The pear shaped diamond is also called the "teardrop diamond" because of its shape. The pear shaped diamond is a combination cut of the round-brilliant and the marquise (to see examples of these two shapes, visit our diamond shapes page. The Pear Shaped Diamond is a fiery cut with lots of wonderful sparkle and flash. The elegant lines of the Pear Shaped Diamond lends a sophisticated air to both the simplest and most elaborate ring settings.

Choosing a Pear Diamond

When purchasing a Pear Shaped Diamond, it's extremely important to pay attention to quality and to select the highest grade cut you can afford. Pear-shaped diamonds are prone to two cutting issues: the bow-tie effect and "high" or "uneven" shoulders. The image to the left is a simulation of the bow-tie effect. It's not unusual to see "some" bow-tie if you examine a pear-shaped diamond from various angles and in different lights, but what you don't want is an obvious black/dark spot that is dull from every angle and in all lights. If you're "wondering" if the diamond you purchased is suffering from the bow-tie effect, it probably isn't. It's one of those defects, that, when present is obvious.

The picture to the left is a simulation of "uneven shoulders". The non-pointed end of the pear shaped diamond should have a nice round and gentle arc. In addition to "uneven shoulders", sometimes cutters, to increase the carat weight of the diamond "square off" or give a "rounded triangle" end to the pear-shaped diamond. High-shoulders and uneven shoulders decrease the value of the diamond and should be avoided.