I have decided for this series to lump together the three shapes commonly referred to as the “soft-sided fancy shapes” – the Oval, Marquise, and Pear shaped diamonds.  Just to explain the terminology – any shape that’s not round is called a “fancy” shape.  So to differentiate Ovals, Marquise, and Pears from Princess cuts, Radiants, and Emeralds, they are further broken down into soft-sided and straight-sided.

From a manufacturing perspective that differentiation is important since straight-sided fancies and soft-sided fancies are manufactured from completely different types of diamond rough.  But more importantly for you, the diamond consumer, the differentiation is absolutely crucial.  You see, if you were searching for a straight sided fancy shape diamond and wanted to limit your diamond search to very clean diamonds with high colors, you generally wouldn’t need to see the diamond ahead of time.  You could read the diamond’s measurements from its certificate, and pretty much be able to conceptualize how the diamond will look.  When you’re dealing with 90 degree angles only, it’s easy to explain a diamond using measurements only.

This is not the case at all with the soft-sided fancies.  Nowhere on a certificate does it explain the slope of the curve around an oval.  You can have an oval that almost comes to two points like a marquise, or you could have an oval that looks a little too rounded.  You can have a boxy looking oval that looks like it’s a long radiant just with its corners smoothed out.  None of that will show on a certificate.  There are simply too many measurements that aren’t offered on a certificate relating to get any real understanding of how a soft-sided fancy will look.

So while I always stress that even with rounds it’s very important that you examine a diamond ahead of time (either in person or with a high quality photograph) in order to evaluate a diamond’s clarity, with soft-sided fancies, it’s likewise crucial to examine a diamond to evaluate its cut.

And unlike straight sided fancies, there’s no one thing I could point to to explain how to evaluate a picture of an Oval, Pear or Marquise. You just have to look at it and ask yourself, “does this look beautiful?”

So without further ado, I present the best Oval, Pear or Marquise for $20,000+:

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Shape: Pear

Carats: 2.27

Diamond Color: F

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Measurements: 11.41*7.27*4.18

Length/Width Ratio: 1.57

Depth: 57.5%

Table: 56%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $23,030

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 0.78

Diamond Color: E

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Measurements: 5.01*4.97*3.68

Length/Width Ratio: 1.01

Depth: 74.0%

Table: 71%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $2,220

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.01

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Measurements: 5.85*5.67*3.92

Length/Width Ratio: 1.03

Depth: 69.2%

Table: 69%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $3,350

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.25

Diamond Color: F

Diamond Clarity: SI2

Measurements: 5.87*5.69*4.21

Length/Width Ratio: 1.03

Depth: 74.0%

Table: 67%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $5,510

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.82

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 6.67*6.61*4.79

Length/Width Ratio: 1.01

Depth: 72.5%

Table: 71%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $10,030

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.23

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 7.45*7.11*5.04

Length/Width Ratio: 1.05

Depth: 70.9%

Table: 73%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $13,830

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.01

Diamond Color: G

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Measurements: 6.97*6.84*4.94

Length/Width Ratio: 1.02

Depth: 72.2%

Table: 69%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $15,620

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.21

Diamond Color: H

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 7.20*7.19*5.08

Length/Width Ratio: 1.00

Depth: 70.7%

Table: 69%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $16,990

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

James Allen Engagement Ring

James Allen (as most other online diamond vendors) shows most of their rings by default set with a round diamond.  The reason is clear – the majority of consumers want a round diamond, so it just makes sense to show the rings by default with a round diamond.  On occasion, though, there are some rings that just look like they were made for a princess cut diamond even though they can easily accomodate a round brilliant cut diamond (or any other shape for that matter).

Today’s suggested ring is one such setting.  James Allen’s 18k White Gold Channel Set Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Ring has a small pave size princess cut diamonds channel set right into the shank.  These stones provide a beautiful build up to a towering princess cut diamond center stone.

In White Gold, after the TADJ10 discount, this setting costs $1147.50.  In Platinum, it is $1395 after discount.

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.12

Diamond Color: G

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 7.02*6.99*5.05

Length/Width Ratio: 1.00

Depth: 72.2%

Table: 69%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $19,640

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

James Allen Engagement Ring

Going back to the classics, one of the most popular engagement ring styles is the simple look of a thin band studded with round pave diamonds.

James Allen sells a number of rings each with a slightly different take on this theme.  Some have a cathedral style band where the band is raised at the top of the shank near the center stone.  Some have smaller pave, others larger.  There are a variety of different prong styles that are matched with the setting.

James Allen’s most popular version of this style is probably their 18k White Gold .32ct French Cut Pave Diamond Engagement Ring.

In White Gold, after the TADJ10 discount, this setting costs $657.  In Platinum, it is $1053 after discount.

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the AGS Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 0.60

Diamond Color: G

Diamond Clarity: SI2

Diamond Cut: Ideal

Measurements: 5.39*5.41*3.37

Depth: 62.4%

Table: 55.0%

Crown Angle: 34.6°

Crown %: 15.6%

Pavilion Angle: 40.8°

Pavilion %: 43.1%

Diamond Polish: Ideal

Diamond Symmetry: Ideal

Diamond Fluorescence: Medium Blue

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TADJ10 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

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