East West Pear Cut Lab Grown Diamond Sideways Set Solitaire Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut laboratory grown diamond turned on its side, so the point runs across the finger instead of down it, held in fine claws on a plain polished band. It is the same stone almost everyone buys and almost nobody wears this way, and it changes the character of the ring completely.

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: Sideways set pear in fine claws with a v claw at the point, on a plain band
• Accent stones: None, this is a true solitaire
• Metals: 925 silver, 10K, 14K and 18K gold in yellow, rose and white
• Made: To order in Surat, India

What changes when you turn it

A pear worn point down is a vertical shape. It draws the eye along the finger and it belongs to a very traditional idea of what an engagement ring looks like. Turned sideways, the same stone becomes a horizontal one. It reads as a shape rather than as a symbol, the ring sits wider and lower across the hand, and nothing about it says anything predictable.

Practical consequences

The point of a pear is its weakest part, and when set north to south it sticks out past the shank where it meets doorframes, pockets and coat sleeves. Set east west, the point sits within the width of the finger, tucked between the knuckles. It takes far fewer knocks. A straight wedding band also sits flat against the shank, with no need for a notch or a curve to clear the tip.

The fine claws

Slim claws hold the rounded end, and the point sits inside a v claw that wraps around both of its edges rather than pressing down on it. Nothing is wider than it needs to be, because on a solitaire this plain every piece of metal is visible.

Which hands it suits

East west settings work particularly well on shorter or wider fingers, where a long vertical stone can look top heavy. On slender fingers a large pear set this way will slightly overhang at the sides, an effect most people who choose this setting actively want.

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, which suits the slightly informal, modern character of a sideways stone. White gold makes the same ring read cooler and more architectural. 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 has the potential for a bow tie, a dark band across the middle caused by the proportions of the cut rather than by colour or clarity. It matters more on an east west setting, because the bow tie runs the same way as the finger and is therefore in plain 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. The claw positions are set from the proportions of your individual stone so the pear sits level rather than tipped. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush underneath the stone through the open basket. Check the v claw at the point now and then, though it is far better protected here than in a conventional setting.

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.

Does an east west pear look smaller? No. It is the same stone with the same spread. It simply distributes its length across the finger rather than along it, so it covers width instead of height.

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, better than with any north to south pear. The point does not cross the shank, so a plain straight band meets the ring cleanly.

Can it be resized? Yes. The band carries no stones, so it resizes like any plain shank.

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