Calling all fancy lovers!

[Groovy Chick]

I got engaged a couple of weeks ago with the stone and setting of my choice and sin of all sins... it''s NOT ROUND! Shock, horror! It''s a 1.54 carat G SI2 pear solitaire set in platinum. I absolutely love it''s pretty shape and the fact that my diamond doesn''t look like everybody else''s. Just because it''s not giving "maximum light return" doesn''t bother me in the slightest. It sparkles plenty! To me, having an unusual and rare shaped diamond is far more important than having a couple of extra light rays coming out of it. I can''t understand all the hoopla over rounds. Can someone please enlighten me (no pun intended!)? I''m so bored by them. Maybe there needs to be a site where people can talk Fancy. There we can all drool over Melanie Carmichael''s ENORMOUS princess in "Sweet Home Alabama" and the 6 carat pear in "Legally Blond". Is there anyone else out there with a pear, or other fancy who is in love with it and wants to rave about it? Tell me ya story!

 

[Mara]

RockyTalky is a forum for all types and cuts of diamonds, not just rounds....so feel free to chat about it here, as you already are.

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Groovy Chick,


I'm a pear owner too. It would be nice to have a place to "talk fancy" since the vast majority of posts here are all about round. I've had a few questions about fancy shapes and the loss of brilliance associated with going that route, but unfortunately there does not seem to be much information out there.

I started out marquise 18 years ago and just did my second upgrade recently and changed shape to pear. I have always been a fan of fancy shapes for rings, but I prefer round for earrings -- I can't stand the right-side-up/down/sideways problem.




I found PS just AFTER I upgraded to my pear. Wish I had found it sooner. Not that I would necessarily change to round, but I sure have learned a lot since then. A friend of mine recently upgraded her RB to a 2 ct AGS000 cut, G color which was outstanding. It was the first time I had compared side by side the brilliance an ideal stone has over a fancy. It has made me question my own thinking a bit with going with a fancy shape. Although my pear is an E, the ideal cut round G color not only was more brilliant but looked whiter.

Have you compared RB with fancy? What made you choose pear versus the other shapes?




Diamondlil

 

[Hest88]

Here, here! I love discussing light return issues with RB, but have no desire to ever own one. I don't care all that much, for instance, that the Regent has great light return--I just love the shape.

I own an EC that I adore. I could stare into it for hours. I also love older cushion cuts.

 

[Groovy Chick]

Hi diamondlil,




Yay! What size is your pear? Do tell. I've never seen one bigger than 1.5ct made up, although i did once see a 2.25 carat loose and just about fainted. You ask why i chose the pear. Well, i don't feel i ever really 'chose pear', rather, 'pear chose me". About three years ago i saw a picture of one in a magazine ad whilst helping my girlfriend choose her ring and, knowing nothing much about diamonds, i fell in love with it. In that instant i knew i wanted a pear, and finally, three years later, i have one! I do love the other fancies, and did consider them, especially princess, but the pear is just soooooooo elegant. I'm definately going to upgrade one day coz i'd love a 2-2.25ct. However, at the mo' i'm just glad it's as big as it is (1.54) coz i stretched my fiance from NZ$6,000-10,000 (what he originally said he'd spend) to $NZ$16,000!!




Now, about this 2ct G looking whiter than your E. Nah-uh. Either your stone is dirty, or one of the gradings is incorrect. When i first got my ring i took it into jewellery stores to do comparisons and was horrified to find my G more yellow than Is. After sleepless nights, finally a jeweller simply cleaned my ring and it out-whitened the Is. Are you looking through the sides of the stones with a white background in natural light? That's how you're supposed to assess colour. As for light return, just keep your stone clean and there'll be plenty of sparkle, provided your stone is cut well. Can you give me the specs and i'll check if you want. It's really important that fancies are cut properly or else you'll get the 'bow-tie effect'.




Sigh, it's so nice to talk about pears. Excellent choice diamondlil - can you post a pic if you have one? I don't have any yet.

 

[Groovy Chick]

Oh God, i can't stop... The Pear? Why? Need you ask! Elegant, feminine, romantic, rare, looks different from every angle, elongated, flattering to your hand, confident, a statement, individual, beautiful, eye-catching, draws you to it.... I LOVE PEARS! Pictures coming soon!

 

[hawaii_justine]

I recently got engaged also and it is not a rb. It is the most beautiful square radiant I have ever seen (maybe I am partial

). I too did not want a rb because everyone I knew had a rb. I think that there are beautiful but I felt that I wanted something different. I am soooo happy with my decision. I was out with my friends last week and two of us just got engaged and all of my friends were captivated by my ring (1.03 square radiant solitare) compared to her ( over 1.5 rb with two .25 on each side). Not to say that mine was more incredible then hers it was just that they had never sen anything but rb's (which they all have) or princesses.

Needless to say I was really happy!

