Pear shaped diamond engagement rings!
There are a lot of things in this world with a pear shape.
Did you ever think you’d read about a pear shaped diamond engagement ring?
Well, get a cocktail, put your feet up, and get ready to learn!
What is a Pear shaped Diamond?
We have a confession to make: a pear shaped diamond is actually shaped exactly like an almond.
Why is it not called that? Well, life is complicated. We’re here to help you through all the madness.
Anyway, a pear shaped diamond is a diamond shaped like an almond. In diamond terms, it looks kind of like a round diamond at the top, but then tapers off at the bottom.
The top of the diamond is the head, and then the curve is the shoulder. The broadest part is called the belly and the place where it tapers is the wing.
It all ends with the point.
History of the pear shaped diamond
The history of the pear shaped diamond goes back a heckuva long time, back to 1475 in present-day Belgium.
A superfly jeweler name of Lodewyk van Bercken filed himself a pear shaped diamond for the first time.
Hey, why not? Here’s the crazy thing—he cut the diamond with exactly 58 facets, and ever since, pear shaped diamonds have always had that number of facets.
Don’t fix it, right?
These rings are popular with fancy people. For example, Emily Ratajkowski’s engagement ring has a pear shaper, as does Ariana Grande’s.
Need I say more? I believe I needn’t.
Pros of Pear shaped diamonds Engagement Rings
Pear shaped diamonds cost less
Tear drop (another name for pear shaped) diamonds are on average 25% less expensive than an analogous round diamond.
The pear-cut, of course, shaves off some weight of a round cut, and that’s partly where the savings come in.
Also, the round cut diamond is considered to be top of the line, and prestige is very important in the world of fashion jewelry.
Pear-cut diamonds look larger
A pear cut, due to, ya know, science, happens to look bigger per carat than other cuts.
Stretch that dollar, baby! The sciency reason they look bigger is the elongated shape—it draws the eye from one end to the other rather than letting a person take in say, a round shape in one quick glance.
That makes it look bigger.
In a pear shaped diamond engagement ring, Inclusions are less visible
People always talk about purity in fashion jewelry. That’s because sometimes a stone will be less pure in the sense that it has other metals or impurities of some kind included.
These are simply called inclusions. Well, physics comes into play here again—when an inclusion is tucked away into the pointy end of a pear shaped diamond, it’s harder to see.
So if that’s where the inclusion happens to be, you’re in luck. Inclusions in the round part aren’t any different from inclusions in stones of other cuts.
Celebrities wear pear shaped diamond engagement ring
Ever since Elizabeth Taylor rocked a pear shaped engagement ring, celebrities really started wearing them.
They haven’t been on the same level of popularity forever, but they sure are popular right now.
Ariana Grande, Victoria Beckham, Cardi B. , Katherine Heigl and others regularly sport the tear drop.
Cons of Pear shaped diamonds
In Pear-Shaped Diamond Engagement Ring, Colors show up
While pear shaped diamonds do a nice job of hiding inclusions, they also reveal colors that may be present in the stone.
A clear, color-free diamond is really desirable, so letting color through is definitely a “con.”
Certain settings, like a bezel setting, have the effect of accentuating color, making the diamond look more color-inclusive than it would otherwise.
You’re basically trading the coolness of the cut itself and how it looks from a distance for some imperfections of its appearance close up.
Less Consistency
In short, if you look into a sea of pear shaped diamonds, they’ll mostly be different from each other.
Some are chubbier, some more elongated. This just means that you may have to shop around and have faith that you’ll eventually find the pear shaped diamond engagement ring that you want.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, unless of course you’re trying to buy a twelve pack of diamond rings for your whole crew.
Don’t do that.
Which way to wear it?
When you’re making a fashion statement, you don’t want to be caught making a faux pas.
In the case of a tear-shaped diamond, you don’t want to have the point facing the wrong way, etc.
Or then again, maybe you do. But a lot of folks just go by a photo of one of their fave celebs, so that’s always an option.
Pear shaped diamond engagement ring have a breaking point
Hey, we know Emily Ratajkowski rocks a pear shaped, but that can’t change the fact that they are eligible to break.
They come to a point at the end, so with science as the culprit yet again, they are fragile.
Now you can get a trio of prongs to secure and strengthen the tip, it’s just a matter of whether or not you like the look of that small intrusion.
Tips for Choosing the Pear-fect Pear shaped Diamond Engagement Ring
Know what you’re dealing with
A diamond of any cut has an anatomy, a variety of surfaces. While a pear shaped diamond looks very simple, it too has a lot to it, and being able to see its various components is important.
Here they are:
- Head- This is the rounded part of the diamond. Whichever direction you have the ring facing, the rounded part is the head. You don’t want it to bow out too much.
- Shoulder- This is where you can be head and shoulders above the rest. The shoulder is where the head curves and starts heading toward the point.
- Belly- The belly is the middle part, where a lot of the action happens. This is where a lot of eyes will be drawn.
- Wing- This is a somewhat small but crucial part of the pear shaped diamond. It’s the part that tapers to the point, and as we’ll discuss, its shape and length are pretty important to the overall look of the stone.
- Point- One of the main points of the tear drop stone is the point. It’s important that it be nice and clean and simple—a true point.
Pear shaped diamond engagement ring: consider length-to-width ratio
As you might guess, the higher the length-to-width ratio of a stone, the longer and skinnier it is.
