Are hearts, marquise and pears passe''?

[sandia_rose]

I've been reading these boards for a couple of months now, and it's dawned on me that almost no one posts pics/info about hearts, marquise or pear shapes. The most popular shapes now seem to be rounds or variations of square/rectangle (princess, emerald, asscher).

Marquise shapes were really popular in the 80s. I was in my 20s in the 80s, and a whole slew of my girlfriends got married then...and a lot of them had marquises. I've had a few friends get married in the last few years (after 2000), and I don't see marquises anymore. I don't even see that many of them when I'm randomly window-shopping.

Ditto with pears and hearts. I don't know anyone with a heart stone. I only know one woman with a pear - I used to work with her, and her husband is Israeli. He purchased the stone in Israel from a cutter when he was back visiting his parents. She had wanted a pear but was having trouble finding a nice one here.

Has anyone else noticed this? I personally like asschers, emeralds and OEC/miners, so this question is more out of Friday curiosity/boredom than anything else. Is there an article somewhere that talks about shape trends?

Bridget in Connecticut.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Sorry (and hoping to not offend) but I do not think heart shape diamonds have ever been "in." They seem best for younger women (like under 20).

Marquise are definetly 80s, but I've seen some gorgeous rings & earrings where marquise have been grouped to form other shapes like a flower shape rather than as just a single stone set. Tiffany & co. has a few cute designs.

Pears are more unique IMO and have always been that way and haven't been "in" or "out" of style for the average person.


ETA - Tiffany's Victoria Pendant is an excellent example of a modern way of enjoying a marquise cut diamond.

Hopefully this link works:

http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=22231847&mcat=148204&cid=287465&search_params=s+5-p+3-c+287465-r+101323351-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

 

[ang3199]

IMHO I don''t care for hearts. I don''t see many on people around me either. Myself as well as most of my friends have princess cut stones, I think simply because of our ages and it is a popular shape in my area. One of my friends has her great grandmothers marquise that is reset into her engagement ring. My FI''s brother also bought his GF a smaller marquise with a cute wrap. But other than those two, I don''t see many marquise''s around my area.

Personally, I love LOVE LOVE a great pear. Example: Firegoddess has a GORGEOUS pear halo that I secretly covet.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I don''t think hearts were ever in. As for marquise and pears, I think that they are "in", if done right. A great example is firegoddess'' pear - my secret is out: I covet it too!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:24:53 AM
Author: MC
Sorry (and hoping to not offend) but I do not think heart shape diamonds have ever been ''in.'' They seem best for younger women (like under 20).

Marquise are definetly 80s, but I''ve seen some gorgeous rings & earrings where marquise have been grouped to form other shapes like a flower shape rather than as just a single stone set. Tiffany & co. has a few cute designs.

Pears are more unique IMO and have always been that way and haven''t been ''in'' or ''out'' of style for the average person.


ETA - Tiffany''s Victoria Pendant is an excellent example of a modern way of enjoying a marquise cut diamond.

Hopefully this link works:

http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=22231847&mcat=148204&cid=287465&search_params=s+5-p+3-c+287465-r+101323351-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

I agree with MC''s thinking. Also some have set Marquise in east / west position with great results, such as Jazmine''s stunning ring!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:38:34 AM
Author: Lorelei

I agree with MC''s thinking. Also some have set Marquise in east / west position with great results, such as Jazmine''s stunning ring!

Thanks, now only if I can get my husband to agree!!! lol I love that Tiff. necklace!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:38:34 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/18/2008 11:24:53 AM
Author: MC
Sorry (and hoping to not offend) but I do not think heart shape diamonds have ever been ''in.'' They seem best for younger women (like under 20).

Marquise are definetly 80s, but I''ve seen some gorgeous rings & earrings where marquise have been grouped to form other shapes like a flower shape rather than as just a single stone set. Tiffany & co. has a few cute designs.

