East West Pear Cut Lab Grown Diamond Bezel Set Engagement Ring on a Plain Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut laboratory grown diamond laid across the finger in a full bezel, on a slim polished band. A rim of metal follows the whole outline of the stone, point included, and nothing else is added. It is the plainest and the most practical way to wear a pear.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Pear cut laboratory grown diamond, set east west
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Full bezel around an east west pear, on a thin plain shank
• Accent stones: None, the centre stone stands alone
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

Why a full bezel

The metal surrounds the girdle completely, so the stone is held from every direction at once and nothing projects. It is the most secure setting in jewellery and the easiest to live with: it catches on nothing, it will not snag a jumper, and there are no claws to bend, wear thin or need checking. For a pear, which has one thin vulnerable point, it is the setting that removes the only real weakness of the shape.

Turned across the finger

Point up, a pear runs along the finger and stands tall. Turned east west it lies within the width of the hand, sits low, and the rim of metal reads as a single smooth teardrop outline. Set this way the ring looks more like a piece of modern design than a traditional engagement ring, which is usually why people choose it.

The plain band

A slim polished shank keeps the bezel as the only shape on the ring. It also resizes freely, needs no stone checks, and sits flat against a wedding band, which a claw set pear cannot always do.

What laboratory grown means here

A laboratory grown diamond is a diamond. It is crystallised carbon with the same cubic structure, the same 10 on the Mohs scale, the same refractive index of 2.42 and the same dispersion as a mined stone. Ours are grown by chemical vapour deposition and high pressure high temperature methods, then cut and polished by hand. This is not moissanite, not cubic zirconia and not a simulant. A gemmologist testing it will read diamond, because it is diamond.

Metals

Choose 925 sterling silver, or 10K, 14K or 18K gold in yellow, rose or white. Yellow gold is photographed here, and on a bezel the metal frames the stone completely, so the colour choice carries more weight than on almost any other setting. 10K is the hardest alloy, 14K the everyday balance, 18K the deepest colour. White gold is rhodium plated and will want replating every one to two years.

Every centre stone arrives IGI certified

The centre diamond is graded by IGI, the International Gemological Institute, and the certificate comes with the ring at no extra charge. It states the carat weight, the E colour grade, the VVS2 clarity grade, the measurements and the girdle inscription, and confirms in writing that the stone is laboratory grown.

About the bow tie

Every pear can show a bow tie, a dark band across the widest part of the stone caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. It shows more on an east west setting, because it then lies along the finger in full view. No certificate grades it. We check every pear by eye and reject the ones that show it.

About the photographs

One image shows the ring worn with a second band and a pendant. Those are separate pieces and are not included.

Made to order in our own workshop

Mapple Gems is a family run workshop in Surat, India, where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. A bezel is built around one particular stone rather than cast to a standard size, and the rim is burnished down onto the girdle by hand until it sits flush the whole way round, including around the point. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. This is the easiest kind of ring to keep clean, with no claws or pave to trap anything, but do brush around the outside edge of the bezel. Take it off for the gym, gardening and swimming.

Questions we are asked

What colour and clarity is the diamond? Every centre stone is E colour and VVS2 clarity, on every metal and every carat weight.

Is the certificate really free? Yes. The IGI report for the centre stone is included in the price on every variant.

Will a wedding band sit flush against it? Yes, unusually well. The bezel sits low and the shank is straight, so a plain band lies flat beside it on both sides.

Can it be resized? Yes, freely. The band is plain all the way round.

Does a bezel make the stone look smaller? It covers the girdle, so the visible outline is very slightly smaller than the stone itself. In exchange the point is completely protected, which on a pear is the trade most people want.

Which way does the point face? As photographed it points toward the little finger. Tell us if you would prefer it the other way.

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