Pear Cut Amethyst: Pros, Cons & Fire

The pear sits halfway between an oval and a marquise: one rounded end, one point. Measured, our pear is 1.502 to 1 in outline, 60.0% deep, with 64 facets and a low 34.93° pavilion.

Its brilliance is almost level with the same pear in diamond, 52 against 53: the pear's own plan, more than the stone, holds it back. Against the T73 in amethyst, it trades light for fire.

That 34.93° pavilion is well under the 40.4° guide minimum, which is worked out for rounds; we have not measured a steeper pear.

Is a pear cut right for amethyst? Pros and cons

Pros

Lighter than diamond 1.03 vs 1.37 ct
Far more fire than a round 60 vs 36

Cons

Loses light when tipped 57 vs 80
Less light than the T73 52 vs 72
More leakage than the diamond pear 39 vs 22
A less regular pavilion 85 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst and with the Pear Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 2 (Spread) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Pear Cut in amethyst (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

Global61, the comparison 70, difference −9
Brilliance52, the comparison 72, difference −20
Fire60, the comparison 36, difference +24
Scintillation76, the comparison 80, difference −4
Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
Symmetry85, the comparison 100, difference −15
Shape-norm60, the comparison 77, difference −17
Tilt57, the comparison 80, difference −23

Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring.

Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What amethyst gains in a pear

Lighter than diamond

1.03 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.37 ct for the same cut in diamond (−25%)

A pear 6.5 mm wide is 1.03 ct in amethyst and 1.37 ct in diamond.

A Pear Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Pear Cut page

Far more fire than a round

Fire 60 against 36 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 24 points higher

The elongated plan sends coloured light out across a wider spread of angles than the T73 does in quartz. Only four cuts we measure in amethyst score higher.

Pear cut in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 60) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

T73 round brilliant in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 36) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

The catch with a pear amethyst

Loses light when tipped

Tilt 57 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 23 points lower

Tipped by 20°, it keeps 57 of its face-up light against 80 for the T73.

Pear cut in amethyst tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 33% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Pear cut in amethyst tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 35% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Of the pointed and oval brilliants in quartz, the Oval Cut Amethyst is the steadiest when tipped, at 74.

Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Less light than the T73

Brilliance 52 against 72 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 20 points lower

Across its widest part the face sends little light back, the bow-tie pear shapes are known for.

Pear cut in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 52) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

T73 round brilliant in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 72) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: For more light, a round: DG-M5 Amethyst returns 85 in amethyst.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

More leakage than the diamond pear

Leakage 39 against 22 for the Pear Cut in diamond: 17 points higher

39% of the light in our census escapes in amethyst, against 22% for the same pear in diamond. It is still the least of the elongated cuts we measure in amethyst.

What helps: No elongated cut we measure in amethyst leaks less. DG-M5 Amethyst leaks 15%.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

A less regular pavilion

Symmetry 85 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 15 points lower

One rounded end and one point mean the pavilion facets cannot all repeat, and our symmetry score reads that as 85.

Pear Cut · 64 facets · Symmetry 85

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Symmetry 100

Symmetry scores how regular the pavilion facets are within the design. Compare how evenly the facets repeat around each pavilion. Drawn from each cut's own model.

What helps: The Teardrop Cut Amethyst, a softened pear, scores 98.

Try it yourself: Compare the Symmetry spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Who a pear amethyst suits

Choose the pear for an amethyst pendant or drop earring where coloured flashes matter more than a full face of light.

The point gathers colour, so a cutter often places the deepest zone of a zoned amethyst toward it.

For more fire and a steadier face, the Oval Cut Amethyst. For a pear with a more regular pavilion, the Teardrop Cut Amethyst.

Pear Cut Amethyst: questions

Is pear a good cut for amethyst?

For fire, yes: 60 against 36 for the T73 in amethyst. It returns less light, 52 against 72.

Pear or oval amethyst?

The oval has more fire (69 against 60) and holds better when tipped (74 against 57); for light they return 52 and 52.

Can a pear amethyst show a dark band?

Pear shapes often do, across the widest part. Our census has no bow-tie measure, so this page cannot put a number on it.

What does a 6.5 mm pear amethyst weigh?

1.03 ct, against 1.37 ct in diamond.

Get the Pear Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Pear Cut 3D files

The Pear Cut as exact geometry: 64 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
GLBWeb, AR and quick previews

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad64 index

Pear Cut cutting files

The Pear Cut as a faceting design: 50 + 14 girdles = 64 facets, 64 index, 1-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 64 index gear
.csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Amethyst: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Pear Cut: specifications, model and files

Pear Cut Amethyst: far more fire than a round, and lighter in weight than diamond