Pear Shaped Engagement Rings
A pear shaped engagement ring looks wonderful on petite or average sized hands. It is a delicate, feminine cut that sparkles and shimmers in the light. If you are considering a pear shaped engagement ring, here are some things to consider.
The pear shaped diamond is a cross between the marquise cut and the oval cut. The result is a diamond that looks like a twinkling teardrop. The pear shaped diamond was made famous by Elizabeth Taylor. When she became engaged to Richard Burton, he presented her with a 69.42 carat pear shaped engagement ring, made by Cartier. He actually re-named the diamond after the two of them…the Taylor-Burton. Elizabeth Taylor ended up selling this diamond in 1979 and used the three million dollars she received for it to build a hospital in Botswana.
The optimal length to width ratio for a pear shaped diamond is between 1.50 and 1.75, and it should have even shoulders. Even shoulders will ensure that the diamond has a gentle, elegant curve at the rounded end. High shoulders will make the diamond look more like a triangle. The ideal angles on this end should fall as close to 41 degrees as possible…this will ensure that the diamond reflects the ideal amount of light and produces the best sparkle.
A diamonds cuts are called facets. The better the facets are cut, the better the brilliance and ‘diamond fire’ your pear shaped engagement ring will have. Color and clarity are natural to the diamond, but the sparkle is all determined by ho well the diamond cutter does his or her job. The cut is what lets the light flow through the diamond, where it bounces off of the facets and then reflects back through the top of the diamond.
The cut of a pear shaped diamond usually has 58 facets as a standard, similar to the traditional round brilliant diamond cut. The facets need to have been cut proportionately and precisely, or you may see a dark area in the center of the diamond. This effect is called a bow tie. If this bow tie is visible, a diamond cutter can adjust the facets and make this effect disappear.
Pear shaped engagement rings are beautiful in a variety of settings. A pear shaped diamond looks stunning on its own as a solitaire, or with two smaller pear shaped diamonds set horizontally on wither side to create a butterfly shape. No matter what setting you choose, your pear shaped engagement ring is sure to be one that you will love to wear.