Pears are more unique IMO and have always been that way and haven''t been ''in'' or ''out'' of style for the average person.


ETA - Tiffany''s Victoria Pendant is an excellent example of a modern way of enjoying a marquise cut diamond.

Hopefully this link works:

http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=22231847&mcat=148204&cid=287465&search_params=s+5-p+3-c+287465-r+101323351-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

I agree with MC''s thinking. Also some have set Marquise in east / west position with great results, such as Jazmine''s stunning ring!

HI:

Notwithstanding that STUNNER that Katherize Z-Jones has--an antique.......I really love marquise and pears. MC makes a good point about the Tiffany Victoria line, which is really gorgeous..
Trishy has a gorgeous 3 carat heart here on PS, altho if push came to shove I would choose that shape in a natural yellow color.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:41:32 AM
Author: MC

Date: 1/18/2008 11:38:34 AM
Author: Lorelei

I agree with MC''s thinking. Also some have set Marquise in east / west position with great results, such as Jazmine''s stunning ring!

Thanks, now only if I can get my husband to agree!!! lol I love that Tiff. necklace!

So do I, that necklace is exquisite!

 

[sandia_rose]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:35:00 AM
Author: LitigatorChick

I don''t think hearts were ever in.

I have seen them here and there, but not on anyone I personally know. I saw a vintage one in an ad and it was in an interesting setting that might make me see a heart as an option (which I normally don''t).

I also read somewhere (forget where, though - refresh my memory if you know) that a heart isn''t an "intentional" cut, but rather a shape that comes from a pear that the cutter messed up or from a stone that was intended to be a pear but not optimal for it for one reason or another. Not sure if there is any truth to this - does anyone know?

In my area, the popular shape is round. The majority of the ones I see (I live in Southern CT near NYC, so maybe it''s the Manhattan influence) are over 1ct and set in simple Tiffany-style prong settings. Size is big here, and I see a lot of rings that border on being too large/gaudy. I love white metal, but most of what I see in jewelery stores while window-shopping and also on others I know is yellow metal. That last observation strikes me as odd. Almost every diamond ad that I see (magazines and in newspapers) shows white metal - with the exception being department store circulars (like Khol''s and Macy''s that sell smaller diamonds and pendants). However, if I happen to be in my local mall and window-shop the jeweler''s, almost everything in the windows is yellow metal. So....do most people still go to mall stores?!!

Another thing that I notice as being big in my area is wraps in place of wedding bands. Two people that I know who''ve gotten married in the last 2-3 years have wraps instead of wedding bands, and I also see this around a lot (woman who does my nails, work, etc). I like the idea of a wrap as an anniversary present...but I still prefer a separate wedding band.

I was under the impression that vintage is big - and I prefer vintage myself. I just don''t see it in my area. The only example I know of personally is a guy I used to work with who gave his girl his mother''s e-ring. But that wasn''t styled vintage the way we think of it (filigree, etc). It was a plain 4 prong round.


Bridget in Connecticut

 

[motownmama]

I think alot of those 80''s marquis were poor quality and trying to get some finger coverage with a small stone. A decent size well cut one can kncok your socks off - I think they will make a comback. There''s a gal her in my town with a large, beautiful marquis in platinum. It would be tough not to like it! I think a beautiful pear is very classy. Hearts are a cute idea, maybe for a pendant, but I''m with the rest. I would not do a wrap for a wedding ring - to me it''s a fun sometimes add on - you could never really wear iit on it''s own like you could a wedding ring. Yellow gold? I think this is cyclical. White will never go away, but yellow comes and goes - See David Yurman showing YG ER''s now???????

 

[coatimundi_org]

I love marquises and pears. I think marquises can be set to look amazing. I tried on a 4 carat marquise when I was jewelry shopping a couple weekends ago-and it stunned me! It was simple setting with tapered baguettes. Ovals are my favorite, and on ps, I''ve seen a photo of an oval marquise antique hybrid that I was drooling over. I can''t deal with heart shapes--just my opinion but-a waste of good diamond rough!

