There are a million different diamond cuts that exist and come in and out of fashion. Some diamonds are like you see in cartoons, some are square-like or rectangular, and some are more round. We all have our opinions about what is beautiful and what is not, but we all have to realize how versatile the diamond market has become.
This means that you can practically find a diamond of any color, size, or shape with almost no difficulties. Other than that, that means that more round-cut diamonds are more popular not because somebody’s advertising them, but are instead popular for a reason.
Pear-cut diamonds and oval-cut diamonds are some of the most popular oval-shaped diamond variations out there on the market. We’re going to take a look at these two diamond cuts and compare them to see who’s the winner between a pear Vs. oval diamond.
Let’s jump right into it!
Pear-cut Diamonds: Basics
First, we’re going to take a look at the pear-cut diamond and see where it comes from, how it looks, and all the basic information you’ll need in order to compare it to the oval-cut diamonds.
This cut originates in today’s Belgium, somewhere in the middle of the 15th century. It’s 1475, and a diamond cutter named Lodewyk Van Bercken had just invented the diamond-polishing wheel, or scaif. That year needs to be remembered for one more thing in the diamond world – the year that the pear-cut diamond was first made.
This diamond cut has 58 facets and is one of the shiniest diamonds to this date. This only goes to show you how revolutionary Lodewyk Van Bercken was! This diamond cut can take in a lot of light and has some of the best sparkles you’ve ever seen on a diamond.
Diamonds that are usually recommended to be cut into this shape should have a clarity level of VS (very slightly included) or higher (VVS – very, very slightly included or FL – flawless).
Pear-cut diamonds are usually used for diamond rings (mostly engagement rings), earrings, and some necklaces. These diamonds are mostly cut into 0,5-carat to 1-carat pieces that are then used as central pieces or standalone diamonds on your favorite jewelry.
Also, some of the most popular trends in the world of diamonds include pear-cut diamonds, and are heavily leaning toward round-shaped diamonds.
So, if you’re looking to follow the current trends in the diamond world, you’re more than likely to stumble upon a piece of jewelry or two that does contain pear-cut diamonds.
Oval-cut Diamonds: Basics
Now, we’re going to introduce you to oval cut diamonds so you have something that you can compare your pear-cut diamond knowledge to and decide who is the winner.
The oval-cut diamonds’ origin story is much shorter and newer than the pear-cut diamonds’ but don’t get confused – a short history doesn’t equal no future! The oval cut was invented in the early 1960s so compared to the 15th century where the story of the pear cut, this may seem like it was yesterday.
But, that doesn’t mean that this diamond cut doesn’t have its strengths. First of all, we, as people, knew much more about diamonds in the 1960s than we knew in the year 1475. This means that there was much more thought and precision going into making the oval cut than the cuts that were invented before.
Anyways, the oval cut is famous for many things, but one thing stands out. The shape of the oval-cut diamond allows for a look that gives off the impression of the diamond being bigger than it actually is. Similar to round brilliant-cut diamonds, these diamonds are amazing for that reason and popular when it comes to engagement rings or regular diamond rings.
Related Read: Round Vs. Oval Diamond: Comparison Guide
An oval-cut diamond has 58 facets – an identical number of facets to a pear-cut diamond. Now you’re probably starting to see why these two cuts are usually the top two that people consider and can’t decide between.
Despite their common use in engagement ring settings, these diamonds are also amazing for multiple pieces of jewelry like earrings or necklaces. It all depends on the weight of a diamond, but regardless – it always looks bigger!
If you’re in store for a diamond necklace that doesn’t have a huge-looking centerpiece, you’ll probably have at least one necklace that contains an oval-cut diamond.
See Also: Are Oval Diamonds Less Sparkly? Do They Shine Less?
Pear-cut Vs. Oval-cut Diamonds: Pros
Both of these diamond cuts have their strengths and weaknesses, like any other viable diamond cut. Here, we’re going to take a look at the strongest sides of both of these cuts, and later on – we’ll take a look at the fields in which these diamond cuts lack.
Often times people tend to lock onto a specific shape of a diamond and then pick a specific cut depending on a general shape they decided to go with.
Well, when we’re talking about round-shaped diamond cuts, pear-cut diamonds and oval-shaped diamonds do tend to be at the top of the list of all-time favorites. That’s actually because they’re quite similar, and have similar strengths which make people automatically attracted to them.
The first strong point of these cuts, and the one that we’ve already hinted at, is the fact that they make the diamond look bigger than it actually is. Some people claim that it doubles the size of the diamond in the spectator’s eyes, which doesn’t sound realistic, but we’re sure it has a huge impact.
Pear-cut diamonds have an unusual look when compared to the rest of the round-shaped diamond cuts so this isn’t as true for them as it is for oval-cut diamonds.
Second of all, these diamonds have an amazing sparkle to them since both of these cuts allow for a lot of light to enter the center of a diamond and shine with a shine you’ve never seen before!
Lastly, these diamonds are affordable (we’re going to talk about price later on), so virtually anybody and everybody can afford them and enjoy them.
