The Oval Diamond has beautiful brilliance that's similar to a round diamond. Oval diamonds are also very popular as their length can accentuate long, slender fingers. The history of the brilliant-cut oval diamond is relatively easy to track because it is a relatively young shape. Created by Lazare Kaplan in the late 1950s -early 1960s, the oval brilliant cut is an elipitical variation of the more common round brilliant. The modern oval cut is a fiery diamond that reflects light brilliantly. It's a wonderful selection for someone who loves the sparkle of the round brilliant, but desires a less common shape.

Choosing an Oval Diamond

When purchasing an Oval Diamond, it's important to select both the highest grade cut and color that's within your budget. Our minimum recommendations for buying Oval Diamonds are as follows (please remember these recommendations are opinion only, and your tastes may vary):

• Cut: Good
• Color: G
• Clarity: SI2
• Depth Percentage: 58-66%
• Table: 51-64%

Because an oval can be "short and fat" or "long and thin", always be sure to check the length and width of the diamond prior to purchasing. For the most traditional length-width ratio of oval diamonds, look for ratios between 1.33 and 1.66. However, some people prefer longer, thinner cuts, and some prefer rounder, softer cuts. Like the pear shaped diamond, the oval cut can fall victim to the "bow-tie effect" -- an undesirable dark area near the center of the diamond. It's not unusual to see "some" bow-tie if you examine an oval-shaped diamond from various angles and in different lights, but what you don't want is an obvious black/dark spot that is dull from every angle and in all lights. If you're "wondering" if the diamond you purchased is suffering from the bow-tie effect, it probably isn't. It's one of those defects, that when present, is obvious.