 

[gemgirl]

As someone who was a clothing buyer for a couple of decades, I think the diamond and jewelry industry, just like the fashion industry, has to come out with something fresh and something different every few years. They need to do this in order to get people to buy. Changing the current style not only gives consumers new choices but it stimulates the reset business on the neighborhood level too. It goes way past the engagement ring business and happily (for jewelers) filters down the entire jewelry industry. I think that while trends come and go; style, class and elegance always remain. Think about it..... a few years ago there was no such thing as micropave'' and now micropave'' is the "it" setting of the moment. Who ever heard of milgraining outside of true vintage and estate jewelry and now milgraining is everywhere. Yellow gold or white gold, white gold or yellow gold. A few years ago the Gold Council tried a campaign declaring that "yellow gold was back!" Back? Back from where? Where did it go? LOL! Buybuybuy!!

I believe it''s a matter of personal taste myself. While rounds will always and forever be "classics", I always wanted a pear. I think pears are distinctly feminine.

Another factor that just crossed my mind, when I was studying design and interior decorating at FIT, our professor explained that people''s choices of shapes in furniture expresses their personality. Some people are comfortable having things around them that have straight lines and corners, and some are more comfortable with more gentle shapes. For me personally, I don''t care for stones like emerald cuts and princess cuts because of the sharp corners. That''s maybe why my dining table is a round that opens to an oval, and my coffee table is an oval and end table a drum round. The shape you ultimately choose expresses your personal style.

 

[Ninama]

I think you're right about the overall popularity of certain shapes - I've only seen one poster expressly say she wanted a marquise for her ring. Her ring size 1.5 and I think that had something to do with her choice.

I've found that my preferences in cuts have fluctuated since I started visiting PS.. and that my feeling about any cut can me mitigated by a few things. One: the setting. East/west can change everything. Two: the size/character of the diamond. A big, beautiful pear is a big, beautiful thing! Three: slight variations on the cut. I thought marquise was my least favorite shape untul I saw this "fat" one (a 3.38 Carat Type IIa Golconda) with rounded tips. If this were my ring.... it would most certainly be my favorite cut! Ya think, Coatimundi?

 

[coatimundi_org]

Ninama! That''s the one I''ve been drooling over! It''s like an oval/marquise. Loooove that stone.
Thanks for posting!

 

[HollyS]

Date: 1/18/2008 11:19:13 AM
Author:sandia_rose
I''ve been reading these boards for a couple of months now, and it''s dawned on me that almost no one posts pics/info about hearts, marquise or pear shapes. The most popular shapes now seem to be rounds or variations of square/rectangle (princess, emerald, asscher).

Marquise shapes were really popular in the 80s. I was in my 20s in the 80s, and a whole slew of my girlfriends got married then...and a lot of them had marquises. I''ve had a few friends get married in the last few years (after 2000), and I don''t see marquises anymore. I don''t even see that many of them when I''m randomly window-shopping.

Ditto with pears and hearts. I don''t know anyone with a heart stone. I only know one woman with a pear - I used to work with her, and her husband is Israeli. He purchased the stone in Israel from a cutter when he was back visiting his parents. She had wanted a pear but was having trouble finding a nice one here.

Has anyone else noticed this? I personally like asschers, emeralds and OEC/miners, so this question is more out of Friday curiosity/boredom than anything else. Is there an article somewhere that talks about shape trends?

Bridget in Connecticut.

Those cuts, used in the ''usual'' settings, are rather dated. However, there are newer, fresher approaches to setting those cuts. For instance, Catherine Zeta-Jones has a marquis diamond placed east/west in an antique (Edwardian style) platinum setting. Angie Harmon has a RB flanked by two smaller pears. Jessica Simpson had a 3 stone e-ring with a pear as the center stone. Hearts are less appealing probably because there are so few well-cut versions, and today''s women are much more in-the-know about how important the cut of the stone is. But some flashy celebs like Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson have sported some recent bling in that particular cut.

