Pear Shape Diamonds – Pear Shape Engagement Rings

Buying a Pear Shape Diamond Ring?

Bottom Line Recommendation:

• Color: H Color or better. Pear Shapes (and other soft-sided fancy shapes such as Marquis and Oval) are among the shapes that show color the strongest.  The only two shapes that perhaps show color more than this grouping are the Cushion Cut and Radiant Cut.  That being the case, it is best to stick with H color or higher to ensure that your stone will look white.  This of course only applies if you’re setting the stone in white gold or platinum.  If you’re setting it in yellow gold, feel free to drop down to J or K and save the money or buy a larger stone.
• Clarity: Stick to SI2 clarity or SI1 clarity for the best value.  Pear Shapes, like round brilliant diamonds, are great at concealing inclusions.  At the rounded end of the stone, they work as well as a round stone.  At the pointed edge, it’s even stronger at hiding inclusions making it almost impossible to see any imperfections.  Still, a concentrated black SI2 in the center of the stone will definitely be visible to the naked eye, so you still can’t trust a site listing virtual inventory at their word regarding checks for eye-cleanliness (see my Blue Nile Review for why that is). Inspect the photos and only trust a vendor’s eye cleanliness check if they’re checking it themselves (as does James Allen).

Cut Parameters for Cushion Cut Diamonds:

• Depth: Under 66%

• Table: Under 66%
• Polish/Symmetry: Good, Very Good, or Excellent
• Length/Width Ratio: Usually between 1.55 and 1.75 is considered ideal
• As with cushion cuts, the suggested parameters are not particularly strict.   With pear shapes, the numbers on the certificate matter much less than other shapes (such as round and princess).  Unfortunately, you will never find the really important things regarding pear shape cut quality on a certificate.  For example, you’d never know the roundness of the round side of a pear shape just by looking at the certificate.  Some pear shapes have very boxy round sides whereas others are properly curved.  Some slope towards the point in a rounded way, whereas some are straight and come to a point like a triangle.  With Pear Shapes, it is absolutely critical that you see at least a photograph of the stone and see with your own eyes how it looks.

The Pear Shape – A Classic Beauty

While pear shapes are certainly not among the most popular shapes these days, I must confess that I am personally a lover of this shape.  I can’t put my finger on the particular aspect of this shape that I love, but I have a feeling I know what it is.  You see, thevast majority of pear shapes out there are absolute junk.  I know when I go online to help readers who are looking for pear shapes, I can look through 20-30 stones before I find one with a nice cut.  Most pear shapes cut today are too short and stubby.  Others are too long.  Others aren’t properly rounded on the round side of the stone.  The list goes on and on.

So I think the reason that I love a beautifully made pear shape is simply that I recognize how special and rare they are.  It’s easy to find a stunning round brilliant or princess cut.  They’re all over the market.  But to find a properly cut pear shape truly is a find.

Length to Width Ratio

On of the most common way pear shapes are miscut is with an out of balance length to width ratio. Most people find that they prefer pear shapes with a length to width ratio of about 1.55 to about 1.75.   As you can see in the diagram to the right, both of these ratios look natural for the shape whereas the stone that has a 2.0 L/W ratio looks out of whack.  Where you fall between 1.55 and 1.75 is really a matter of personal preference.  Lets take a look at some real life examples:

L/W Ratio of 1.41

As you can see in the picture to the left, a L/W ratio of 1.41 already looks way to short and stubby for a pear shape.  This stone looks like a slightly stretched out round shape – not what you’d like to see in a pear.

L/W Ratio of 2.17

In the picture to the right, you can see the opposite extreme.  This stone has a L/W ratio of 2.17 which is way too long for a pear shape.

And finally, Goldilocks, we’ve come to the stones that fit just right. To the left and right you can see beautiful examples of stones that are at opposite ends of the acceptable range of L/W. Where your preferences lie between these two boundaries is just a matter of what shape speaks to your tastes.

L/W Ratio of 1.53

L/W Ratio of 1.78

Straight vs. Curvy Pear Shapes

Triangular Pear Shape

While Length to Width ratio is something that you can calculate yourself by viewing the diamond’s measurements on the certificate, the silhouette of the stone is not something you can figure out on paper alone.  How the diamond is shaped, strictly in 2-dimensional terms, is really one of the most important aspects to a pear shape.  This is the case particularly with pear shapes (and perhaps heart shapes as well), over and above all other shapes.  The reason is simply that the pear shape’s silhouette is its signature.  Think about it – every other shape is a basic symmetrical geometric shape.  Only the pear shape has this unique asymmetrical shape with a different top and bottom.  So how the stone makes its way from the round end to the point is what this shape is all about.

Too Curvy Pear

In this section, I would like to point out a couple of commonly misshapen pear shape types.

Firstly, to the left, you can see what I like to call the “triangular” pear shape.  If you look at the picture, you’ll see it’s obvious why I call it this.  The left side of the stone (in this picture) is supposed to be a perfectly round semicircle.  Instead, it’s nearly flat.  Furthermore, the sides of the stone should have a bit more curve to them.  A close relative to the “triangle” pear shape is what I call the “flat-back” pear shape.  These are basically one step better than the “triangle” since the only noticeable problem is the flattish back whereas the sides still have the proper curve to them.

The next common misshapen pear is what I call the “too curvy” or “too wide” pear shape.  See the picture to the right.  Here, you’ll notice that the sides that come around towards the point do so with too wide of a slope. It’s almost like it wants to be an oval as it comes around the sides and only decides it wants to be a pear shape at the last second as it closes to a point.  It’s not a smooth slope all the way around.

