The Cut: Marquise + Round = Pear
First, let’s look at its shape and discover how this cut handles light. The pear-shaped diamond is an amalgam of the famed round brilliant cut, which is the world’s most popular diamond cut. It also blends the elongated end shape of the marquise cut. We happen to have a soft spot for marquise shaped diamonds not only for their romantic legend of origin, but their dainty feminine appeal. So, there we have it: a round brilliant marries a marquise and the result is a compelling pear-shaped diamond.
The Origin of the Pear Cut
Today, modern designers integrate pear shaped diamonds into their imaginative jewelry creations. That caused some diamond fans to mistakenly believe this is a modern cut. But not so fast. While It may look very much up-to-date, this diamond shape has origins dating to the mid-15th century in Flanders.
The year was 1475, where a Flemish (modern day Belgium) diamond cutter named Lodewyk van Bercken had just invented a diamond-polishing wheel, or scaif. His new invention would transform diamond cutting forever. The pioneering polishing wheel enabled him to place facets onto a diamond rough with complete symmetry, thereby creating a trail for the later development of complex diamond cuts. In that same year, he invented the world’s first pear shaped diamond.
Why is the Pear So Unique?
The pear’s soft-sided curves and rounded bottom narrows upward toward a pointed tip finale. Because of its unique asymmetrical shape, the pear-shaped diamond is especially well suited for pendants and earrings besides being placed as a stand-alone solitaire in diamond engagement rings. Since they’ve been around for so long, you’ll be able to see both modern and antique diamond jewelry with pear shaped diamonds. And in doing so you’ll be seeing a wide variety of proportions. Some may look like pudgy pears. Some may appear so elongated to you that they don’t seem quite right; even though you can’t put your finger on exactly why the shape is ‘off’.
The pear-shaped diamond is pointy at the top and curved at the bottom. Due to its unique shape, the diamond is preferred for earrings and pendants and is becoming an increasingly popular choice for engagement rings.
Pear shaped diamonds were invented by the Flemish polisher Lodewyk van Berquem and date back to 1458, who also invented the concept of symmetry and facet placement in popular diamond shapes.
The diamond is comprised of 58 facets, with the number of facets on the pavilion ranging from 4 to 8. To achieve the perfect shape, we recommend a typical length to width ratio of 1.38 to 1.55.
Due to its long shape, the diamond is prone to the ‘bow tie’ effect, where a dark shadow may be visible across the central width of the stone. The bow tie effect is a result of the cut angles and proportions, so it’ s always better to select a high cut grade.
