Have you been looking for the best place to buy pear shaped diamond online?
You have come to the right site! In this buying guide, we shall tell you all you need to know about pear diamonds including:
- What to look for when buying pear-shaped diamonds online
- Is a pear-shaped diamond good for an engagement ring?
- How do you know if you are getting a good deal?
- Some of the red flags you should look out for when you buy pear diamond
Best Places to Buy Pear-Shaped Diamonds Online
Here is a quick list of my best places to buy diamonds online. Keep reading to learn more about each of the stores mentioned.
Buying Pear Shaped Diamonds at James Allen
James Allen has a diamond collection that comprises shapes that are not common. There are about 2300 pear diamonds with 1 carat, H color grade, and SI clarity.
If you have read out guides on diamond shapes, you most probably already know that James Allen always tops the list. This is because this online retailer has the requisite tool to help pick out the best diamond shapes, pear being one of them.
All the pear diamonds in their inventory have excellent 360-degree viewing that makes it easy to notice any inclusions or bowtie effects on the diamonds.
Fancy shapes of diamonds normally do not have an officially recognized cut grade and therefore, James Allen does not sort pear diamonds according to cut categories. When you scroll through the diamond selection, click on the ellipses to get more about the diamond specifics.
All the pear diamonds in this store are certified by either IGI or GIA. However, be sure to favor GIA-certified diamonds over IGI. Also, there are diamond filters to help see through the selection. For more certification information, see the FAQ section.
In the recent past, James Allen added a feature that enables you to expand their engagement ring settings. You can use the Ring Studio to customize a diamond that has a rainbow ring element further. You can put a rose gold prong basket on top of a yellow gold ring shank if you want.
There are many pear-shaped diamonds at James Allen, all with different grades and available at budget-friendly prices. Also, all diamonds come with a lifetime warranty that is free. This warranty will cover all the maintenance works that your engagement ring will need over time.
Most online stores either offer this kind of warranty at a fee or no warranty at all.
RECOMMENDED: Does James Allen Have a Good Warranty?
Pros
- Lifetime upgrade
- Free resizing in the first year
- Free lifetime warranty
- Clear 360-degree view
Cons
- Few choices for fine jewelry
- Does not cover lost stones
Buying A Pear Shaped Diamond At Blue Nile
If we still go with the diamond grades already mentioned, Blue Nile stocks slightly more than 1700 loose pear-shaped diamonds.
Blue Nile does not have 360-degree viewing for all its diamonds. you can filter out the loose diamonds inventory by viewing the diamonds in 360-degree. When you do this, you get down to a collection of about 1300. You also have the freedom to expand your grades.
The viewer in 60 takes a few seconds to load, but I like that you can control the rotation to view the diamond from different angles. With the rotations, you can easily test how the diamond performs in light.
All pear-shaped diamonds at Blue Nile are GIA certified. This makes the process of buying diamonds easier for someone who does not know anything about diamonds and their grading reports. Customers do not need to worry about buying a diamond from a less reliable lab, they get the diamond from the world’s leading diamond quality lab.
Because of this, pear-shaped diamonds at Blue Nile may carry a higher price tag. BN separates their pear diamonds into two classes: Very Good and Good. Very Good pear diamonds have the best proportions of these two categories.
With this cut, you also get many other rings with less visible bowties. If possible do not pick a diamond from the Good cut class.
One thing I don’t like Blue Nile for is their lack of a good warranty. All they can do is take care of flaws that were created by them when designing the ring. Routine works like rhodium plating, center stone tightening, and cleaning among others will be done out of pocket.
Pros
- Free resizing within a year
- Free lifetime warranty
- Clear 360-degree view
- Lifetime upgrade
Cons
- Not so much in the fine jewelry selection
- Does not replace lost stones
Buying Pear Shaped Diamonds at Clean Origin
If you don’t have a fat enough wallet and you do not mind lab diamonds, Clean Origin it is. The pear diamonds at Clean Origin cost much less than those you will find at other retailers.
