Pear Shaped Diamonds

The elegance, sparkle, and allure of a Pear cut comes from the quality of its cut. Pear diamonds that are not well cut can show dark bow-ties, and can leak light instead of reflect it. Here are a few things to consider:

PEAR DIAMOND BOWTIES

All pear diamonds have a bowtie area. This is because the facets in the rounded section of the stone are shorter and steeper than the length facets. Overly dark bowties should be avoided as they are distracting. Watery bowties should be avoided as they cause the stone to lose sparkle.

Here is an example of a pear cut diamond with a beautifully blended bowtie, next to a diamond with a dark, distracting bowtie.

EVEN CONTRAST/BRILLIANCE

Contrast refers to areas of darker colored reflection within your stone, whereas brilliance means lighter reflection! Choosing a stone with even areas of contrast and brilliance will ensure maximum sparkle.

Here is an example of a pear cut diamond with beautiful contrast and brilliance, next to a stone with a washed out appearance:

Here are additional table and depth percentages which will help:

The color grade of a diamond refers to how white it is, or how much yellow tint it has. Evaluating color in Pears is important, because Pears can show more color than other shapes, especially in its point.

So, if you want an ice-white diamond, it is best to stick in the D-F color range. However, if you just want your stone to look “white,” you can likely get away with a G, H, or even I color, depending on the size of the stone and your metal color. For example, yellow and rose gold can hide a bit of diamond color, whereas white gold and platinum require a more colorless stone.

Here is an example of an I color pear cut diamond next to an E color pear shape.

The information below will help you determine what your ideal diamond color is, based carat weight, and your personal color preference.

The clarity grade of a diamond is how “crystal clear” the stone is, or how many internal marks (“inclusions”) it has. Most couples we work with want an “eye clean” diamond for their Pear engagement ring. In other words, they want a stone which does not show any inclusions to the naked eye. The clarity grade that you need to attain “eye clean” appearance changes with size. It’s harder to see flaws on smaller Pears than larger ones. However, because Pears are, effectively, a combination of Round and Marquise cut diamonds, they hide blemishes fairly well within their brilliance and sparkle.

Each consumer has their own standard for clarity. Some may be perfectly comfortable with inclusions as long as they cannot easily see it, but others may insist on a more technically flawless appearance. The clarity information below provides general guidelines for picking a clarity rating for your Pear, based on your inclusion tolerance.

Here is an example of an SI1 clarity pear cut next to a VS1 clarity pear shaped diamond.

The following is what we recommend to our couples: