Over 25,000 years ago jewelry was being worn by our ancestors. Thus jewelry, and the way it is worn, had plenty of time to evolve and change alongside the growing world. Jewelry stacking is one of those newer evolutions coming to us in the early 20th century. In this article, we will be discussing the what and how of ring stacking which will hopefully inspire you to make a beautiful ring stack of your own.
What is ring stacking?
In short, stacking is simply pairing rings with other rings on the same finger or across multiple fingers. Ring stacking is perfect for anyone looking to enhance or upgrade the display of their rings. Furthermore, stacking essentially opens up a new door for you to explore where you can mix and match different styles, shapes, widths, and settings. Think of ring stacking as building a house, each individual ring is a brick that supports all the other bricks in the house. In its completion, when all the bricks interlock together, you create a beautiful house. Essentially each addition to the ring stack should help the other ones stand out and shine in all their glory. It's like Build-A-Bear WorkshopⓇ, but for rings.
Note that a lot of you reading this probably already have a ring stack, especially if you are married. Your engagement and wedding rings should perfectly complement each other when worn together. Thus, those rings are a great example of a well-made ring stack that you can use as a reference.
How to stack your rings?
- Start with a “hero piece”: Your hero piece is the ring you want to show off and display the most, thus called the “hero”. Ideally, you want all the attention on this favorite ring when it comes to stacking. This could be your wedding or engagement ring, an anniversary ring, or a promise ring. Once you choose your hero piece you can build your other rings out and around that specific “hero.”
- Establish your color scheme: when going out to choose rings that will stack with each other it's important to make sure you choose a color scheme for them. Like wedding and engagement ring stacks, you want to plan ahead to make sure they have the same metal bands or at least similar colors. By planning your color scheme early, you can almost guarantee that your ring stack will be visually appealing.
- Mix and match: Purchase or locate rings in your collection and try to stack them on top of each other. When you start experimenting you will discover beautiful combinations that highlight different parts of each ring. Have fun with it, there are no rules when it comes to stacking, but there are ways to make “bad” stacks. So, work at it till you find something that makes you happy.
Tips when stacking your rings:
Metal consistency: Keep the metal colors the same! At least for your “hero piece”
If you try stacking your gorgeous palladium wedding ring next to a small gold band the small gold ring will stand out more. There are some cases where this isn't true, but you still see the problem. Stacking rings with different alloys or colors causes them to fight for attention. To avoid this problem simply plan ahead and establish a color scheme.
Get creative with it: We know that a lot of these tips sound like strict rules that must be applied to your custom ring stacking but ignore that. Rules are simply guidelines when it comes to creative endeavors. When it comes to designing anything, rules are meant to be broken. Thus, feel free to do whatever you wish if it makes you happy. We've seen some wild ideas work surprisingly well simply because the ring bearer seemed so confident in it. Rules are there to help you stay within a reasonable area, but you can definitely break free wherever it is needed.
Look into the trends: there are a lot of different stacking tutorials and ideas on the internet. With a little searching, you might find a Pinterest board with a gorgeous stack that you “just have to try.” From DIYs to YouTube Shorts, getting inspiration from the internet is completely expected and normal, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Play around with fitting ring shapes together: There are so many different ring shapes out there and so many of them look perfect together. In fact, a lot of different rings actually fit together so nicely that they look like perfect puzzle pieces connecting. For example, multiple chevron rings fit into each other's grooves and form the illusion that they are one super big ring.
The most common ring stack combination has to be the ones seen with the engagement ring and the wedding band. You will commonly see the engagement ring with its big diamond sitting above the smaller, more uniform wedding band. The way the engagement rings diamond seems to hover over both rings forms the illusion that the two rings are fitting together. There is nothing more satisfying than looking at two rings interlock in a way that makes them feel like a one-ring setting.