You will find lab diamonds both at Ritani and Blue Nile, only that their collection is limited especially for1-carat pear diamonds.
Clean Origin has the best and widest collection of lab diamonds because they only sell lab diamonds. There are more than1700 different pear-shaped diamonds in the inventory. You also get two different ways of viewing the diamonds with no possibility of filtering from each other.
The Diamond Scan view is worse than the other view. The only good thing is that you can view the entire underside of the diamond. This is not offered by many 360-degree viewers. However, this scan is not magnified and makes it difficult to know if you are getting an eye-clean diamond.
The other viewer offers better magnification and several other fancy features you don’t actually need. The point is, you can see the diamond clearly.
Clean Origin has an admirable return policy compared to other competing jewelry stores, even the ones that sell synthetic diamonds. From most other retailers, you get a 30-60 day return period, but Clean Origin gives you 100 days. This shows how confident Clean Origin is in its product quality and customer experience. They intend to make sure you are confident too.
Clean Origin does not, however, get off the hook with its return policy. Their warranty is not decent. Their warranty is similar to that of Blue Nile that covers design flaws and manufacturer’s defects. It does not cover any routine work that you may need to be done on the diamond.
It’s a good thing that lab diamonds are upto70% cheaper than natural diamonds of similar grades, so you will save a lot.
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Pros
- 360-degree view
- 100-day return policy
- Entire lab diamond inventory
- GIA certified lab diamonds
Cons
- No decent warranty
- No real diamonds
Buying Pear Shaped Diamonds at Ritani
Ritani has been in the jewelry industry for a very long time, but not as an online jewelry retailer. You probably know Ritani as a popular ring designer. You can find some of their designer ring settings in big online jewelry shops like Whiteflash.
Their selection of loose pear diamonds is not wide, they only have slightly more than 100 diamonds of 1-carat. The total pear shape of diamonds comes to about 1100. All of their diamonds are GIA certified thanks to their head who is a former CEO at Blue Nile.
The viewing option at Ritani is not that good, although they are improving. Their viewing is not consistent, making it hard to identify perfect pear diamonds. Some diamonds have HD photos, others 360-degree videos, others both video, and photo, while others have nothing to show.
The 360-degree view is not something to rely on. In fact there is no difference between this and Clean Origin’s Diamond Scan, only that the magnification is up close. The video is in a loop and cannot be controlled. The videos also spin very fast, you may have to rewind several times to identify any inclusions.
Ritani stands out from the rest of the online jewelers because of its Market Analysis feature. They will let customers know how much they bought the diamond, how much you will pay for it, customs charges, and shipping costs. All the diamonds have this analysis.
One thing I will not fail to mention is the free lifetime warranty offered by Ritani. Apart from James Allen, Ritani is the only other retailer that gives a warranty that covers prong re-tipping, stone tightening, rhodium plating, and steam cleaning. However, you have to sign up for it on their website. All the same, it is better to sign up than pay for it or buy a pear diamond from a jeweler that offers no warranty at all.
Pros
- Free lifetime warranty
- Free ring resizing in the first year
- Lifetime upgrade
- 360-degree viewer
Cons
- Limited fine jewelry choices
- Does not cover lost stones
FAQs About Pear Diamonds
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about how to buy pear shaped diamonds.
Do pear diamonds cost less online?
If you compare the price of pear diamonds with stores like Kay and Zales, you will find that these diamonds are much cheaper when bought from online shops. There is more diamond value that lies in other characteristics other than the numbers. The diamond certificate and warranties contribute to the final price too.
It is not only cheap to buy pear diamonds online, but you will also be looking at a wider selection with many options. Pear shapes are unique and not so many jewelry enthusiasts love them. Brick-and-mortar stores do not risk stocking teardrop diamonds when they know such rarely sell. In fact, you will find more princess cut or round cut diamonds in megastores.
