Pear-shaped diamonds have an interesting outline that has an oval and a pointed side. The sharp end of the stone is one of its most vulnerable parts and can get chipped easily if hit hard enough. So, if you are selecting a setting for a pear-shaped diamond, you should make sure that its pointed end is well protected.
What Is a Pear-Shaped Diamond?
Pear-shaped diamonds have an oval outline with one pointed end.
This diamond shape, which resembles a drop, is not as popular as the classic round shape, but many people select it because of its elongated form.
One of the most important things to remember about pear-shaped diamonds is that their sharp end is very vulnerable to chipping and should be well protected by the setting.
Settings for Pear-Shaped Diamonds
The choice of setting is very important when it comes to pear-shaped diamonds. As already mentioned, the sharp end of this stone should be protected by the setting for the sake of safety.
In general, the most popular settings for pear-shaped diamonds are the prong setting and the bezel setting.
The bezel setting is a good choice. This type of setting is especially safe as it encircles the stone with a line of metal that protects the diamond’s edges, making it almost impossible for the stone to fall off.
If you would rather have a setting that shows more of the diamond and you prefer a prong setting, the best choice is one that features a V-shaped prong that wraps the sharp corner of the stone securely.
Prong Settings
The advantage of setting a diamond in a prong setting is that most of the stone will be visible as the prongs will cover little of its area.
Prong settings, however, are not the safest as their prongs can bend or break if they become worn out or get bumped.
How Many Prongs Are Best for a Pear-Shaped Diamond?
Usually, prong settings have either four or six prongs; occasionally, you can also see an eight-prong setting.
Generally, the more prongs a setting has, the safer it is as the stone has more support.
However, having a higher number of prongs means that you will have to spend more money on maintenance and repairs when the prongs start to wear out.
Pear-shaped diamonds set in four prongs tend to look more angular as the number and arrangement of the prongs creates the impression of an imaginary quadrangle.
Having six or eight prongs makes the shape of the diamond look more oval.
However, you should see different setting designs and decide for yourself which is more appealing to you.
In some rings, there is a prong holding the pointed end of the pear-shaped diamond, while in others, that sharp corner is left exposed.
Our recommendation is to choose a ring in which the pointed part of the stone is held securely by a V-prong.
Using V-Prongs to Hold a Pear-Shaped Diamond
A V-prong is simply a metal peg shaped in the form of the letter V.
Because of their shape, V-prongs are used to protect the sharp corners of diamonds and other gemstones by wrapping these ends in metal.
In rings with pear-shaped diamonds, V-prongs can be used to hold the pointed end of the diamond.
The other prongs can have a round shape, but from a safety standpoint, it is best if the sharp part of the stone is held by a V-shaped prong.
Bezel Settings
Bezel settings are another popular choice for pear-shaped diamonds.
This type of setting is safer than prongs as it consists of a metal band that wraps around the stone and holds it securely.
The downside of the bezel setting is that it hides the sides of the diamond.
However, you should keep in mind that the hidden part of the stone will be well protected from hits and bumps.
Also, when a diamond ring is worn, its stone is seen mostly from the top, which is readily visible in a bezel setting.
At the end of the day, you should decide for yourself whether you prefer the safety of the bezel setting or the more open look of the prong setting.
A bezel setting is a good choice for a ring that you will wear when doing work with your hands, as the bezel will offer additional security.
A prong setting, on the other hand, is recommended for a ring that you will not wear during activities that may put it at risk of being hit and damaged.
How Many Stones Should the Ring Setting Have?
Another choice you will have to make regarding an engagement ring with a pear-shaped diamond is how many stones the piece should have.
One option is to have a ring with a single stone. This choice will allow you to spend your entire budget on only one diamond and ensure that it comes in the best quality you can afford.
You can also choose a ring with side stones, which will add more brilliance to the piece.
However, you should be careful when selecting the quality of these stones and make sure that their color grades match. Otherwise, you might end up with a ring some of whose diamonds appear brighter or darker than the others.
As for clarity and cut, the smaller a side stone is, the less these two factors matter, as any flaws in a small diamond are less likely to be visible.
There are engagement ring styles with diamonds built, or encrusted, into the band. While these models look great, you should keep in mind that the ring’s body might be hard to repair in the future, if needed.
This is especially true for repairs that involve bending or resizing the ring, as such procedures might misalign or damage the stones, depending on the exact way they have been set in the body.
Selecting a Metal for the Setting
There are two main factors you should consider when selecting a metal for a diamond engagement ring: durability and color.
As far as durability goes, yellow gold is relatively soft and not as desirable for such a piece of jewelry that is supposed to last long.
White gold and platinum are better choices as they wear out more slowly. Of these two, white gold is cheaper, but since it is coated with rhodium, you will need to have it re-plated once the surface accumulates too many scratches.
Platinum is more expensive, and although it can also scratch, it takes longer for it to wear out, and it is much harder to break.
As for color, you shouldn’t forget that platinum and white gold look pretty bright and metallic, and you should keep this in mind when selecting the color of the diamonds.
This means that it is not recommended to select diamonds with visible yellow tints, especially for the center stone, as the white setting will make them stand out even more when the diamonds are mounted.
Selecting Quality for a Pear-Shaped Diamond
We already mentioned that considering the metals most often used for engagement rings, it is not recommended to skimp on the color quality of the diamonds. But what about clarity, cut, and carat?
In general, it is best to select a clarity level high enough so that there are no flaws in the stone visible with the naked eye.
A perfect clarity grade, however, might not be worth it because to the unaided eye, it is likely to look as clean as a grade in the VVS or VS range, for example.
As for cut, it is recommended that you avoid poorly cut stones because their less-than-ideal proportions will result in diminished brilliance, whose lack will in turn make any other flaws in the stone more visible.
Make sure that the pear-shaped diamond you choose for the engagement ring has a highly graded cut and exhibits good brilliance and sparkle.
When it comes to the carat of the center diamond in an engagement ring, don’t forget that not only are bigger stones more expensive, but if they also have poor clarity, their inclusions are more likely to be noticeable because the stone itself is more visible.
So if you are buying a bigger stone for an engagement ring, make sure the diamond looks clean enough to the naked eye.
What Type of Hand Is a Pear-Shaped Diamond Best Suited For?
Pear-shaped diamonds are a good choice for all types of hands, but the people that would most benefit from this shape are those who would like to somewhat accentuate the length of their fingers.
For example, an engagement ring with an elongated pear diamond would be a great choice for a hand with wider fingers if the wearer would like to make them look longer and slimmer.
Where to Buy a Diamond Ring?
We recommend James Allen (read review) because you can take a 360-degree look at any stone before having it set in a ring.
Blue Nile is another reputable diamond retailer we recommend.