Oval Cut Diamonds

Oval Cut Diamonds

While round brilliant diamonds may be the most popular cut, oval cut diamonds are a close second. They take the round brilliant cut and create a more elegant and flattering style that helps elongate the fingers. This of it as an elongated round brilliant, but with a more unique shape. Invented in the mid 1900s, this is a more recent cut, but has already proven to be a lasting style, which will suit any engagement ring.

History of Oval Cut Diamonds

As mentioned, the oval cut is a more recent style. Oval-type shapes have been cut for centuries, however, these were only variations of the classic round brilliant cut. The oval diamond as we know it today was developed in the late 1950s. A diamond cutter from Russia, who earned a reputation for turning even the most flawed diamonds into beautiful works, developed the cut. Lazare Kaplan was known for making the most of a diamond in the rough and created the cut from some of the flawed diamonds he expertly worked with. The cut has since risen in popularity and has been worn by various celebrities including Blake Lively, Amber Rose, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Serena Williams, and Penelope Cruz.

The 4 Cs

When considering which diamond to purchase, it’s important to consider the 4 Cs, which are used to grade a diamond: cut, colour, clarity, and carat.

Colour

The colour scale ranges from D to Z, with colourless diamonds sitting on the topmost end of this range. A ‘D’ colour diamond will be considered the best colour you can get and will, therefore, be more expensive. However, the difference in a diamond’s colour is often very subtle from grade to grade and therefore may not be noticeable to anyone other than an expert gemmologist. Thus, it’s worth considering lower grade colour diamonds, as it can make a big impact on price. Why does the colour grade start at D you might ask? Well, there’s always a chance that a whiter diamond may one day be discovered, so spaces have been left open at the top end of the alphabet, just in case.

Clarity

Clarity refers to the presence of natural inclusions in a diamond, or, rather the lack thereof. Unsurprisingly, we want fewer inclusions, as this will mean there is nothing obscuring the diamond or diminishing its clarity. The scale for clarity goes from F (Flawless) to I3 (Included 3). A flawless diamond has no flaws, but these are incredibly rare. What counts as an inclusion? This list might include bearding, a cavity, a chip, cloud, crystal, feather, graining, indent, knot, needle, pinpoints, or twinning wisps. These can be created in a number of ways, including another mineral, liquid, or gas getting trapped in the diamond during formation. Better clarity will increase the price as stones with more inclusions do not sparkle as much, as light entering the stone will be impeded by the inclusion.

Cut

Cut is, in a way, two Cs in one. It is made up of two facets (if you’ll pardon the pun): the shape and how accurately the facets that make up these cuts are aligned and polished. Symmetry will also be taken into consideration where cut is concerned.

Each cut has an ideal set of dimensions and proportions on which a diamond is assessed. Cut is important not only because of the shape it creates, but because it determines how much a diamond sparkles. The ideal cut is optimised to maximise sparkle, so cutting to these specifications will increase the diamond’s sparkle. An oval cut diamond typically has 58 facets, like a standard round brilliant. It is made up of three components: the head/end, the shoulder, and the belly. The head or end is the narrower point at either end of the gem. The shoulder is the sloping curve down to the middle of the stone, which is known as the belly. An oval diamond can actually have a variety of facet arrangements, but the most common is eight bezel facets on the crown, combined with eight main facets on the pavilion.

Carat

The carat is the weight of the stone, though people often use it to refer to the size. 1 carat is equal to 0.2 of a gram. Additionally, a carat is divided into 100 points. What this means is that 1 carat is equal to 100 points. So, if you heard someone talking about a 200 point stone, a 200 pointer, or a two-carat gem, these are all the same thing. This unit of measurement was developed from the carob seed, which are quite uniform in weight.

Carat affects price so much because, as a diamond gets larger, is more likely to have inclusions. Therefore, carat is often affected by clarity. This means that prices will jump a lot from carat to carat.

Oval Cut Diamond Prices

Of course, the 4Cs will affect the price of your gem. The better the colour, clarity, cut, and the higher the carat, the more expensive your ring will be. However, you’ll find that gems of similar quality cut in oval cut will typically be 20-30% less than round brilliants. This is because there is more demand for round brilliants and there is more rough wastage when cutting a round brilliant. Because oval cuts maximise the amount of carat weight retained, less of the diamond is wasted, and, therefore, prices can be lower. For a one carat oval cut diamond, you’re looking at about £1,500 pounds, versus £1900 for a round brilliant.

Oval Cut Diamond Ring Designs

Oval cut diamonds are elegant and make a beautiful alternative to a round brilliant for an engagement ring. They can be well suited to a hidden halo ring, which adds a little more sparkle, or to a simple metal band.

Oval Cut Diamond Setting

Oval cut diamonds are usually either set in a claw setting or a rub over setting. Claw settings often either have four claws or six claws. Six will ensure your diamond is more secure, however will cover more of the surface area. If you’re worried about the diamond falling out, a rub over setting, which involves encasing the entire side of the gem in metal, may be a better alternative.