You will be lucky to find a few pear diamonds in a simple solitaire in a few mega stores. For example, if you go to Kay Jewelers and ask for a pear diamond, they will lead you straight to their Neil Lane Collection, the popular designer for Bachelor and Bachelorette.
RECOMMENDED: Solitaire Engagement Ring Settings
A teardrop diamond ring is pretty if you prefer low-quality stones sold at double the price of a pave setting pear ring at James Allen. From JA, you can also ensure that the stone is eye clean and not yellow, something you cannot do with a Neil Lane ring.
Online jewelry vendors do business in such a way that they sell diamonds directly from the vendor. They don’t need to pay the vendor to keep the diamond collection for them. The vendor puts all the orders together, passes the diamond through quality checks, and then ships it to the retailer, who then ships it to you.
There are no hidden costs. This business model makes the final diamond cheap for you and the retailer. You can save up to 40% when you buy pear diamonds from an online retailer than you would from a corporate store.
Are pear cut diamonds more expensive?
The most expensive diamond shape is round cut; all the other kinds of shapes are cheaper than the round cut. Many factors contribute to the final price of a diamond ring. When it comes to shapes, the prices go either up or down depending on how much of the rough diamond was retained when the diamond was being cut.
When it comes to the price tags, pear otherwise known as teardrop-shaped diamonds is the 4th most expensive. However, you can still save more than $1000 if you forego a round cut. Round cut diamonds retain minimum rough diamond. Pear shapes scrap most rough diamonds and their weight is more distributed.
However, pear diamonds are hard to shape well and are one of the least ordered diamond shapes. This means that if the carat weight is high, the prices significantly rise too. You will find most celebrities wearing pear-shaped diamonds.
Offset gave Cardi B, an 8-carat pear-shaped diamond engagement ring worth $500,000. The diamond sits in a pink and white halo setting with a complete 12 carats.
Sophie Turner from the Game of Thrones also has a beautiful 3-carat teardrop diamond ring given to her by Joe Jonas worth between $30,000 and $60,000.
See below where a 1-carat pear diamond sits in terms of price compared to other diamond shapes.
Buying Pear Shaped Diamonds
Cut
When thinking of a diamond shape to buy, cut is the most important thing. This is true for a pear-shaped diamond, keeping in mind that it is a unique shape.
A round cut is the only diamond shape that has official cut grades by GIA, other fancy shapes have particular guidelines that jewelers have to follow to ensure they get the best cut quality.
When it comes to a teardrop diamond, you need to concentrate on the length of the width ratio. This feature distinguishes between a good cut and a bad one. It is so unfortunate that most pears are not cut as well as they ought to be. This means that choices for pear diamonds are limited and quality pear cuts make up only 4%of all the diamond cut shapes.
Check the diamond details section to find the length to width ratio of a pear diamond. Stores like Zales and Kay will not have such details online. Online retailers on the other hand provide such specifications under their loose diamonds section on the website.
For a pear diamond to look great, the L/W ratio should lie between 1.55 and 1.75. any pear outside this range will have poor light performance and shape.
We cannot fail to mention symmetry when talking about pear diamonds. Do not buy any pear diamond that has been misshaped to give unbalanced symmetry and polish.
Clarity and Color
The teardrop diamond cut is a cross between a round and a marquise. Both of these brilliant-cut diamonds have short facets that give them a glittering effect. A pear diamond has 58 facets, almost similar to many round cuts.
Because of the many short facets, it is hard to see inclusions, obvious ones. With brilliant cuts, you don’t need the diamond to be of high clarity like you would with step cuts like Asscher or emerald.
Provided you have good viewing technology, you can pick a high-quality SI pear diamond at a lower cost. You don’t necessarily have to buy a VVS1 or VVS2 clarity diamond when buying pear shapes.
Because a pear shape retains more rough, it also shows more color. You will find many pears in fancy colored diamonds. Radiant cut diamonds are similar to this.
Because more rough retains more color, I highly suggest you settle for a G-H color grade, no need for a D. however, make sure the color grade you choose matches the setting you pick. Diamonds with a tint appear whiter when put in yellow gold settings while they look more tinted when put in a white gold setting.
