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Help Me Decide: Princess or Pear

missk8

missk8

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Messages
28
I am a big fan of modern jewelry designs. I have my search narrowed down to two settings from James Allen.

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-yellow-gold-bezel-solitaire-engagement-ring-pear-center-item-3282

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/tension/18k-yellow-gold-bezel-set-princess-shaped-diamond-solitaire-ring-item-2299

I am hoping to be able to find a stone G-H in color (or higher) with a VS2 clarity (or higher) with an ideal cut. My budget is around $5,000 for the stone and setting. I am thinking carat wise I will end up between .8-.9.

Would you choose the pear or princess stone and why? Which will offer more finger coverage? I know that a princess will be easier to locate based on popularity, but is there a huge difference in price?

Any input is welcome. :bigsmile:
 
I simply prefer pears over princesses, so it would be pear for me. These are the reasons that come to mind:

1. I love the shape of a pear. I also love how bezel settings show off that shape.

2. Between the two settings, I tend to like the pear setting better than the princess setting. You like modern, so maybe you love the chunkier princess setting, but I like that the pear setting is a bit more delicate (showcasing the stone).

3. Pears have better finger coverage. This isn't a big factor for me, but it sounds like it could be for you. Not only do elongated shapes provide more finger coverage, but princesses are deep and face up smaller.

Price is tough. I feel like pear prices vary more widely than princesses. And yes, there is the sourcing issue since pears are less common.

Good luck!
 
I love pears. But you are the one wearing the ring. Do you prefer the 'icecube' form of the princess or the feminine form of a pear...
Like NewEnglandLady I also like the more delicate, yet modern setting of the pear ring. I would pick your preferred form first though as a setting can be changed/altered, the stone itself not.
 
This is a hard one for me. I love pears. I used to have a 0.9 ct bezel pear with a ritani halo


I loved the style and I loved the finger coverage. There is no doubt a pear will face up larger than a princess for the same CTW.

The setting was modern and no one had anything like it!

Now I got rid of it. Why? Because it just didn't have the sparkle I wanted. Pears are already not very sparkly, that's just the nature of the cut, then to bezel it does have an effect on the light performance.

Now if you're OK with that, go with a pear. I want one again when I have the money, but for me next time I do it I'm going to do it with a fancy yellow instead. That way the slight decrease in performance is made up with beautiful color. If you'd consider that, I think it would be pretty. If not, just think really hard about if you're OK with the downsides of a pear.

uploadfromtaptalk1374179817077.jpg
 
A well cut pear will sparkle like crazy. I vote pear. The princess setting looks chunky and I just don't like princess cuts. Pears elongate the finger.
 
I also really dislike princess cuts. They will go out of fashion (if they havent already...). Pears are more unique. Never overly common but won't date as much as princesses.

On a more technical side a pear has more personality in terms of light performance and move finger coverage. Be very careful of bow ties though...
 
I had a pear before this stone and they do face up large. My pear did sparkle but nothing like a RB diamond does. I have never had a princess so I can't compare it to that. I would much prefer the pear shape over a princess.
 
I love the lines of a princess especially if you're looking for a modern style. I much prefer the James Allen setting posted above though. It's not as heavy looking.
 
Pears and princess are 2 totally different looks. Princess is all tiny slivers of sparkle while the pear has a mixed type of sparkle. Shape wise they are so different too - some like the perfect symmetry of a square whilst others prefer the feminine tear drop shape that elongates the finger. I also dislike the chunky setting you posted. Misskittycat's version is less metal heavy.
 
I agree I'm not loving that princess setting. You could do a sholdt from BG

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/lola-sholdt-14k-yellow-gold-5341y14

Set it kite so the points are n/w like a pear. That would be cool.

Or this would also be very modern.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/cait-sholdt-14k-yellow-gold-5599y14

I know its not vs2 but looks nice and perfect for the budget. Seems eye clean.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.832-d-si1-princess-diamond-ags-104061772003
 
the pear!
 
Another vote for a pear (but I'm not a princess fan at all, so just about anything would rate higher than a princess for me).
 
LibbyLA|1374257646|3486292 said:
Another vote for a pear (but I'm not a princess fan at all, so just about anything would rate higher than a princess for me).
Click to expand...

+1 :wavey:
 
The pear will give you better finger coverage per carat ie look larger on the hand. The princess will give better light return than a pear ie more flash, sparkle and fire. It depends what is important to you in a diamond.
 
arkieb1|1374307511|3486633 said:
The pear will give you better finger coverage per carat ie look larger on the hand. The princess will give better light return than a pear ie more flash, sparkle and fire. It depends what is important to you in a diamond.
Click to expand...


agreed. like i said, a pear, even with a really good cut, isnt going to be a princess or a round.
 
Im voting for pear!! Better finger coverage!! I know many if you say a pear doesn't sparkle, but my pear sure does and it's predecessor did too . A well cut pear WILL throw off sparkle and I often find my self mesmerized at stop lights by the sun throwing rainbows all over my car! . Now if you put it next to a RB maybe they round will throw off more but your pear on its own will sparkle plenty!

imageuploadedbytapatalk_hd1374328679.jpg

imageuploadedbytapatalk_hd1374329206.jpg
 
I own a princess 3 stone and have a few CS pears (so not totally comparable with the fire and sparkle aspect of things) but 'bang for your buck/finger coverage', I'd pick a pear in a heart beat. Are you looking for an illusion of visually slimming your finger? then again , pear would be my choice.

I have a CS pear and a diamond princess 3 stone and if you are going to head in a 3 stone direction at some point, I'd STILL say the pear is going to give you more coverage.

If you are only choosing between the 2 bezel settings from JA you posted, my preference would AGAIN be the pear - I find it has better coverage, seems more feminine while still being a bold modern piece.

For sparkle factor, I do know that my princess stones are insane in the sun!! I don't have a diamond pear to compare it to, but even when this was a solitaire, it was INSANE in the sun!

Score - 3 points pear, 1 point princess! :D

Good luck!
 
Another vote for pear! I'm not a fan of princess cuts, but it's all about what you like. :bigsmile: I love the way a bezel would draw attention to the shape of a pear.
 
I do agree that pears are feminine and give great finger coverage, but I vote for princess because you mentioned your preference for modern jewelry. I love the symmetry and clean lines of princess stones, as I lean towards modern designs as well. They are both going to look beautiful, it's just a matter of personal preference. Follow your gut!
 
I vote pear. My pear faces up very large - its 1.02 carats & measures 6mm x 7.5mm. Its an excellent cut, D colour, VS2 clarity & sparkles like crazy :love:

It is SUPER important to get a really good cut on a pear. If not, it won't sparkle, will look a bit soapy & have an obvious bow tie. Mine has none of these & gets compliments left, right & center. My little sister has a princess cut, .80 carats F colour VS2 clarity. Its absolutely beautiful & transparent & deep. It faces up significantly smaller than my pear, but I do love it very much. So whilst I vote pear, I can see how a gorgeously cut princess could draw you in :wink2:
 
I am voting for the pear too. They are beautiful and elegant diamonds.
 
I disagree that princess cuts have gone out of style. Having said that, I'm not a fan of princess cuts or pears. However, the pear in the image you shared is lovely and gets my vote :)
 
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