you want to set a marquise diamond since they’ll already appear larger.

Another important characteristic to consider about marquise diamonds is shared with oval diamonds: the bow-tie effect. This visible shadow across the diamond’s center is most noticeable in a face-up viewing. Not all bow-ties are bad, but if it’s too pronounced, it can diminish the diamond’s sparkle and make the entire setting appear lackluster.

Like many other fancy-shaped diamonds, a marquise cut tends to reveal their inherent body color. The color will concentrate near the two tips of the stone, and if you are buying a larger diamond, like 2 carats and above, the nuances of a yellowish tint will be easier to discern to the naked eye.

Lastly, in whatever setting you choose, the tips of the marquise cut diamond need to be protected. These are vulnerable points on the diamond and need to be protected from breaking or chipping whether you’re choosing a traditional north-south, vertical setting or the unique east-west, horizontal setting.

6-prong marquise engagement ring

Comparing Marquise Ring Setting Styles

Marquise cut diamonds exude elegance, charm, and an unconventional style that make them perfect for a variety of settings. A classic look for any marquise cut diamond is a solitaire setting.

Since the two points need to be protected, choose a 6 prong setting, the setting method we most commonly use for marquise diamonds. A four prong setting (with a prong located at each tip, and one at each side), is less common but also possible.

Another option is a bezel setting, which is a great way to protect the stone. One of the first ways used to set a gemstone, the bezel setting can be styled as super chic and contemporary solitaire, or be a nod to vintage design with accents of filigree and milgrain. The added bonus is complete protection of the diamond.

Halo settings and three-stone settings inspire a timeless, vintage look for the marquise cut diamond. A pavé halo adds to the sparkle of the center stone as well as the apparent size of the stone. The diamond surround of the halo will also help minimize how much the marquise diamond can snag on clothing – this can be a fairly common occurrence with the pointed ends. Considering an east-west, horizontal orientation of the stone will also help keep this from happening and have more diamond area spread across the finger.

A three-stone setting is a favorite for marquise cut diamonds for very good reason. The elongated shape and pointed ends of the marquise cut can often make the diamond appear quite narrow on the finger. Side stones alleviate that appearance and help to enhance the beautiful symmetrical shape of the cut. It’s likely you’ll want to skip the side stones in an east-west setting though, they will interrupt the beauty of the shape when placed at the pointed ends.

Four prong mixed metal marquise ring

Six v- and leaf-prong three-stone marquise ring

Metal Choice & Band Width

Selecting the color of metal for your marquise diamond ring setting is likely to be one of your first decisions for your ring. Since marquise diamonds tend to exhibit more of their color due to more surface area and a shallow cut, the metal color will be a more significant choice than for some other shapes like a round brilliant cut diamond.

Since diamond color is one of the 4Cs that is guided more by personal preference than quality grades, there are ways to complement the exhibited color. If your marquise diamond has a visible yellow tint, choosing a warm metal color like yellow gold or rose gold will help minimize any stark contrast in tones and also help to increase the appearance of lightness in the stone.

On the opposite side, if your diamond appears more colorless, choosing a cool metal like platinum or white gold will perfectly complement an icy white sparkle.

Because the football-esque shape of the marquise features both wider and narrower parts to the cut, marquise diamonds look great with a wide range of band widths. No matter the band width, there will be a contrasting look in the diamond itself. The only time you may want to be sure to go with a thinner band is if you’re setting the diamond in an east-west orientation. A thicker width would obscure the points of the diamond and likely overwhelm the widest part in the middle of the diamond.

Three stone, tapered band and halo marquise settings

marquise three stone ring in platinum band

Platinum band marquise set ring

Wedding Bands for Marquise Ring Settings

Remembering a few key points about marquise diamonds when choosing a wedding band will help you create a winning combination. First, the elongated nature and shallow cut of the marquise shape means that some settings may not allow a wedding band to sit flush against the engagement ring.

Start with assessing the finished look that you want to achieve with your engagement ring and wedding band together. Consider questions about style – do you want to mix and match or keep them the same? Think about compatibility – how do you let one be the star while keeping the other from being overshadowed? There are so many ways to go with a marquise diamond ring, so try out whatever sounds appealing.

Marquise diamonds look great with a split shank band that enhances, and doesn’t overwhelm, their elongated shape. To perfectly accentuate a split shank engagement ring, our Rachael Ring Set adds two delicate wedding bands. The first features a nature-inspired crown wedding band with a single diamond, while the second is a delicate vintage-inspired band that replicates the marquise shape in filigreed metal.

The regal and utterly unique marquise cut diamond is an ideal pair for a showstopping, dramatic wedding band. Our Bianca Ring Set was designed with just that idea in mind. A stunning marquise diamond engagement ring is topped by a wedding band of organically clustered diamonds and sapphires. On the other side, an elegantly contoured pavé band peaks with a simple diamond.

Marquise diamonds are also a favorite to be used in wedding bands since they create such an elegant statement that can complement so many diamond cuts. Our Sarah, Albana, and Isla are examples of wedding bands that create a subtle and unexpected twist by featuring marquise diamonds.

Stylish and romantic, marquise diamond rings can work with so many different types of settings. Choose one that features a balance of security and beauty while remembering to consider your lifestyle needs, and you’re sure to have designed a timeless engagement ring you’ll love for years to come.