One big solitaire, 5-stones or a haloed pear?

[icy_jade]

Hi PS-ers,

Appreciate your thoughts and inputs on my “milestone” upgrade. From me to myself...

I’ve been a pear shaped diamond lover for years, ever since I saw a gorgeous pear with halo and stunning pave basket underside on PS. Unfortunately I can’t find the original thread though I’ve tried many times over the years. Anyway so over the years I’ve always wanted a nice pear in a similar setting but was never really in a position to get one until recent years.

But then I found out about CBI diamonds (thanks @Drizzle and her helpful thread https://www.pricescope.com/communit...nfinity-wf-aca-and-james-allen-gia-3x.235609/) and you know CBI only come in rounds. After trying on a cz 3 stone for size, I was quite hooked and thought I should go for a “wall of bling” on my fat finger (size 8!) with a 5-stone to cover the side as well... like an approx 1.5 carat centre, then two 0.4 - 0.5 sides followed by two 0.20 side stones.

That thought lasted until I looked at the prices and realized that for the price I’m paying for all the side stones, I could just go for a >2 carat solitaire rather than a smaller say 1.5 carat surrounded by 4 side stones...

And so now I’m just confused lol. What would you recommend that I do and any diamond recommendations?

Total budget approx 24k

 

[meely]

For what it's worth I would do the pear if you have loved them that long! Also a pear halo with your budget will give you a lot of finger coverage!

 

[icy_jade]

Here is the cz ring that I got for reference/research/trial. It’s supposed to be 3 carat total weight and I think the middle is supposed to be 2 carat, with 0.5 carat side stones.


On my finger


As you can see I have major fat finger/man hands problem.

 

[soxfan]

Pear.

 

[Bonfire]

Get what makes your heart sing. That choice is up to you! Enjoy the search.

 

[tkyasx78]

I would do the 2+ ct solitaire.

You can always switch settings later. Do the bigger stone first though!

 

[lambskin]

Get the pear...you have wanted it for so long.

 

[Blingalingaling]

I think you should go with the 2 ct. pear! A two carat pear will give you great finger coverage, even more if you put it in a halo. For now, you can set it solitaire and then halo it in the future, if you want to put all the money into the stone. I would do that and get the largest, most beautiful stone you can afford right now!

 

[cokitty]

I would go for the pear. RB are classic and very popular so you will much more likely to find exactly what you are after second hand via Loupe Troop or 1st Dibs etc. Pears aren't quite as popular, have such varied personalities that I think it would be harder to find one that made your heart sing.

 

[Austina]

A haloed pear or a pear with diamonds on a split shank will give you lots of finger coverage.

 

[leukolenos]

I’m voting for pear since you’ve loved it for so long. Those kind of loves don’t usually go away!

 

[natasha-cupcake]

First of all, you don't have a hand problem. You have beautiful, strong FEMININE hands. I vote for the halo pear, even though I love CBI round solitaires. It sounds as though you came by the CBI 3-stone vs large solitaire idea analytically, whereas the halo pear choice strikes me as your emotional choice. Follow your heart.

 

[scarsmum]

Take a look at the 1.99 ct pear on LAD. Rather nice. I would halo it and be done with it.

 

[unsettled]

I love a beautiful pear in a halo! And that seems to be what your heart wants.

If I was choosing between a 1.5 carat with sidestones or a 2 carat solitaire, I would go with the 2 carat solitaire. You can always change settings down the road.

I am also a size 8. And I am always so jealous of the smaller sizes and their crazy finger coverage with smaller diamonds! I think your fingers are lovely!

 

[Indylady]

I'd go for the pear! It sounds like that's been your dream--it just reads that way from your post. You don't mention wanting the five stone for years, and it seems like you want bling and finger coverage, which the pear will get you too.

 

[KaeKae]

Have you tried on a pear? If not, please go visit a couple jewelry stores and find a few to try. Be sure that you actually love the shape on your own hand. If so, go for the pear. If not, get that solitaire. (or whatever shape you find in your search that sings to you AND you love on your hand.)

 

[Miki Moto]

I would get a round CBI solitaire. I loved Asscher and emerald cuts and thought for sure I wanted one. I thought round was boring. When I went to try them on, the fancy shapes are gorgeous but there is nothing like the fire and brilliance of a round. I ended up with a round.