 

[Groovy Chick]

There you go! Your story doesn't surprise me. Your ring sounds divine, and more importantly, different. I haven't seen many radiants. In fact, i don't know if i've seen any in real life. It's a great cut. Super classy and confident. People just glance at round engagement rings, but fancies get gawked at bigtime. I often catch people looking at my ring from a distance trying to figure it out. They're intrigued by it, i can tell.




Congrats on your engagement. Isn't it a great feeling?

 

[Caratz]

I really like pears that dangle -- as in a pendant or in earrings -- but I am not a big fan of pears on a ring. I like dangling pears for earrings more than round studs.

My favorite fancy is the asscher -- a very different look than a round. And it look great in a ring, an earring, or a pendant.

But when it comes to a ring, in the end, I like the round most of all. Why? Because, like many on pricescope, I have an obsessive personaility. And for those of us prone to be obsessive about perfection, from Tolkowsky onwards, the round is the most fascinating shape!

 

[diamondlil]

Thanks for asking, Groovy Chick. Below are the specs on my diamond. After I purchased it, I had it independently appraised by a GIA GG who confirmed the stone was a match to the cert and that all the specifications were correct. I was thrilled since my goal (at the time) was to get an eye-clean, icy-white diamond. Then I found PS, learned too much about *cut*, and buyers' remorse set in. I found that my stone is a cut grade 2b because of the slightly small table (cut grade 1a is 57 to 60%) and a little deep (should be 59 to 63%).




Finding pears in a 2 ct size was somewhat difficult since they don't seem to be as popular as they were years ago. Of course RB will always be the most popular. I've considered trading up to get a better cut pear with the same color/clarity, but how much brilliance will I gain? I realize I will never get close to the light return on an ideal RB which never bothered me until I did a direct comparison with my friends AGS000. WOW!! /idealbb/images/smilies/love.gif




For the experts out there, is there a way to estimate the light return I will gain by going from a cut 2b up to a 1a? /idealbb/images/smilies/confused.gif




I'm in the process of shopping for a new e-ring setting and coordinating wedding band, but I want to make sure I'm sticking with this pear before I commit to anything.




-EGL-USA/Los Angeles cert, 2.07 ct pear diamond
-Color E
-Clarity SI2
-Measurements 11.48 x 6.84 x 4.54 mm
-Depth 66.4
-Table 54.0
-Crown 14.5
-Pavilion 44.5
-Girdle medium to slightly thick faceted
-Polish good to very good
-Symmetry good
-Fluorescence medium blue
-Culet none








What are your stats Groovy Chick?




Diamondlil

 

[Patty]

I love pears and yes, I have spent time trying to "figure them out" when I see people wearing them. Is it round or not? Back when I got engaged (25 years ago) I saw a fair number of pear solitares. It seemed like people had RBs, pair shaped or marquise. I almost NEVER hear of anyone getting a marquise any more, especially as the primary diamond in a set. Do any of you?

 

[canadiangrrl]

Patty, my totally non-empirical opinion is that diamonds tend to mirror fashion to some extent...in the nineties, we saw a return to a style that is a little more clean and a lot more understated...the classic, timeless appeal of the RB fits in perfectly with this spare, streamlined look.

Just some random non-expert observations...I tend to find that the princess shape is preferred by younger women...and I see rings featuring marquise and pear shapes on women primarily in the 45+ demographic. I see relatively few step cuts when I'm out & about in Canada & the US, and I hardly ever see any radiants that aren't fancy colours.

Canadiangrrl, obviously reading far too much into this

Edited to make sense.

 

[diamondlil]

I agree with you Canadiangrrl. I got engaged in 1985 (yes, '85) and the choices were RB, marquise (which I got), or pear. That is all. There was no such thing as princess or radiant (at least not at the maul jewelers I shopped at). I traded up from a .75 marquise to a 2.0 marquise in 1993 (7th anniversary). I had that for 10 years. Just this past anniversary (17th), I got my much nicer 2.07 pear. The size appears bigger on my pear because, although it is still slightly deep, it is cut better than my 2 ct marquise and is definitely MUCH whiter. I love an icy white look.




When I decided to upgrade this time, I knew I wanted to change shape. I ended up pear because I am somewhat traditional and wanted to be different than the norm which seems to be RB or princess these days. I did not consider round, and I'm not crazy about the points on princess, but I like radiants. In the end, I was afraid I might tire of a radiant (although that would be my first choice for a pink diamond. Now that's a nice dream

).




I'm still curious if there any experts out there who have studied light return on fancies. I can't believe that no one has looked into this.