Brilliant cut diamonds are good at hiding inclusions. Step cut diamonds like Asscher and emerald reveal inclusions. This is the reason why step cuts are cheaper than brilliant cuts.
When choosing color grades for your pear-shaped diamond engagement ring, no need to go for a VVS1 or VVS2 diamond, but a VS2isgood since there is a variety of eye clean options. Buying an SI clarity diamond will have you save more money yet no difference at all.
Before you buy a pear shaped diamond, make sure you see the stone through a clear viewer or visit a physical store to identify any inclusions.
You will notice more tint in radiant shape diamonds than in any other shape. They look larger with similar carats and allow jewelers to retain more diamond rough. More rough in a diamond reveals more color.
Radiant cut shapes are common in fancy colored diamonds. Celebrities like Hilary Duff, Jennifer Lopez, and Kelly Clarkson have colored radiant cut diamonds.
If you want a radiant cut diamond, G-H color grades are better, unless you like warmer diamonds. Maybe you prefer tinted diamonds because of your skin color.
Red Flags When Buying Pear Cut Diamonds
Red flags are not so many when it comes to diamond shapes. However, there are some things you need to be concerned about.
Pointed and bowtie shapes
With pear diamonds, you have to watch out for two things: pointed edges and bowtie. Bowtie refers to a shadow effect that appears in some diamond shapes like radiant cuts, oval, marquise, and our all-time favorite pears.
No grading report gives details about bowties. So, you need to look at the diamond before you buy it, whether in a physical store or online. If you find well-cut pear diamonds, you will hardly notice the bowtie.
The Bowtie effect does not have any effect on diamond durability. It is up to you how much of the effect you would like. Some people prefer how unique it makes the diamond look.
The Bowtie effect does not affect the diamond’s brilliance either.
If you settle for a diamond that has pointed edges, make sure you pick a protective setting. pear and marquise pointed shapes are at risk of chipping. This is the major complaint from customers who have bought a pear shape diamond before. The important thing is to protect the pointed edges in a setting.
You can protect the edges with a setting or prong. Most pear diamonds have a six-prong basket that keeps the diamond intact. You can use a halo or bezel setting.
RECOMMENDED: Should You Buy a Bezel Setting?
Grading report
You have heard diamond certificates and grading reports being mentioned endlessly. Most diamonds are certified by GIA, IGI, AGS, and GSI.
Under no circumstances should you buy a diamond that is not certified. All these grading labs use different guidelines to grade diamonds. GIA invented the 4Cs which have diamond quality grades. So far GIA boasts the most accurate certifications.
AGS also provides reliable certificates. Their grading technique is similar to GIA’s only that the Ideal cut is the equivalent of GIA’s Excellent cut. An idea cut from AGS is similar to an Excellent cut from GIA, only the terminology is different.
In short, a diamond grading report is the only assurance that the retailer is selling something genuine to you at the right price. If you shop from physical stores, you will often see “independently certified” or diamonds certified by GSI.
Megastores grade their diamonds using agencies since it is cheaper when grading is done in bulk. Their GIA-certified diamonds are more expensive than ones sold in online jewelry stores.
Get Value for Money When Buying Pear-Shaped Diamonds
I have mentioned several benefits you will get when you buy pear shaped diamond online. Here is a quick reminder of how you will get the best deal when shopping.
- Choose an online vendor that has a clear 360-degree viewer
- Pick a retailer with a wide collection of pear diamonds
- The diamonds must be GIA or AGS certified. if you decide to buy synthetic diamonds, the certificates must be from GIA, IGI, or GCAL.
- Choose a store that offers a decent warranty that covers routine maintenance including rhodium plating
- Pick a retailer with a good return policy and easy return process
- Always go for a setting that will prevent the pointed edges from chipping
- Do not forget about the L/W ratio
- No need for high clarity grades, the cut itself hides any inclusions
