curious about ovals

[tomatoe]

hi every1,

I am posting on this forumn because i now have a very high chance of getting a bigger diamond from my husband.

I am from singapore and am very interested in getting an oval or maybe a cushion/ regent, 0.7-0.9 carat, D-I colour, VS1-SI1. I am also looking to buy online (and have been looking at several that have been mentioned on pricescope) as the diamond prices here are ridiculous and its rare to find shapes other than round and princess.

I am wondering though, cos not many people on this forumn have an oval diamond, most seem to have the H&A or a round. Would it be better to go for a round, rather than an oval in terms of price and quality?

please advise. thanks!

 

[Dee Mick]

If I may add to this question, what are the proportions to look for in an oval? I have been given conflicting information. Books I have read (Fred Cuellars book, which many have disparaged in this forum) say to diqualify an oval with a TD% over 61. However, many appraisers & jewelers I have spoken with say there are no ideal proportions for an oval and that it is strictly a matter of taste. I know that the l/w ratio should be 1.33 to 1.66 but I am sceptical about TD and Table %'s. I know that the quality of cut plays a large factor in the price. So how do I tell the quality of the cut if ovals are so subjective?
I am now considering buying a .90 oval G VS2 with a TD of 64.3% and a table of 56% for $4475. I want to be sure I'm getting good quality for the price. Does this sound like a good quality and fair price?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[fuffi]

Have you seen the AGA guidelines for oval cuts?
https://www.pricescope.com/tutor_fnc3.asp

I think ovals are a really nice alternative to round. They are also less expensive- but don't expect them to have the same brilliance or fire. And from what I've been told, they will always have some amount of bowtie.

 

[valeria101]

There are no H&A ovals, all right, but quality is there all the way and a visible 'bow-tie' is not a must. It may be just my ignarance, but I don't know of any branded ovals, so, given that you are not paying for a branded cut, the premium for these in rounds does not apply. However, ovals are not cheaper. As with all fancy cuts, the best way to hunt for high light return is to have this measured for the stone you are buying. Aside this, the proportions (small / long diameter) is just a mater of taste, since the variation of the other parameters (crown, depth, etc) can make just about any type of oval sparkle appropriatedly. One reason why I prefer ovals to rounds is the fact thay they look somewhat larger than the rounds with the same face since the one dimension where the stone is 'longer' gives soemthing significant for the sight to pick up, as oposed to the perfect symmetry of the round. However, the last is just my personal feel (and I am not a RBC lover, by any means). Surely you will have EXPERT advice on the ideal shape and proportin after a few posts (this are the ways of Pricescope

), but the best thibg would be to pick a couple of stones, post them and collect comments. This is the fastest way to get advice around here...

 

[diamondsbylauren]

hello to singapore!


For those who don't know me yet, I am a dealer who does not go by light return performance. I do love hearts and arrows diamonds- they are truly awesome. For people looking for this type of stone the machines can really be helpful. Let's face it, in the age of internet diamond buying it sounds like a great idea having a machine which tells us if we're getting a good diamond. But I don'tfeel that knowing how much light comes out of a diamond is useful in most cases. This is especially true for us because we deal in many more fancy shape cuts as compared to round..


Also true that the amazing symmetry of H&A stones is attractive to many people. But some cuts, like, Radiant, do not allow the eye to focus on indivdual facets rendering exacting symmetry lesss important.






Ovals can be quite beautiful. The bowtie effect is something which can be minimized, but never truly eliminated completely. But that's part of my argument against light return stats for many diamonds. The unique sparkle of an oval has the bowtie as part of it's characteristics. And ovals, by thier very nature ( ever try cutting an oval shaped pie into 8 equal slices) are not perfectly symmetrical.


Sure, in exaggeratted cases, the bowtie is gives the stone an un-balanced look. But the stone I've posted here is what I consdider to be a valid example of a really pretty oval. It is a 1.20 F/SI1.


The point is, it has a very nice profile. Some ovals are not graceful.


If you love an oval, then go for it! Although an oval will not "perform" as well as round, I don't know that beauty is about "performance:"

 

[tomatoe]

thank you every1 who has taken the trouble to reply.

valerie101: i have been looking at a couple of ovals online but am not posting any of their specs here yet cos i wont be doing the actual purchasing until dec or so and just wanted to find out more information before the purchase.

fuffi: yeah i have gone through that page and also gone to www.gemappraisers.com to use the wonderful diy cut grading. but it doesnt really help much cos some of the ovals i put through come out with a grade of 1a, but i cant actually see the diamond and wont know how the bowtie looks.

diamondsbylauren: i am quite concerned with this bowtie effect that occurs in ovals, makes me reconsider my choice. but u have been most helpful and even posted a picture which really allows me to see the bow-tie for myself (have never seen it b4 this)

after going through more of the postings by others, i have come to be interested in the regent/ cushion cut as well. can any1 give more information on a regent vs a round?

 

[diane5006]

Hi...I have a Regent...my avatar is bit distorted...i have posted pics before...also in the other forum 'Cut photo gallery' there is a pic of a Regent...

look at Good old golds website www.goodoldgold.com they have lots of info on their stuff...If I remember correcty...they sold a Regent to someone in Singapore...user name Baloo...you can do a search on the name...he posted pics as well...

Best of luck in your search

 

[StevL]

I agree with David, good post!

Just to add; I have just completed setting up a 3.01 oval and a 2.37 marquise for my showcase. Many people still love fancy shapes, but round will always be more popular.

As a side note I set these in yellow gold, we are seeing more request for yellow again.