Pear is a teardrop shape — a round brilliant on one end tapering to a point. It's a brilliant-cut facet pattern, so it sparkles like a round.
Pricing 18-25% below round. Visual size advantage similar to oval — pears wear large.
Two cosmetic issues to watch: the bowtie effect (dark band across the middle, fixable with good cut) and orientation. Pears look best with the point facing the wearer's fingertips. Settings need to protect the point — it can chip if hit. V-shaped prongs are standard.
Length-to-width ratio: 1.45-1.75 is the classic range. Shorter looks plump; longer looks elegant.
At a glance
- Price vs round
- -22%
- Face-up coverage
- 1.15× (longer)
- Sparkle character
- Brilliant
- Resale liquidity
- Mid
- Length-to-width
- 1.45-1.75 (1.55-1.65 is the sweet spot)
- Clarity to buy
- VS2 / SI1
- Colour
- Check the point — tint collects there
- Setting
- V-prong at the point, worn point-out
- Watch out for
- Bowtie, bulging wings, uneven shoulders
What a pear cut optimises for
A pear is a hybrid — a round brilliant at one end tapering to a single point at the other. The rounded half does the optical work with the familiar 57-58 facet pattern, while the taper stretches the outline so the eye reads length. Nothing about the light performance changes; what changes is the shape the sparkle sits in.
That combination is the whole appeal. The stone sparkles like a round, wears larger than its weight (the comparison table puts face-up coverage at 1.15× a round of equal carat), and the narrowing outline makes the finger look longer. It is the most overtly styled of the everyday cuts.
Proportions: ratio, shoulders, and the bowtie
Silhouette decides this cut, and three things define the silhouette.
Length-to-width ratio
1.45-1.75 is the published range, with 1.55-1.65 the sweet spot. Below about 1.40 the stone reads plump and loses the teardrop; above 1.75 it looks stretched and the point gets thin. Look at the shoulders — the curves where the round end meets the taper — and make sure they are even and full rather than flat or lopsided.
The bowtie and the wings
Like every elongated brilliant, a pear can carry a dark band across the middle, and the same test applies: a band that shifts and fades under tilted light is normal, a static black bar is a cutting fault. The wings — the sides of the taper — should curve smoothly outward. Bulging wings make the stone look heavy, flat wings make it look pinched, and neither is fixed by the setting.
Orientation
Point toward the wearer's fingertips. That is how the stone reads upright to everyone else, and it is how the mount is meant to be drilled. Check the setting you are buying is built for that direction — a pear set backwards looks immediately wrong and is expensive to correct.
Clarity and colour for a pear
Brilliant faceting hides inclusions through the body of the stone, so VS2 and SI1 work as they do in a round, with one exception: the point. Inclusions near the tip are both more visible and structurally exposed, because that is the thinnest material in the stone.
Colour concentrates at the point too, and that is the classic test on any pear — face it up in daylight and look at the tip. If the tip reads warmer than the body, the grade is borderline for a white setting. Yellow gold forgives it; platinum and white gold do not. H or better in white metal, I-J in yellow gold.
Settings, mistakes, and who it suits
Settings that protect the point
A V-prong folded over the tip is non-negotiable — it is the only prong shape that covers the point instead of squeezing it. Three-stone mounts (pear centre with rounds or tapered sides) and halos that follow the outline both work; make sure the halo wraps the tip rather than stopping short of it.
Mistakes buyers make
Setting the point toward the wrist. Buying uneven shoulders or bulging wings because the price was right. Choosing a ratio from a number without seeing the silhouette. Ignoring a heavy bowtie. Skipping the V-prong to save on the setting. And buying a very small stone, where the teardrop stops reading as a teardrop and becomes a blob.
Who it suits
Anyone who wants a longer, slimmer look on the hand; buyers who like a bit of drama without an unusual outline; and people who want round-level sparkle at 18-25% under round. Pears are equally common in pendants and drops, so the loose stone also has more than one future setting to move into.
Price, resale, and what to expect
The site's pricing guidance puts pear 18-25% under round, the comparison table shows -22%, and the calculator model applies 0.78×. Add the face-up advantage and there is a lot of apparent diamond here for less money than an equivalent round.
Resale is rated Mid. Pears sell, but the buyer pool wants a specific silhouette and it is narrower than for ovals: pawn shops quote fancy shapes over a carat at the bottom of their range, and a private sale takes longer than a round of the same specification. A GIA report and an undamaged point are what protect the offer — a chipped tip means a recut, and a recut loses both weight and the shape you paid for.
Frequently asked questions
Which way should a pear diamond point?
Toward the wearer's fingertips. That makes the stone read upright to everyone looking at the hand and is how the mount is designed to sit. If you already own a pear ring set the other way, a jeweler can usually re-drill or rebuild the head rather than replacing the stone.
What length-to-width ratio is best for a pear?
1.45-1.75 is the range, with 1.55-1.65 giving the classic teardrop. Shorter ratios look plump, longer ones look stretched and put the point at risk. Check the shoulders are even and the wings curve smoothly before you look at anything else.
Do pear diamonds have a bowtie?
They can, like any elongated brilliant. A faint band that moves and fades as you tilt the stone is normal and appears in most pears. A dark bar that sits across the middle and never shifts is a fault — judge it on video or in person, since no certificate reports it.
Are pear-shaped diamonds a good value?
On this site's numbers they run 18-25% under round while covering about 1.15× more finger. Resale is mid-tier rather than strong, so the value case is about what you get to wear rather than what you get back.