Pear-shaped diamonds are still timeless
At engagement ring and diamond boutique Two by London at the Americana Manhasset, pears are popular and come in a variety of sometimes unexpected settings. Credit: London Jewelers
Almost 52 years ago, Candy Udell, the president of London Jewelers, the jewelry titan on Long Island and beyond, got engaged to Mark Udell. Her ring? A pear-shaped diamond. “It was all the rage then,” she says. But the shape fell out of favor with brides-to-be. In fact, Udell was so done with hers after a few years that she had it recut into an emerald shape.
Cut to today at Two by London, London Jewelers' engagement ring and diamond boutique in Manhasset, where her son, Scott Udell, notes a fresh interest in pear-shaped sparklers. “We’ve definitely seen an uptick in pears. It’s a new way you can differentiate yourself but still stay in the realm of classics,” he says. “At the end of the day, you want to make it special but keep it timeless,” he says, adding that the elongated stone can be very flattering on the hand and appear larger than its actual weight. “It’s a lot of bang for the buck.”
At online digital wedding planning resource The Knot, lifestyle editor Sarah Hanlon says, “Pear-shaped engagement rings are certainly seeing a surge of popularity this year.” She notes that adding oomph to the trend are social-media influencers such as Danielle Bernstein (formerly of Great Neck) and founder of fashion site @weworewhat whose recent rooftop proposal from now fiance Cooper Weisman included what’s estimated to be a five- to six-carat pear that she joyfully flaunted to her 3.3 million followers on Instagram.
“Wedding trends tend to be cyclical," Hanlon adds. "And this isn’t the only time pears have spiked. In 2017 and 2018, A-list celebrities like Cardi B and Ariana Grande made headlines for their pear-shaped engagement rings as well. Another notable celebrity with a pear engagement ring is Demi Lovato, who got married to Jordan Lutes in May 2025.”
Eric Mazza and Shannon Conway, of Long Beach, got engaged in January. Conway said her pear-shaped diamond ring exceeded her expectations. Credit: Freddy Canales
At Brides of Long Island, a wedding organization and planning resource, owner Heather Cunningham also tracked the pear as “very popular starting around 2016/2017,” and she’s still seeing it today. One of her members, Shannon Conway, 35, of Long Beach, got engaged via pear in January. “I think it’s a trend coming back,” says Conway of her treasured two-carat number with six side stones. “I love it. It exceeded all my expectations.” And apparently it draws attention. When people see it “they really like it and say, ‘That’s so unique.’ ”
It's mostly up to the bride-to-be
Erica Matos, 25, of Freeport, got engaged a few weeks ago and is so happy with her pear-shaped ring. “I think it looks just right on my finger,” she says. Credit: Karolina Klisiewicz
Just in case you think it’s the guys leading the pear brigade think again. While men generally do the buying, area experts say most of the time they arrive with a wish list or visit initially with the bride herself. At SVS Fine Jewelry in Oceanside vice president Morgan Saatchi says, "there's definitely a pear resurgence." Of course prices for natural diamonds vary and are determined by weight, cut, color and clarity. At SVS, Saatchi says a good quality one-carat pear stone runs around $3,000 while a six-carat number can cost well over $400,000.
She adds that the would-be-grooms are “coming in with a Pinterest board. It’s generally up to them what size the stone will be but 90% of the time the shape is already known. If you want a pear, you’re a pear girl.”
Likewise, at Kravit Jewelers in Oceanside, co-owner Idayne Kaye says, “Pears are back 1,000%. I’ve been predicting this. For a time, they just fell off the radar.” She notes that male buyers are armed with “inspo pictures, fully written-out texts and three-page PDFs of what the bride wants and doesn’t want.” Although 80% of the grooms come in without the bride, “They are completely instructed,” Kaye says.
Conway did not direct her fiance, Eric Mazza, 38, when it came to the ring, but gave her twin sister behind-the-scenes intel to impart to the would-be groom. And Erica Matos, 25, of Freeport, who got engaged to Jordan Stewart, 25, just a few weeks ago, offered him a little running room. The couple did some ring shopping together, and Matos liked oval, marquise and pear shapes. “I ultimately let him make the decision and I absolutely love it," she says. "I think it looks so right on my finger. It is perfect and I feel like a princess.”
Manhattanites Gabrielle Truncale, 27, and Ryan Sessler, 40, who will be married in Italy this September did their ring shopping at Two by London where Truncale fell in love with a special stone. “I told her I’d get her a smaller one,” says Sessler of the 4.5-carat rock. But in the end, her dreams won out. “I was given very specific instructions and I’m good at following instructions,” he says. His soon-to-be bride exclaims, “I was so happy. I was in shock.”
A new direction
Ryan Sessler gave his fiancee, Gabrielle Truncale, a 4.5-carat showstopper set at a 45-degree angle. "I'm obsessed with the ring," she says. Credit: Yorgos Fasoulis
Kaye says some women are wearing the pear in unexpected ways such as setting the stone horizontally. She calls the pear shape “sexy and feminine. It reads like Mother Nature.” Recently she designed a modern pear iteration that sinks the stone into a thick gold bezel studded with smaller diamonds.
For his part, Udell broke all the rules with that 4.5-carat sparkler that he set slanted to a left-leaning 45-degree angle on a simple gold band. “I am obsessed with this ring,” says Truncale, the lucky recipient, who feels it’s a bit edgy and fits her personality.
Finally, proving that what goes around comes around, Udell’s mom, Candy, looks back on her original shape fondly “I loved it when I got engaged. And now I love it again.”