I think we''re having an *old-fashioned* moment in e-ring styles. Lots of Art-Deco and Edwardian influences with platinum, Asschers, and ECs right now; much like the Victorian feeling of many of the 70s yellow gold settings. Have you noticed the growing interest in rose-cut, OMC, rose gold, and other Victorian influences?

 

[Ninama]

Date: 1/18/2008 12:43:56 PM
Author: coatimundi
Ninama! That's the one I've been drooling over! It's like an oval/marquise. Loooove that stone.

Thanks for posting!

Dibs!

Here's the link if you ever want to visit it....

http://www.luxuryeye.co.uk/product/101112/3.38_carat_type_iia__golconda_diamond_ring.aspx

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 1/18/2008 12:45:30 PM
Author: Ninama

Date: 1/18/2008 12:43:56 PM

Author: coatimundi

Ninama! That''s the one I''ve been drooling over! It''s like an oval/marquise. Loooove that stone.


Thanks for posting!

Dibs!


Here''s the link if you ever want to visit it....

http://www.luxuryeye.co.uk/product/101112/3.38_carat_type_iia__golconda_diamond_ring.aspx

Thanks AGAIN! And I will be visiting!
I''m afraid we may have to split the cost on this one

 

[tberube]

I agree with you on marquise shapes (except as side stones or in the occasional east-west setting), and heart shapes (I don''t know anyone who would ever have one), but I sorta disagree about the pear shapes. I adore pears, and almost considered getting one. Though yes, they are not very common, they are gorgeous and I don''t think they are necessary "passe" like hearts and marquise can be.

JMHO.

 

[tberube]

Date: 1/18/2008 12:23:25 PM
Author: gemgirl
As someone who was a clothing buyer for a couple of decades, I think the diamond and jewelry industry, just like the fashion industry, has to come out with something fresh and something different every few years. They need to do this in order to get people to buy. Changing the current style not only gives consumers new choices but it stimulates the reset business on the neighborhood level too. It goes way past the engagement ring business and happily (for jewelers) filters down the entire jewelry industry. I think that while trends come and go; style, class and elegance always remain. Think about it..... a few years ago there was no such thing as micropave'' and now micropave'' is the ''it'' setting of the moment. Who ever heard of milgraining outside of true vintage and estate jewelry and now milgraining is everywhere. Yellow gold or white gold, white gold or yellow gold. A few years ago the Gold Council tried a campaign declaring that ''yellow gold was back!'' Back? Back from where? Where did it go? LOL! Buybuybuy!!


I believe it''s a matter of personal taste myself. While rounds will always and forever be ''classics'', I always wanted a pear. I think pears are distinctly feminine.


Another factor that just crossed my mind, when I was studying design and interior decorating at FIT, our professor explained that people''s choices of shapes in furniture expresses their personality. Some people are comfortable having things around them that have straight lines and corners, and some are more comfortable with more gentle shapes. For me personally, I don''t care for stones like emerald cuts and princess cuts because of the sharp corners. That''s maybe why my dining table is a round that opens to an oval, and my coffee table is an oval and end table a drum round. The shape you ultimately choose expresses your personal style.

That''s a great point, gemgirl. Everything I own has a "square" shape to it, with clean, straight lines. Just like my emerald cut! So I guess unconsciously I''ve been nurturing a love for EC''s for years and was bound to choose it over rounds (which I so so so dislike on me).

 

[tberube]

Date: 1/18/2008 12:41:21 PM
Author: Ninama
I think you''re right about the overall popularity of certain shapes - I''ve only seen one poster expressly say she wanted a marquise for her ring. Her ring size 1.5 and I think that had something to do with her choice.