With your budget, you could get a beautiful sparkly CBI diamond. Other shapes are nice “shapes”, but if you want sparkle, nothing beats a round which is why this shape is so widely sold.

That’s what I would do. By the way, I have been looking at CBI stones myself and it seems that HPD has some new inventory, so if you have not been out there recently, they've got some good stuff. You can also contact @Wink at HPD and he will refer you to one of his sales associates to help you find what you are looking for.

Good luck to you!

 

[foxinsox]

If you’ve wanted a pear for so long, get the pear. Halo it and love that finger coverage! But @Karl_K’s advice is spot on - if you’ve never worn a pear, try it on cos you might not love the shape on your hand.
Otherwise I’d always go solitaire over 5 stone a there’s just something about a big centre stone that I love.
Also your hands aren’t big man hands, they’re just bigger than our smaller handed sisters! I have size 6 1/2-7 knuckles with broad palms and shorter fingers so I feel some of your pain

 

[chappy]

I think your heart wants a halo'd pear, but your mind is interested in the idea of a best of the best, super-ideal cut (which unfortunately doesn't come in pear). I would go with what your heart wants because there will always be better than best out there.

Or, why not get a halo'd pear + much smaller half eternity CBI? Best of both worlds??

 

[Fancygems]

A pear for sure, I only ooohhh and awwwe over shapes I never see in real life and a pear is one I never see! Go with your first true love!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Why not get the best of both worlds - the pear with a couple smaller CBI sidestones? These are old cuts, but you get the idea:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ec-three-stone-ring-owd-je-perfection.217245/

 

[arkieb1]

You like halos so I'd buy either the biggest CBI you can afford put it in a cheap simple solitaire, save up and then reset it into a halo for extra bling and finger coverage. Or I'd go with an Antique Pear in a halo.

 

[AprilBaby]

The pear!

 

[04diamond<3]

I have a size 8 finger too and just updgraded to a 2.15 ACA. I would recommend buying what you can, but the best quality. An ACA stone will give you the best scintillation and it will give you the biggest look. It's also so versatile that you could do just about anything with it.

 

[cflutist]

As an owner of a 3.01 F-SI1 pear and 5 CBI (8.38 ctw) diamonds I would say to get the nicest and largest pear within your budget. Enjoy the pleasing outline of this artistic cut, and then add a halo if your heart desires. I think that a pear compliments your long fingers.

I do agree with others that a CBI will outperform a pear, however there is something special about a pear. I have my pear and 3-stone CBI ring on right now.

 

[Miki Moto]

As an owner of a 3.01 F-SI1 pear and 5 CBI (8.38 ctw) diamonds I would say to get the nicest and largest pear within your budget. Enjoy the pleasing outline of this artistic cut, and then add a halo if your heart desires. I think that a pear compliments your long fingers.

I do agree with others that a CBI will outperform a pear, however there is something special about a pear. I have my pear and 3-stone CBI ring on right now.

Pictures please!

 

[icy_jade]

@meely, @soxfan, @Bonfire, @tkyasx78, @lambskin, @Blingalingaling, @cokitty, @Austina, @leukolenos, @natasha-cupcake, @scarsmum, @unsettled, @Indylady, @KaeKae, @Miki Moto, @foxinsox, @chappy, @Fancygems, @the_mother_thing, @arkieb1, @AprilBaby, @04diamond<3, @cflutist

Thanks all (hope I didn’t miss any names!) for weighing in! It seems to be an even split between the pear and bigger CBI...


@tkyasx78: Re: getting the bigger stone first and switching settings later, I thought about that but also HPD has a great upgrade policy so I thought it’s also fine if I get a smaller one first and upgrade later...

Pears aren't quite as popular, have such varied personalities that I think it would be harder to find one that made your heart sing.

That’s part of the problem... I’ve looked (locally) for years but haven’t found one that made my heart sing. So much so that I’m beginning to think finding a pear that makes my heart sing is like looking for a unicorn...

I’ll list out my criteria (list is embarrassingly long but being fellow PS-ers I think you’ll understand...):

- no bow-ties - I see it in 90% of the pears I’ve seen in person (if the store even has pears...) and I HATE bow ties with a passion...
- no flat bottoms
- no elongated/roundish pears (i’ll like 1.5-1.75 ratio, not too fat or thin...)
- not yellowish (so fairly high color)
- and obviously must be eye clean
- and plus must be the right size
Put all of the above together and it means I’ve never seen a pear that I love before. But RBs are so much easier ya?

