Pear Cut Lab Grown Diamond Cathedral Solitaire Engagement Ring in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut laboratory grown diamond set point downward on a band that sweeps up from the finger to meet it. There is no halo, no pave, no second stone. At three carats and above this is a ring that does not need any of them.

At a glance

• Centre stone: Pear cut laboratory grown diamond
• Carat options: 2, 3, 4 and 5 carat
• Colour and clarity: E colour, VVS2 clarity
• Certificate: IGI, included free
• Setting: Claw set pear with a v claw at the point, on a cathedral shank
• 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 a cathedral shank does

Instead of meeting the setting abruptly, the two sides of the band curve upward and inward like the arches of a nave, and carry the stone between them. Three things follow. The stone is lifted slightly, so light gets underneath it. The head is supported from the sides rather than propped from below, which keeps the profile slender. And the arches themselves give the ring a visible shape from the side, which a plain shank does not have.

The pear, set point down

Worn with the point towards the wrist, a pear lengthens the finger more than any other setting of the same stone. The tip is the most fragile part of any pear, so it sits inside a v claw that wraps around both edges rather than pressing on the point itself. The rounded end is held by two further claws.

At larger carat weights

A pear spreads its weight along its length rather than down into the stone, so it looks bigger than a round of the same weight. At 4 carat the stone here measures roughly 13.5 by 9 millimetres, and at 5 carat closer to 15 by 10. On those sizes a plain band is not a compromise, it is the only sensible choice. Anything else competes.

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 a warm cathedral arch under a colourless pear is one of the cleanest looks in the whole catalogue. White gold makes the metal recede and the stone dominate completely. 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 and oval has the potential for a bow tie, a dark band across the middle caused by the cut. It is a function of proportion, not of clarity or colour, and no certificate grades it. We select our pears by eye on this point specifically, and reject the ones that show it. It is the single thing that separates a pear that looks alive from one that looks flat.

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 arches are built around your individual stone, since the angle at which a pear tapers varies from one to the next. 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 arches, which is where lotion collects on a cathedral setting. Check the v claw at the point now and then, as it takes the knocks.

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.

Should the point face the hand or the wrist? Most people wear it pointing towards the wrist, which is how it is photographed and how it lengthens the finger most. It can be built the other way if you prefer.

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? A straight band sits close, though the point of the pear extends over the shank. Many customers choose a band with a shallow V notch so it nests under the point.

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

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