Why Choose an Oval Cut Diamond?

February 14 2023

The Oval Cut is a smooth yet elegant shape that expresses a classic sophistication. It is technically a modification of the Round Brilliant Diamond, the cutting methods on these shapes are similar as they are cut using similar techniques: resulting in the diamond having an exquisite sparkle and stunning beauty.

The Oval Cut is a universally flattering shape, it can have a lengthening or a balancing effect making it an excellent choice for everyone. This cut optimises carat weight, the drawn-out symmetrical shape means it looks bigger than other diamonds with similar carat weight. This diamond is one of the few that can suffer from a phenomenon known as the bow-tie effect. This is where an area of shadow resembling a bow tie can be seen in the centre of the stone. Whilst it’s not unusual for some shadow to be visible in this diamond when viewed from a certain angle in a certain light, it’s undesirable for a diamond to have an obvious dark area when viewed from any angle in all lights. You should look for a stone with minimal shadow to detract from its beauty.

This diamond shape was first introduced over 200 years ago but the version we see today has only been around since the 1960s. This was when Russian Diamond Cutter Lazare Kaplan designed the Brilliant cut version, capturing the optimum sparkle and beauty of the Round Brilliant but in an Oval form.

Technical Specifications

An Oval Cut diamond usually has 57-58 facets.
It usually has 33 facets on the crown and 24 on the pavilion, though it may have four, six or eight main pavilion facets.
The perfect ratio is typically between 1.33 and 1.66: the higher the ratio the longer the diamond and the lower the ratio the shorter the diamond. This can depend on the shape of your finger and what type suits it best.