Round vs Pear Diamonds: Which Should You Choose?

A round brilliant is cut as a circle with 57 or 58 facets, arranged to return as much light to the eye as possible. A pear, or teardrop, uses brilliant facets too, in an outline that joins a rounded end to a single point, so it also sparkles brightly.

The round reads as classic and symmetrical; the pear as graceful, with a little more direction.

The pear looks larger for its weight. In our search a typical 1 carat pear measures about 8.9 by 5.6 mm face-up, against about 6.4 mm across for a 1 carat round. At 2 carats it is about 11.1 by 7.1 mm against 8.1 mm across. The round is wider; the pear runs farther along the finger, and its point makes the hand look slimmer.

Our guide Understanding Diamond Size Before You Buy explains face-up size.

• Cut grade. Cut decides how much a round sparkles, so choose Excellent or Ideal.
• Clarity and color. A round's many small facets hide inclusions well, so an eye-clean VS2 usually looks the same in a ring as a higher grade, and G or H color faces up white in most settings.
• Prongs. Four prongs show more of the diamond; six hold it in more places.

Compare stones in our round diamond search, or read Oval vs Round Diamonds.

A round sits in four or six prongs and suits almost any setting. A pear needs its point protected, by a prong over the tip or a bezel, a thin rim of metal around the stone. Many of our designs come in both shapes, so you can compare like for like: Estelle as a split-shank solitaire, Juliette on a pavé band, Celestia on a V-shaped band, Isadora as a sculptural bypass and Eclipse on a band that coils around the finger. Or wear both: our Nova and Amira toi et moi rings pair a pear with a round diamond.

Read Engagement Ring Setting Types for every setting style.