I''ve found that my preferences in cuts have fluctuated since I started visiting PS.. and that my feeling about any cut can me mitigated by a few things. One: the setting. East/west can change everything. Two: the size/character of the diamond. A big, beautiful pear is a big, beautiful thing! Three: slight variations on the cut. I thought marquise was my least favorite shape untul I saw this ''fat'' one (a 3.38 Carat Type IIa Golconda) with rounded tips. If this were my ring.... it would most certainly be my favorite cut! Ya think, Coatimundi?

Ninama - I wonder if at that point you could just call that marquise an oval! I mean, what about it makes it different from one?

 

[sandia_rose]

Date: 1/18/2008 12:44:21 PM
Author: HollyS

Have you noticed the growing interest in rose-cut, OMC, rose gold, and other Victorian influences?

Absolutely! I always loved vintage styles. When I married my ex, I wanted a vintage wedding band, and we found an Edwardian platinum eternity band with single cut stones. It wasn''t a modern eternity - the setting was tiny flowers in the center of which were the diamonds, going all around the band. We bought it from a B&M (Michael''s) estate-buy event. Prior to that, we had gone to a couple of antique stores and did not see anything.

My engagement ring was not vintage, although I wanted one. I like Art Deco and Edwardian style. A friend of mine had given me a couple of bridal magazines prior to that, and I had been flipping through and was disappointed that everything looked so "modern." I got married in 2000, so maybe the trend then was "Modern for the New Milennium"? I don''t like yellow gold but do like the look of rose gold (I''m a redhead with pale skin) --- but can''t wear any gold that is not rhodium-plated. My previous wedding set was platinum.

And now that I am wanting to get engaged to my current boyfriend, I am noticing A TON of vintage styles that are not vintage: Tacori and more. I think what kicked off the vintage trend is all the celebs sporting vintage styles. I forget who was first: Reese Witherspoon with her Asscher or Goldie Hawn''s daughter with hers. Not to mention Sex and the City and Charlotte''s ring from Trey.

Bridget in Connecticut.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I got engaged in 1995 and married in 1997, and my e-ring is a pear set in a simple YG solitaire. Besides totally loving the shape, I wanted a pear because nobody that I knew had one and they were just not very common. I very rarely ever see a pear in the B&M shops in my area (then or now), and I still do not have any friends or coworkers that have a pear.

I used to not like marquise, until I met my neighbor/friend who has a GORGEOUS 1.5 carat one that is absolutely HUGE! She had it reset onto a hammered YG 8mm band, and it is one beautiful ring!

As for hearts...they are cute, but I agree that they are definitely more young...more suited for a promise ring (unless they are huge

)

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I think that diamonds aren''t so much trendy, as they are a reflection of personal choice.

On this website, vintage is king. I see a lot of Asschers, EC, OEC''s...but, in Chicago where I live, I have never seen a woman with an Asscher cut.

Where I live, Princess and Round cut stones are the most popular, and by far what I widely see the most of. Of course, you have your occasional EC, Oval, or Marquise. On PS you see a lot of halo''s and pave...where as, the engagement rings I see most frequently are channel set. On PS you see a lot of colored stones, be it a yellow diamond or semi-precious, where as, most commonly in Chicago, the diamond is the end all/be all of the engagement jewels.

I do think, that for the most part, Marquise - Hearts - and Pears have lost a lost of stem. I think most people getting engaged now view the Marquise as very "80''s" and is put off by the idea. Not to mention that Marquise were poorly cut in the 80''s...and still are, excluding the rare occurance. Hearts, I don''t think ever truly had the wide range consumer, and are certainly more suitable for the younger buyer. Pears...I think that they are beautiful, but it takes the "right" person to wear them since they are a blend of two distinct styles (sharp edges and round edges).