Stacking on multiple fingers:
Ring stacking doesn't just have to be limited to your ring finger. Why should your ring finger have all the fun and glory, after all, you have 9 other fingers, probably? Let those other fingers shine by putting other ring stacks on them. There are a lot of cool combinations you can make that allow you to truly express your personality across your whole hand or even both hands. Plus, because of Dunkin’s Diamonds' large variety of ring options, you might want to show off all your rings at once and we don't blame you. Below are some tips specifically for stacking rings on more than one finger
Leave at least one finger bare: with all the rings in your collection it can be tempting to put them all on at once. Don't fall into this temptation as sometimes less is more. When planning on wearing and stacking multiple rings across your whole hand it is wise to leave at least one finger free of bling. This way there is a sense of balance and harmony across your hand. The last thing you want is for your hand to look ostentatious and crowded with excessive jewelry.
Consider a “midi” ring: A midi ring is a ring that will sit on the middle finger just above the lower knuckle. When stacking on multiple fingers you can't go wrong with starting from the center and working your way out. By starting with your middle finger, you can then balance the rest of your hand to support the centerpiece.
Good balance, contrast, and unity: when stacking rings across multiple fingers we recommend that you try your best to make the hand uniform. That means if you have one finger with 4 rings on it you don't have another ring right next to it with 3. When stacking rings you also want to make sure you have good contrast. Thus, having your ratios change slightly across fingers might end up looking like a clunky mess. Divide and conquer, look to make your hand feel balanced and uniform by making the changes more noticeable. For example, give your ring finger 3 rings, your middle finger one ring, then your pointer finger 3 rings as well. You will know when it feels unbalanced when you look at your hand and one area feels like it's pulling more weight.
Bless your pinky and thumb with a ring: a lot of new stackers forget that their pinky and thumb can dress up nicely as well. Small single-prong wedding bands look adorable on pinky fingers while thicker heavier weighted rings look great on thumbs. Don't let these two fingers become wallflowers next to their neighboring fingers, include them in your next full hand stack they will thank you for it.
Why should you try ring stacking?
Personalization and expression: One of the best things about stacking rings is that it allows you to express yourself even more through your love for diamonds and gemstones. Sure, we love the way our diamond rings look as they are super expressive already. But having the added control of mixing and matching different rings adds another layer of personal touch that we can't resist. Just like you choose different hairstyles on occasion it's great to have the luxury to do the same with your jewelry. Regardless of what others think, the way you stack your rings has meaning to you, let that empower you.
Enhancing an important ring: Stacking rings is a great way to take your favorite and most meaningful ring to the next level. Ring stacking is popular because it allows you to add that extra flourish to your engagement ring, so it stands out even more. Show your partner that you still love the ring they gave you by dressing it up nicely. All nice things need to be taken care of after all.
They make a statement: Similar to expressing yourself, ring stacking is a way of making a statement. If you have a specific event or milestone coming up, you can adjust your ring stack to fit the theme. Not all, but some people will notice that you put time into figuring out where each ring will go and it's a sign of not only effort but that you care about your physical appearance as well.
Collecting rings: One really fun attribute of ring stacking is building up your collection. As you shop around and add more rings to your stack you will amass more options that you can then use later to make entirely new combinations.
What if you wanted to gift someone a ring stack?
As we have said earlier, ring stacking is a very personal way of expressing yourself through jewelry. Therefore, if you gift someone a ring stack that doesn't work well with them, they might not wear it often or at all. As a result, if you plan on getting someone a ring stack, first make sure you know them well enough to guess the type of style they want. Below are a few tips to help you select a ring stack for your good friend or loved one.
Start with something they already have. If you are good friends with someone odds, are you either know what their favorite ring is or you have a photo of that ring somewhere. An easy way to gift someone a ring stack is to look at what they already have and get them a ring that compliments it. Thus, when your friend unboxes the ring, they will immediately think that your gift would stack great with their favorite ring. It will now seem like they got the idea to make a ring stack all on their own. This is a little gifting psychology, and it makes the interaction cute and wholesome.
Know their ring size: Just like any other important ring purchase, you should know their ring size. If you don’t know their size they can't wear the ring! If you need some pointers on how to get their ring size you can check out our “Getting her the right ring size article”. There you will find tips and tricks to help you find out anyone’s ring size without them knowing.
Stack um up!
Now that you know a lot more about how to ring stack and why you should, you can finally build your own. Whether you make the ring stack for yourself or for a loved one you are now prepared to take on this fun and creative challenge. Go out there and design a stack that means something and looks fantastic.