Diamondlil

 

[Groovy Chick]

Diamondlil, it sounds like you have a good stone, and the size, wow! I'm envious. It'll be a few years before i can upgrade. I have a printout of stats for pears from the net (can't remember where from) and your stone did really well. Out of Premium, Fine, Average and Below average, yours was Premium for everything and only just out of Fine and into Average for depth. However, i don't know how reliable the source of these parameters is. I reckon the best way for gauging light return is your own perception. At first glance of your stats i was a little concerned about the depth being a little shallow. Does your stone give the bow-tie effect at all? If so, is it only in certain lighting? and how bad is it? Mine is very slight occasionally in low-level lighting. Good that you have some blue flouro. Mine too. I like that. Here's my stats:




1.54 carats G SI2


9.87 x 6.3 x 4.15


Depth 65.9


Pav 43


Table 53


Crown 17


Girdle thick faceted


Flourescence moderate blue




Would love to see a pic of your setting. I don't have any good pics yet but it's platinum with a picture frame tip and four other claws.




I wouldn't stress about a couple less light rays than your friend's round. It's not ALL about sparkle. To me, the pear has "a little less sparkle, but a lot more flair". Just keep your ring CLEAN! Besides, mine has dazzled me in sunlight on numerous occasions and i'm gonna get slaughtered for saying this, but rounds are SO BORING. Sorry rb lovers, just MHO.

 

[kimong]

Totally agree that RB's are boring! I mean they're good for other jewellery but as a focal point on any solitaire ring they're so common! These days square princess cuts are also getting that way too! I like pears dangling in other jewellery but as rings they don't have the symmetry that I like in other cuts. Currently I'm wanting to get either a rectangle radiant or spring cut. Just have to get a hold of one!

 

[icelady]

Hi,

I started out with a marquise, but switched to a round brilliant. I had my round brilliant for a lot of years and really loved it. BUT, I have fallen madly in love with radiants!!! I am soon to be the proud owner of a radiant. I love that it is not the traditional round shape. The radiant that I think I am going to go with is absolutely the most gorgeous stone I have ever seen. It has fire, brilliance,and you can spot it from a mile away!!! I love the clipped corners, and I think radiants are really classy. Of course, I haven't seen a diamond shape that isn't classy!!

 

[sxn675]

Well, I love fancies and RBs! My ering is a RB. That's mostly because we were on a super-tight budget and you can get more for the $$ with a RB (it's easier to go down in color and clarity in a RB than other cuts). One day maybe I'll change my setting to add pear-shaped side stones. One day, I'd also like a pear-shaped pendant and perhaps a right-hand ring in one of the step cuts. So, let's keep talking about them!

 

[Colorado Michelle]

Hi Groovy Chick. I'm engaged and have a oval with trillion side stones. I think rounds are beautiful, but I just couldn't get into them. When I have time to take a picture of my ring for fellow fancy lovers to see,
I will. Anyway, thanks for your post. It's nice to know there are other rebels out there, ha ha.

 

[Nicrez]

Justine, do tell about your radiant. I am getting engaged soon (though he obviously won't tell me WHEN), I have been commissioned to find the kind of ring I could wear forever, and I tried on a RB and just couldn't do it. I didn't want that Tiffany's pronged RB...

I wanted something unique, classic, elegant and timeless, but sparkles like a round (or at least as much as it can!) So I have been searching all the squarer stone (everyone who doesn't have a RB has a princess...)

So I have been researching HOF Dream, Tycoon, Spring, Radiants, Regents, Queen of Hearts, Flanders, Old Europeans, Old Miners, etc...anyone know fancies and can get me good pictures of these, or at least name a good jeweler in the NYC region who may have some of these in stock to compare visually?!

Post some pictures of your ring Justine...I really want to see it, as I am most likely going to go for a Radiant solitaire, low set in a W or X prong platinum setting!

 

[Kay]

----------------
On 12/11/2003 7:31:16 PM Patty wrote:

I love pears and yes, I have spent time trying to 'figure them out' when I see people wearing them. Is it round or not? Back when I got engaged (25 years ago) I saw a fair number of pear solitares. It seemed like people had RBs, pair shaped or marquise. I almost NEVER hear of anyone getting a marquise any more, especially as the primary diamond in a set. Do any of you?----------------

FI and I picked out a marquise solitaire for my e-ring just last April. (I'm 31.) I love rounds for earrings or pendants, but I wanted a more interesting shape for my e-ring, especially since I knew I wanted the simplicity of a solitaire setting, so the diamond has to provide the interest. I liked princess rings owned by some of my girlfriends, but I did not like the way they looked on my finger as well as the marquise (plus I wanted something different than what everyone else was getting). The elongated shape of the marquise just looks right on my very long (3"), slender (size 4.5) finger. I've always loved marquise cuts (been "window shopping" for a few years) -- probably from growing up in the 80's.

 

[cherij0411]

Here is the specs on my fancy Emerald cut. Let me know what you think. Honestly I wish it had more sparkle.

Here are the specs

8.30x5.55x3.92mm

1.53 carats

Depth 70.6
Table 72%
Girdle Thin To Medium
Cutlet None

Polish very good
Symmetry Good

Clarity VS1
Color F

GIA 10433106