Pear shaped diamonds - a guide

The first consideration when choosing a pear shaped diamond is the exact shape of the pear. This is described by the shape of the shoulders, which is the wider part of the pear shape diamond, the shape of the wings, which are the curved section towards the tip of the diamond, and the ratio of the length to width.

The shoulders should have a nice curved shape without being too bulky. A shoulder size between these two diamonds would be aesthetically ideal.

The wings of the stone should be gently curved, making an attractive pear shape. The stone on the right has beautiful wings, whereas the wings for the stone on the left are a little too straight.

Sometimes, the polishing company who are cutting the diamond will take cutting decisions which adversely affects the beauty of the diamond. For example, this pear shaped diamond has an 'open' culet. This means that the culet has been polished into a flat surface, rather than a pointed one. This is done to retain carat weight but shows as a dark spot in the middle of the stone.

Different pear shaped diamond will have different levels of light refraction. Comparing these two diamonds, the stone on the right has more fire than the stone on the left. This is one reason why it is important the diamond is assessed for its optical performance.