Pear Shape Bow Ties

Classic Bow-Tie Pattern

Probably the most common concern regarding pear shapes is whether or not a stone has a “bow tie.” See the diamond to the left for a classic example of what a bow tie is. The “bow-tie” refers to that pattern that you see in the stone to the left running North to South in the photo running through the center of the stone.

This is yet more reason why it would be a very big mistake to buy a pear shape sight unseen.  There is simply no way to tell whether or not your pear shape will show an ugly bow-tie like this simply by looking at the certificate.  There is no magical combination of parameters that you can remember that will guarantee your stone won’t look like this.  You must see a photo of the diamond!

India becomes world's 3rd largest men's luxury jewellery market: Euromonitor International

India has emerged as the third-largest men's luxury jewellery market in the world this year, said researcher Euromonitor International. It has left behind the US in this section. The researcher projected that India's men's jewellery market stands at $194.4 million, or nearly Rs 954 crore, in sales and it is estimated to surge 36.4% next year.

The figure may look insignificant in the more than Rs 1.2-lakh crore Indian jewellery market which is dominated by the women buyers, but now more and more jewellers have been paying attention to this rising set of men consumers, said GR Radhakrishnan, Managing Director of GRT Jewellers.

Meanwhile, GRT Jewellers is mulling to unveil a new line of men's jewellery in partnership with designers from Italy and Bangkok. Orra, which is a national diamond jewellery chain with presence in 23 cities, has stated that almost 6% of its sales have been coming from the men's jewellery due to the metrosexual man.

Reports suggest that men in their late 20s and 30s are the considered as the prominent consumers. Moreand more men are independently going to the jewellery stores as compared to the earlier times.

The trend had started gaining momentum 4-5 years back and it became more visible since gold today is considered as a safe haven for investment and also the desire to gift exclusive products has also risen.

Diamond jeweller Gitanjali Group, men account for nearly 42% of the sales.

What You Need to Know About Loose Diamonds

What You Need to Know About Loose Diamonds

Whether you are buying your first diamond or your fifth, whether you are planning to treasure the stone in its loose form or have it set into custom jewelry, and whether you are buying for yourself or as a gift, you can always learn more about loose diamonds. For such small pieces of rock, diamonds seem to generate endless discussion and analysis. Just visiting a diamond talk forum can show you enough to make your head spin. Luckily, you can buy a fabulous loose diamond even if you only know the absolute essentials about diamonds and their qualities. But if you are interested in learning a little more about the fascinating diamond, that will only enhance your choice of the perfect loose diamond.

The Four C’s is the absolute minimum anyone needs to know before purchasing a cut loose diamond or any form of diamond jewelry. As most people know, the Four C’s refer to carat, cut, clarity and color. Generally speaking, most experts recommend focusing most on cut, followed by clarity and color, and then looking for the largest carat weight available that suits your specifications and budget. Many first-time diamond buyers do not realize that Novice diamond buyers often focus exclusively on carat weight, but those with a more nuanced understanding of diamond quality know that it is primarily cut that determines a diamond’s light performance and overall impression. And although Ideal cut diamonds perform quite well in many applications, especially in jewelry such as bracelets and earrings where many small diamonds are used together, when it comes to ideal rings, especially engagement rings, nothing can beat the Super Ideal diamond. Super Ideal diamonds are cut to exacting specifications and often exhibit a trait known as “hearts and arrows” in which the precision of the facets reveal a pattern that resembles hearts when diamond is held one way and arrows when it held the other.

Cut is often mistakenly assumed to refer to the shape of the diamond. Shape is in fact a separate, but also important, factor to consider when buying a loose diamond. While over 50% of engagement rings are set with the world’s most popular diamond shape, the round brilliant cut, alternatives are quickly gaining in popularity. The princess-cut brilliant, a square shape with nearly the same brilliance as the round, is now the second most-popular choice, with more exotic shapes like emerald, cushion-cut and marquise available for those looking for an out-of-the-box choice.

Moving beyond the basic criteria, more experienced diamond buyers would do well to learn about factors like fluorescence and certification. Many diamonds show blue fluorescence under UV light. Although this does not directly affect their quality or value, fluorescence can have a few indirect effects on a diamond. In a diamond with a J-M color grade, a small amount of fluorescence can actually counteract the slight coloration of the diamond and make it appear more colorless. In a diamond with a very high color rating, such as D, E, or F, fluorescence is said to make the stone look more murky and less clear.

Certification is another important factor to consider when buying a loose diamond. In fact, many industry experts have come to calling certification “the Fifth C” for its often-overlooked role in determining the true value of a stone. Most people buying diamonds know that a loose diamond must come with a certification from a reliable lab indicating its quality in order for the customer to be sure that he is getting what he paid for. But not everyone realizes that not all labs were created equal. Some labs specialize in grading the highest cut qualities, while others excel in providing computerized 3-D imaging of each stone. The GIA is one of the biggest and best-known labs, and a GIA certificate is certainly a reliable indicator of a diamond’s quality. But for a more developed analysis of stones with the highest cut ratings, the AGS is known for its boutique certifications in that area.

Buying a loose diamond is an important decision and should be weighed carefully, but first-time buyers should not be scared off. With a little research, it is possible to buy a perfect loose diamond that you and your loved ones will treasure for years to come.