What do I need to look for in a little pear?

[winnietucker]

I've got pear side stones I wanted to replace with nicer pears. They'll be about 0.4 cts/ pear so I'm not 100% sure it's worth it. I was looking online and realized there are no triple ex pears or AGS 0 pears.

What should I be looking for?

 

[david b]

First pay attention to the length to width ratio. Pears come in all ratios and you may not like it. Avoid flat ones, choose depth of 59 to 63, I personally prefer the 63% .Ask for the crown height %, it should be 10 to 15% to decrease the bow tie effect.

 

[OoohShiny]

First pay attention to the length to width ratio. Pears come in all ratios and you may not like it. Avoid flat ones, choose depth of 59 to 63, I personally prefer the 63% .Ask for the crown height %, it should be 10 to 15% to decrease the bow tie effect.

I am no expert but I'm aware that some vendors do offer very 'flat' pears - Yoram at gemconcepts.net has posted some instagram pictures IIRC.

Chunky faceting is usually favoured on this forum, rather than any 'mush' from somewhat undefined facets, but most (all?) pears have some 'mush' at the pointy end usually.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I have to respectfully disagree with using depth and crown height for selection- or for bow tie avoidance. As OooShiny points out- there can be amazing pears that are outside the “norm” in terms of depth and crown height. Bow ties can occur regardless of crown height or depth. By restricting to a limited depth range you can unnecessarily eliminate the best candidate.
I do agree that the shape is very important to make sure the stones match- and meet one’s preference.

 

[winnietucker]

First pay attention to the length to width ratio. Pears come in all ratios and you may not like it. Avoid flat ones, choose depth of 59 to 63, I personally prefer the 63% .Ask for the crown height %, it should be 10 to 15% to decrease the bow tie effect.

What is the preferred length to width ratio? I want it chubby, but I’m worried it’ll look funny.

 

[winnietucker]

I am no expert but I'm aware that some vendors do offer very 'flat' pears - Yoram at gemconcepts.net has posted some instagram pictures IIRC.

Chunky faceting is usually favoured on this forum, rather than any 'mush' from somewhat undefined facets, but most (all?) pears have some 'mush' at the pointy end usually.

Do you have an example of chunky facets? I was looking on Blue Nile and they all honestly looked very similar to me (except color and clarity of course).

 

[winnietucker]

I have to respectfully disagree with using depth and crown height for selection- or for bow tie avoidance. As OooShiny points out- there can be amazing pears that are outside the “norm” in terms of depth and crown height. Bow ties can occur regardless of crown height or depth. By restricting to a limited depth range you can unnecessarily eliminate the best candidate.
I do agree that the shape is very important to make sure the stones match- and meet one’s preference.

Why don’t pears come in triple ex or 0? Do I need to pay attention to the other stuff? I’ve only seen the rest as very good at best.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Interesting discussion!
Why are there no cut grades for pear shapes?
The reason is that personal taste is diverse- as is the variety of pear shaped diamonds. Round diamonds are all.....wel, round! So it’s easy to figure out how to classify round diamonds. Even then, it’s still not totally agreed upon.
But pear shapes can take so many different shapes and personalities. Some will appeal to some people and not others.
Even length and width aren’t all that useful because two stones with the exact same LxW can look totally different because the curve and outline can vary within the same dimensions.

The good news is that you’re well equipped to use your own taste an vision. Most sites offer pictures/ videos to allow you pick what you love.
Also- for pairs it might be in your best interest to seek out a vendor who offers matched pairs of pears.
Hope this helps!!

 

[winnietucker]

Interesting discussion!
Why are there no cut grades for pear shapes?
The reason is that personal taste is diverse- as is the variety of pear shaped diamonds. Round diamonds are all.....wel, round! So it’s easy to figure out how to classify round diamonds. Even then, it’s still not totally agreed upon.
But pear shapes can take so many different shapes and personalities. Some will appeal to some people and not others.
Even length and width aren’t all that useful because two stones with the exact same LxW can look totally different because the curve and outline can vary within the same dimensions.

The good news is that you’re well equipped to use your own taste an vision. Most sites offer pictures/ videos to allow you pick what you love.
Also- for pairs it might be in your best interest to seek out a vendor who offers matched pairs of pears.
Hope this helps!!

This makes sense. Thank you!

 

[Swirl68]

This probably wouldn’t bother most people, but I’m kind of weird about things matching and being even.
I have pears as side stones and one of them has fluorescence and the other does not. It bothers me every time I get my nails done.
I may be imagining it, but I swear I can tell a difference when I’m out in the sun as well.
I like fluorescence, but I wish they matched.

 

[ringo865]

Are you trying to replace the stones on an existing setting? Or are you going to recreate the setting with the new stones? You will be more limited to LxW ratio if using existing setting. You will bave lots more options if you have the setting made for the stones. However ... $$$

 

[winnietucker]

Are you trying to replace the stones on an existing setting? Or are you going to recreate the setting with the new stones? You will be more limited to LxW ratio if using existing setting. You will bave lots more options if you have the setting made for the stones. However ... $$$

My plan is to upgrade the stones in my existing setting and then later upgrade my center stone and have nice side pears that match. But you’re right... maybe I should wait since my pears aren’t as chubby as I’d like.

 

[winnietucker]

This probably wouldn’t bother most people, but I’m kind of weird about things matching and being even.
I have pears as side stones and one of them has fluorescence and the other does not. It bothers me every time I get my nails done.
I may be imagining it, but I swear I can tell a difference when I’m out in the sun as well.
I like fluorescence, but I wish they matched.

Mine are slightly different and it bugs me too. No one seems to notice it but me...

 

[princessandthepear]

I can't speak to side stones. When choosing pear cuts, look for a rounded bottom with no flat areas. If the diamonds have a video, check for facets. You want the facets to turn on and off the length of the diamond. TBH, I would let whoever is doing your setting, source your stones.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Your taste will be very important when selecting pear shaped diamonds. I would suggest looking at as many as you can IRL to determine which type “fatter” or “flatter” or “chubby” or “skinny” with Fluor or not... take your time so when you make a decision you have the confidence too feel great about it.

 

[metall]

My plan is to upgrade the stones in my existing setting and then later upgrade my center stone and have nice side pears that match. But you’re right... maybe I should wait since my pears aren’t as chubby as I’d like.

Would you consider waiting until after you've upgraded the center stone first? You're somewhat limiting yourself by sticking to this particular setting now vs upgrading the side stone w. The new ring.

I dont know how much harder this would be but it might not be a bad idea to exchange the one side stone you're currently unhappy with (with or w.o floro) and wait til upgrade time....you never know it might end up in your final design anyways.

 

[winnietucker]

Would you consider waiting until after you've upgraded the center stone first? You're somewhat limiting yourself by sticking to this particular setting now vs upgrading the side stone w. The new ring.

I dont know how much harder this would be but it might not be a bad idea to exchange the one side stone you're currently unhappy with (with or w.o floro) and wait til upgrade time....you never know it might end up in your final design anyways.

I think that’s what I’ll end up doing. I didn’t really think it all the way through and realized the issue when someone else pointed it out.