1 Carat Pear Shaped Diamonds

A pear borrows from both its parents: the rounded end returns light like a brilliant, the point adds the length of a marquise. At one carat it measures roughly 8.5 by 5.5 mm, so it wears larger than a round of the same weight, and worn with the tip toward the fingernail it slims the hand.

Outline is what separates a good pear from a mediocre one, and no grade measures it. The two shoulders should mirror each other, the curve should flow without a flat section, and the point should line up with the centre of the rounded end. All three are visible in the 360° view and invisible in a catalogue photograph.

Ratios from 1.45 to 1.75 cover the range from plump and modern to long and formal. Whichever you choose, specify a V-prong on the point: it is the vulnerable part of the stone, and at one carat the protection costs nothing.