A haloed pear or a pear with diamonds on a split shank will give you lots of finger coverage.

Split shank is a great idea thank you.

I’m voting for pear since you’ve loved it for so long. Those kind of loves don’t usually go away!

It doesn’t but the problem is I’m also very particular about finding the right shape... which means I’ve never seen a pear irl that has made me fall in love.

First of all, you don't have a hand problem. You have beautiful, strong FEMININE hands.

Hahahah thanks but I literally have hands as big as my male friends... I’m not a petite woman but still... smaller hands (and feet) would be nice, sigh.

Take a look at the 1.99 ct pear on LAD. Rather nice. I would halo it and be done with it.

What is LAD and can you pls provide the link? Thanks!

I am also a size 8. And I am always so jealous of the smaller sizes and their crazy finger coverage with smaller diamonds! I think your fingers are lovely!

IKR!!! Super jealous... diamonds all magically shrink when they are on my fingers...

Have you tried on a pear? If not, please go visit a couple jewelry stores and find a few to try. Be sure that you actually love the shape on your own hand. If so, go for the pear. If not, get that solitaire. (or whatever shape you find in your search that sings to you AND you love on your hand.)

I think I do... provided the pear is big enough... which is also part of the reason why I thought of going with RB which I also like...

but there is nothing like the fire and brilliance of a round.

Yes and that too.

Why not get the best of both worlds - the pear with a couple smaller CBI sidestones? These are old cuts, but you get the idea:

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ec-three-stone-ring-owd-je-perfection.217245/

Budget and size... I’ll rather put all my money into something more substantial rather than end up with a compromise.

You like halos so I'd buy either the biggest CBI you can afford put it in a cheap simple solitaire, save up and then reset it into a halo for extra bling and finger coverage. Or I'd go with an Antique Pear in a halo.

Is there a diff between an antique pear vs modern pear?

I have a size 8 finger too and just updgraded to a 2.15 ACA. I would recommend buying what you can, but the best quality. An ACA stone will give you the best scintillation and it will give you the biggest look. It's also so versatile that you could do just about anything with it.

I don’t want to wade into the CBI vs ACA debate (I think I read all the comparison threads) but I thought long and hard about it and if I get an ACA, a part of me will always wonder if I missed out on a more sparkly diamond and the diamond geek in me will go crazy... I know ACAs are fabulous and I can get a bigger stone with the same budget but it’ll always be a niggling thought you know?

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, so after hearing from everyone, I’ll go for either a pear or bigger CBI diamond rather than a 5-stone...

I looked at some sites and here are some pear shaped diamonds that I think looks nice... would really appreciate your thoughts...

I went through the JA site and these pears caught my eye
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/2.00-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-3432656
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/2.20-carat-e-color-vs2-clarity-sku-3783127
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/2.20-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-1072558

I eliminated the pears with strong fluroscence and the blemishes I spotted in the SI1’s made me wince though I’m still open to eye clean (at 6 inches and various angles) diamonds.

WF doesn’t have real pics (which is why I looked at JA first) but the size of this one caught my eye. Medium fluorescence though so it needs to be examined thoroughly for haziness before purchase...
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/pear-cut-loose-diamond-3861759.htm

Kept getting error messages on GOG but also one that caught my eye:
https://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond...A-G-SI1-diamond-stock-PS22483-cert-2206933721

I’ll post CBIs next

 

[TreeScientist]

I like the pears you posted, but may I add one additional diamond for your consideration?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/2.03-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-5029464

Beautiful color and a lovely small (55%) table.

I love small tables on pears and ovals, as it gives them more of the lively, fiery nature characteristic of MRBs. I think that one of the main problems with pears and ovals is that most are cut with tables over 60%, and thus they have a very flat top. This flat top makes them look dull and two-dimensional.

From the video, this pear looks very lively. You would need to ask for an ASET to confirm light performance, but a pear with a small table may be a good compromise between the performance of a MRB and the unique look and shape of a pear. Also, the small table gives the diamond a better spread. If you look at he dimensions of this 2.03, it has almost the exact same spread as the 2.20 carat E/VS2 that you posted.

 

[meely]

I'm sure you will get some brilliant pear options but if it doesn't work out and you do end up going for a round brilliant.... what about doing a pear halo right hand/cocktail ring with a colored stone?