Related Read: Do Diamonds Look Bigger Once Set?
Pear-cut Vs. Oval-cut Diamonds: Cons
Like with all things, diamond cuts have their downsides. This doesn’t mean these cuts are bad or that you shouldn’t consider them because of their imperfections since that would mean you would be left with exactly zero candidates.
What we’re saying is that all diamond cuts, regardless of how popular they are, have their cons and imperfections. Pear-cut and oval-cut diamonds have very similar cons, as their strengths. This goes to show you that these cons lay in the personal preference of the admirer.
Some of you won’t consider these things cons and don’t think that those things can be put on the negative side of these diamonds’ characteristics. So, let’s take a look at the cons:
Firstly, we’re going to mention something that’s a problem exclusive to the oval-cut diamonds.
The “bow-tie effect” is quite common with cuts similar to the oval cut and it means that the light cannot distribute evenly throughout the diamond, causing the image of a bow tie in the center of the stone that may look like something is wrapped around the center of the diamond and is “squeezing it”.
Related Read: How to Avoid Bow Tie Oval Diamonds?
Now, let’s take a look at a problem that’s native to pear-cut diamonds. The point of these diamonds is extremely brittle and can be damaged in more ways than you’d think of. This can be fixed with a bit of polishing, but it leaves the diamond looking too “chubby” if too much is removed from the top. In addition to that, some pear-cut diamonds naturally look too elongated or too wide.
Similar to other round-shaped diamond cuts, these diamond cuts don’t look as good as some other diamond cuts do on certain pieces of jewelry. Bracelets and tiaras aren’t the best choices of jewelry when it comes to embedding pear-cut or oval-cut diamonds since they don’t get as much exposure and accent isn’t on them so they don’t look as good as they could.
Setting & Jewelry
We’ve mentioned jewelry and the setting of diamonds more than a few times in this article, so let’s see what is a go and what is a no-go when it comes to pear-cut diamonds and oval-cut diamonds.
First of all, let’s cover the basics. Round-shaped diamond cuts are primarily made for engagement rings, and that’s where they fit the best. This means that there’s not a better piece of jewelry that will accent and glorify a pear-cut diamond or an oval-cut diamond than a ring.
Now, this doesn’t mean that there’s absolutely no alternative to the ring. It only means that much deviation from that leads to an awkward-looking piece of jewelry.
Bracelets are the single worst piece of jewelry to have an oval-cut diamond or a pear-cut diamond. These jewelry pieces are in 99% of the cases made with smaller diamonds that have a more similar setting to a pave setting, instead of a bigger centerpiece diamond.
Now that you know what you should generally avoid, let’s see what goes best and compliments these cuts the most. A pear-cut diamond finds its place best in a prong setting. This involves multiple prongs, most likely 5 or 6 of them, to hold this diamond in place from different angles, usually in sets of two prongs being direct across another prong.
These settings let a lot of light into a diamond letting it shine in all its glory! Second of all, and probably even more important, this setting holds the diamond firmly in place not letting it slip out of the setting and fall to the ground.
This may result in chipping the point of your diamond or breaking it completely. So, safe settings are usually what you should go with.
Cost & Expenses
Lastly, it’s time to talk about money. The price tag plays a significant role in the choosing of a diamond for most people. The most affordable diamonds are usually the most popular, so naturally, they’ll be owned by a lot of people.
But, are these common diamonds worth the money you’re expected to spend on them? Well, it’s time to calculate.
First, let’s take a look at the price of both of these diamonds. A 1-carat pear-cut diamond is sold for around $2,200 while an oval-cut diamond of the same size goes for somewhere around $1,700. Taking into consideration that there are cuts out there that cost tens of thousands of dollars for diamonds smaller in mass than the 1-carat diamonds we’re talking about.
Depending on the setting and the part of the world you’re sitting in right now, these prices might fluctuate a bit. These changes aren’t grand and don’t massively influence their accessibility, but they do happen. The market has seen pear-cut diamonds go for as high as $3,000 and as low as $1,950.
On the other hand, oval-cut diamonds only depleted in prices from time to time but went to around the mentioned prices shortly after going down. Both of these diamonds are prone to chipping, but pear-cut diamonds much more than oval-cut diamonds.
So additional expenses may include polishing of a chipped diamond point or similar interventions, so better invest in a better and safer setting!
Pear-cut Vs. Oval-cut Diamonds: The Final Answer
Now that you have everything in front of you, we’re going to tell you our humble opinion while encouraging you to disagree with us on anything and everything.
It seems that the oval-shaped diamonds have much fewer problems and are more affordable than the pear-cut diamond. On the other hand, pear-cut diamonds look quite fashionable and original, so that’s what brings up their prices.
Also, there are potential hidden expenses if you decide to go with a pear-cut diamond, and that’s another thing to consider in the long term.
All in all, both of these round-shaped diamond cuts deserve to be at the top of almost everybody’s list, and we don’t feel like any of these two choices should be considered bad.
Regardless of which one you lean towards, we hope that you’re happy with your decision and that we contributed to you coming to that decision!