This Will Make Her Smile
The pear brilliant cut combines the characteristics of the modern round brilliant cut and the marquise cut to create a sparkling gemstone resembling a teardrop. For people who want to veer away from traditional jewelry designs, the pear shaped diamond offers a beautiful alternative to create your own fashion statement.
In a typical pear modified brilliant cut, the diamond has 58 facets and an “ideal” length-to-width ratio of 1.5:1. While pears are often used for pendants and earrings, they can also complement a variety of ring designs due to their elegant shape.
A Little Back Story About the Pear Brilliant Cut
The pear shaped diamond has a long history that goes all the way back to 1458. It was first designed by a diamond cutter named Lodewyk Van Berquem in a time where diamonds were starting to gain popularity in the market.
With his contributions made to the industry, Berquem has gone down in history as being one of the most respected diamond cutters ever. Not only did he pioneer the pear cut, he also introduced the concept of symmetry within a diamond and invented the polishing wheel.
As a testament to the pear shape’s beauty, many of today’s famous diamonds like the Millennium Star, Star of the Season, Cullinan and The Star of South Africa were all crafted to pear shapes.
Tips for Choosing a Pear Shaped Diamond
Fatter or Thinner Pear?
– Subjective observation takes precedence when you are considering the diamond’s length-to-width ratio. There are no wrong or right choices with liking a thinner looking stone or one that appears to be stubbier. Ultimately, the pear’s outline must appeal and speak to your heart.
– The color of the diamond is much more noticeable near the tip compared to other shapes. If you want the diamond to face up white after it is mounted on a white gold/platinum setting, choose a color grade with G or better. For people who intend to set the diamond in yellow gold settings, it’s perfectly fine to go down to lower color ratings like J or K.
– When setting the stone, I recommend using 6 prong setting design (a 5 prong design is also feasible). The setting should always include a v-shaped prong to fully secure and protect the vulnerable tip.
– Like some other fancy cut diamonds, pears can exhibit a bow tie effect. The intensity of the diamond’s bow tie is attributed to its cut and cannot be judged based on a grading report alone. This means that you need to SEE the stone visually to determine how severe the bowtie is.
On this note, bowties are an intrinsic property of the pear shape that can be a potential deal breaker. As we progress to the next page, I will show you all the things you need to know about bowties so that you will never make the mistake of buying a “bad” diamond…
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