East West Pear Cut Lab Grown Diamond Split Shank Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut laboratory grown diamond laid across the finger and set into a heavy band that divides on either side of it. The two arms curve out around the stone and rejoin beneath, leaving an open window on each side. No accent stones anywhere. The ring is carved as a single piece with the diamond dropped into it.

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: East west pear in a heavy split shank with open side windows
• 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

A pear turned sideways

Point up, a pear makes a vertical statement and needs a shank that gets out of its way. Turned east west it lies across the knuckle, sits low, and its point becomes the end of a horizontal line rather than an interruption to a vertical one. On a band with this much metal, that horizontal axis is what keeps the whole ring in balance.

The split shank

The band is heaviest at the back of the finger and divides as it comes forward. Each arm sweeps out around the diamond before meeting the setting, and the two openings left behind do most of the work: they let light through so the stone appears suspended, they remove a good deal of weight from a substantial ring, and they turn the side view into something worth looking at.

The point is protected

The tip of a pear is the thinnest part of the stone and the first thing to chip. Here it sits inside the curve of the metal rather than projecting past it, so the shank meets anything the hand knocks into before the diamond does. That is one of the practical arguments for an east west pear over an upright one.

Why no pave

Accent stones fill the two windows and the design stops working. Keeping every surface polished leaves the pear as the only bright thing on the ring, and lets the curve of the shank read as one clean line.

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. On a ring where metal is most of what you see, the alloy is worth thinking about: 10K holds a polish hardest, 14K is the everyday balance, 18K gives 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 the bow tie 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.

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 split shank is carved from solid rather than assembled, so the arms and the band are one piece of metal, and each opening is cut and finished by hand. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Work through both side windows and underneath the stone. With no pave to worry about this is a straightforward ring to keep bright. 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? The shank widens toward the front, so a straight band meets the narrow back section rather than lying flush along the side. Most people wear this ring alone.

Can it be resized? Only slightly. The shank is shaped to a specific finger size and resizing moves where the arms divide. Please measure carefully and we will build to your size.

Which way does the point face? As photographed it points toward the little finger. Tell us if you would rather have it the other way and we will set it to face the thumb.

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