Pear Cut Lab Grown Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring on a Thin Plain Band in Silver, 10K, 14K and 18K Gold

A pear cut laboratory grown diamond in five claws, point up, on a narrow polished band with nothing else on it. No halo, no pave, no hidden stones. This is the plainest way to set a pear, and it is the setting that shows the shape of the stone most honestly.

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: Five claw pear solitaire with a v claw at the point, 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 solitaire

A pear has a shape that other stones do not: one rounded end, one point, and a long body between them. Put a halo around it and the outline softens. Put pave on the shoulders and the eye stops at the band. Leave it alone on a narrow shank and the whole silhouette stays visible, which is the reason to choose a pear in the first place.

The claws

Four claws hold the round end and the sides, and a fifth wraps the point in a v. That v claw is not decoration, it is protection: the tip of a pear is the thinnest part of any diamond shape and it is the part that chips. Wrapped from both sides rather than pressed from above, the point takes nothing directly.

How to wear it

A pear is usually worn point outward, toward the fingernail, which lengthens the finger. Some people prefer point inward toward the hand. Either is correct, and you can turn the ring and decide once you have it on.

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. Rose gold is photographed here, and a thin warm band under a colourless pear is one of the most requested combinations we make. On a band this narrow, 10K and 14K hold their round shape better over years than 18K. 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. On a solitaire this matters more than on any other setting, because there is nothing else on the ring to look at.

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. No certificate grades it, and on a plain solitaire nothing distracts from 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 claws are positioned to the individual stone, since no two pears have quite the same curve, and the v claw is shaped around your particular point. Allow two to three weeks for making, plus shipping.

Looking after it

Warm water, mild washing up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush underneath through the open gallery, which on a long stone is where the most gets trapped. 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 on the straight sides. If you want a band that follows the point as well, choose a gently curved or chevron shaped one.

Can it be resized? Yes, freely. The band is plain all the way round, which makes this one of the easiest rings we make to resize.

Is a thin band strong enough for a 5 carat stone? Yes, made properly. We use a heavier gauge than the width suggests, and the setting braces the top of the ring. For daily wear at 4 or 5 carat we would steer you to 10K or 14K rather than silver.

Does the point catch on clothing? Not when it sits in a v claw, as it does here. The metal meets the world before the diamond does.

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