Also, a key reason I feel that the above stated shapes have lost some popularity is that fact that the average consumer isn''t educated on custom settings, or custom design. Most people walk into either a mall store or B&M...see a manufactured ring they like, and buy it. And, as someone already stated, the diamond industry pushes different stones on the consumer, and right now Princess and Round are often found in the pre-constructed pieces.

 

[Ninama]

Date: 1/18/2008 1:04:26 PM
Author: tberube

Ninama - I wonder if at that point you could just call that marquise an oval! I mean, what about it makes it different from one?

This actually came up before. I thought it was really an oval, too - but DiaGem said it''s an "old cut marquise". Here''s the thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/altering-cut-before-after-pics.67050/

He also posted this pic of a similar one...

 

[tberube]

Date: 1/18/2008 5:02:12 PM
Author: Ninama

Date: 1/18/2008 1:04:26 PM

Author: tberube


Ninama - I wonder if at that point you could just call that marquise an oval! I mean, what about it makes it different from one?

This actually came up before. I thought it was really an oval, too - but DiaGem said it''s an ''old cut marquise''. Here''s the thread:


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/altering-cut-before-after-pics.67050/


He also posted this pic of a similar one...

wow! I''d love that diamond set east-west. You know what that reminds me of? Those pretty Calla-Cut diamonds. Mmmmmm...

 

[lumpkin]

I think any shape well cut diamond can be beautiful, depending on what you do with it. I saw some heart diamond rings done in a pave halo (three rows of tiny pave in the halo) low set on a three rows of pave in the band and they were stunning. One was a purplish pink diamond and one was blue, if I remember correctly. It would have made a killer pendant, too. I think a marquise needs to be icy white, but a heart could be a pink or blue diamond, and a pear could be any color. Cut makes the most difference and then the use and setting for the diamond. I don''t think a marquise makes a very good solitaire pendant or earrings, for instance, but hearts and pears could make beautiful pendants. Of course, this is just my opinion.

There are trends, but I would take a sort of timeless or vintage setting, regardless of what is currently in fashion, any day. If I fell in love with a piece, it wouldn''t matter if it was trendy or not, and probably I''d like it better if it weren''t. So I guess passe isn''t really relevant to me.

 

[lumpkin]

I could not find the exact ring I remembered, which was about $33,000, but here is something similar from Diamonds By Lauren. The original heart shaped diamond was more vivid purplish pink and was bezel set rather than prong set (and also had a much prettier heart shape -- not so angular). That diamond was a little smaller, in fact I think it was less than a carat and a half, so the pave was more prominent. The one in this picture doesn't have the same proportions, and the bezel setting was much more graceful, so you will have to use a little imagination, but hopefully it gets the idea across.

 

[lumpkin]

I also love this pretty pear ring. There is something about it that is sweet and sophisticated all at the same time.

 

[joflier]

I know, me personally, felt that marquise were a dated choice for a ring....though now as I''ve become more atuned to jewelry, I''ve come to appreciate a good cut, and have seen some lovely marquise stones that are in a modern setting that I would be more than proud to own......that being said.....I also wonder of the influence that celebs hold over the engagement ring market.....If the pear has perhaps become more popular since Jessica Simpsons set, and also now with Katherine Heigl''s beauty that''s been featured in a lot of tabloid photos...
I can''t quote the magazine, but I was reading somehwere that when Princess Diana became engaged and married with her sapphire ring, there was a flux of popularity of having sapphires as center stones both in Europe and the US.

 

[bebe]

When I got engaged, it was the marquise that was all the rage.
And I saw some awful stones, most set in YG. But one well cut, well,
who would turn that down! Just think of the finger coverage.

I knew one girl with a heart shaped stone. Her boyfriend selected it,
and she pretended to like it. Don''t know what happened with that.

I got engaged with a 1ct pear, of low color and I1 clarity. Totally
ignorant. But I still love a large pear, sans the bow tie. I bet we see
a surge of pears in a few years, if not sooner. I agree they can be
so feminine.