One of the selling points of any diamond is a feel of opulence it may have.
If you have a bit of width, that will mean that the head is a bit on the big side, with the shoulder gradually curving.
The problem is, though, that if you have too much width you have a kind of squat look, one that some describe as “boxy.”
If you have a skinny pear shape, you may be missing out on that impressive look.
The length of a teardrop stone is less than twice as long as the width. So if you have a 1.6:1 l-w ratio, that’s a fairly long, thin stone.
1.5:1 is gently tapered with a moderate belly. 1.4:1 is the ration for a chubby stone with a large head and broad belly.
It’s something to consider, but which ratio you go with depends entirely on your taste.
Go for symmetry
Whereas you should go with your gut when it comes to length-to-width ratio, we do pretty strongly recommend choosing a stone that is symmetrical.
This avoids undesirable traits—usually on only one side—like a high shoulder or a flat wing.
Whether online or in person, one method is to take a string or cloth tape measure and stretch it the length of the stone, splitting it right up the center.
You can then identify ways in which one side may be any different from the other.
If you can get this done with the fabled “imaginary line,” more power to.
Consider the humble culet
A culet is a little feature that some pear shaped diamonds have and some do not.
You could probably live without one, but it’s a factor.
A culet is a facet that some jewelers place near the tip. It’s there to prevent damage.
Therefore, you can see the value of a culet, and the more you’re worried about damage, the higher a priority it will be for you.
Deny the Bow-tie of pear shaped diamond engagement rings
It’s not uncommon for pear shaped diamonds to have dark spots that kind of resemble a bow-tie running horizontally across the top of the belly.
Now that you’re aware of the bow-tie, it’s not hard to spot, and you should be able to avoid bow-tied stones while staying in your price range.
Protect the point
Take care of your pear shape’s point, and your pear shape’s point will take care of you.
One of the best ways to make sure that this all-important component won’t get nicked or smacked is to put a v-prong right in the strategic place.
Alternately, you can go with little nodes of metal (together these make up what’s called a bezel setting) at a few points around the edge of the stone.
They make the stone resistant to the kind of movement that will chip the tip.
Pear shaped diamond engagement ring: point up or point down?
In other words, is the point facing you (up) or away from you (down)? The traditional way is down.
How did it become tradition? One imagines it was due to the nasty magic by which any tradition becomes a tradition.
You could wear it one way during the engagement and another after the wedding; or you can have it set to be left and right rather than facing to or away.
Conclusion
The main benefit of a pear shaped stone—and why it came about to begin with—is that it has the majesty of a nice round cut while also showing the graceful slope and curve of a marquise cut.
The swoop from the shoulder down to the wings is elegant to a lot of people.
There are pros and cons of these stones, just as there are for all stones—and for everything in life.
When searching for a ring as all important as an engagement ring, there are so many considerations.
Many of them, such as price and type of metal, carat weight of the diamond, etc. may be what ultimately make your decision for you—and your partner.
However, the style that your significant other prefers will go a long way in deciding what cut to go with.
If a pear cut diamond is it, it doesn’t matter what the cons are.
Pear Shaped Diamond Engagement Ring FAQ
Q. Are pear shaped diamonds more expensive?
A. Absolutely not! You may think so, with celebs like Cardi B. and Ariana Grande sporting them, but that’s not the case at all; and that’s an incredible “pro” for the pear cut.
Here’s how it works. Because the actual visible surface of a pear cut is greater than for any other cut, you can buy one at a lower carat weight.
In that way, your teardrop stone will be less than a princess or round cut.
Q. What is wrong with pear shaped diamonds?
A. Nothing, if you really love a pear shaped diamond engagement ring! Well, it may not be the case that there’s something “wrong” with the teardrop diamond, but they’re not perfect.
One thing to keep in mind is that some pear shaped diamonds have what is termed a bow-tie, which is a dark shadow running horizontally across.
Some of these bow-ties are more prominent than others.
Q. Are pear shaped diamonds good?
A. Well, they have an elegance from the round top (or head) and the curves that lead to the point, a la marquise cut.
They also do a nice job hiding inclusions, at least near the tip. However, quality varies due to the inconsistency to be found across pear shaped diamonds.
Q. Do pear diamonds sparkle?
A. The pear diamonds absolutely sparkle, and in a pretty spectacular way.
This is because of the 58 facets that pear shaped have. The light sparkles off the facets, so if you’re looking for bling, get a pear shaped diamond on your ring.
Q. Are pear shaped diamonds in style?
A. Oh, you betcha. Celebs like Cardi B, Katherine Heigl, and Ariane Grande rock them on a regular basis, and that’s partly why these particular stones are in style in a big way.
If you go to New York, a good index of trends, you’ll see just how in style this cut really is.
Q. How much is a 1 carat pear shaped diamond ring?
A. A rose gold 1 carat pear shaped diamond ring will generally run about $2,000 – $3,000, with other factors being the band, the clarity and color of the stone, etc. This is more expensive than a comparable round brilliant cut diamond.
Remember that the carat weight of the diamond is only one factor among many in the price.
Q. How much is a 2 carat pear shaped diamond ring?
A. There’s a bit of a price jump from a 1 carat to a 2 carat stone. The 2 carats can start right around $12,000 and based on the factors described above, can jump to higher than $30,000.
Remember that one of the awesome things about pear shapes is that they look bigger per carat weight.
For that reason, you don’t necessarily have to spring for that second carat.
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