2018 Trend: ‘East West’ Engagement Rings

A new trend is emerging in the engagement ring market: the ‘East-West’ setting. I picked up this style many years ago when visiting my supplier in Vicenza. One of the managers was wearing a stunning oval ‘east-west’ setting. I loved the look and immediately adapted the style and setting to one of my designs—the Carrozzino ring.

Because this is for an engagement ring, I recommend diamonds or sapphires. The horizontal setting works beautifully across many diamond shapes, including rectangular cushion cuts, ovals, pears, octagonals, or classic emerald cuts.

There are a number of reasons why we love this style. Positioning a stone horizontally offers a decidedly fresh aesthetic to classic engagement rings and is surprisingly flattering to wear. The setting brings a quirky, unexpected twist to traditional diamond settings while combining classic cuts like the oval, pear, radiant, or emerald. It can also be made more traditional with a halo finish or milgrain edge detailing. Additional gemstones can be added, and the metal customized to yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum depending on your personal preference.

A very reassuring aspect to consider is that the design can be remodelled at any time to a traditional North-South setting (down the finger line) if you ever wish to return to a classic silhouette.

Comparing Traditional vs. East-West Emerald Cut Settings

Traditional emerald cut engagement rings rely on vertical (North-South) placement to elongate the hand. In contrast, setting an emerald cut stone horizontally creates a sleek, architectural look. The long step-cut facets run parallel to the band, maintaining all the Art Deco allure of a classic emerald cut diamond with an unexpected modern edge:

I love this stunning pear-shaped centre stone set in the soft hues of rose gold:

We also love this marquise diamond set horizontally on an 18k white gold band, with pavé diamonds accentuating the side details:

The Orsini East-West inspired design, the Carrozzino ring—named after the Italian sidecar, a fabulous way to tour around Italy:

The Orsini Carrozzino ring can be customized in 14k or 18k white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum. For a slightly more vintage look, milgrain detailing can be added around the edge.

All custom engagement rings designed by Orsini are exceptional in quality, craftsmanship, and beauty. Learn more about Orsini Engagement Rings →

With thanks to The Zoe Report.