Help with a traditional oval?

Molotov Rocktail · Jun 30, 2019

Hi all!

Been reading the forums a bunch lately, and just wanted to say that this community has been super helpful--but taking the plunge (first post)!

I'm in the market for an oval engagement ring. I'll admit I'm a bit of a noob but have read up on some of the basics (e.g. bowties = bad), and am well aware of August Vintage and how amazing Jonathan's work is. I also know these posts on ovals tend to come up every few days/weeks or so (and I've seen tyty333's excellent posts with photos on how to identify a good oval, haha). However, I feel like I'm so new to this it'd be nice to have the community's take on a couple selections of traditional ovals, for comparison and my own edification.

I found a couple on James Allen (just randomly picked) in the general range for carat/color/clarity I'm looking for. No GIA certs in hand unfortunately (or ASETs), but just from basic specs and actual 360s, I thought mayyyybe one or two of these might be considered decent? At least in a more experienced evaluator's eyes, I figured I could get a more informed opinion:

#1
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/2.04-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-4302126

#2
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/2.02-carat-f-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-4895443

#3
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/2.14-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-7191220

#4
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/2.10-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-5939554

#5 (from Brilliant Earth, thrown in for fun because it's listed as "super ideal," unfortunately the 360 isn't in the right direction and I feel like I can't tell anything from it)
https://www.brilliantearth.com/loose-diamonds/view_detail/7973947/

Assuming you can make a decent evaluation from just the information provided, would any of these be considered "well-cut," and if so, which one(s)? If not, why are they inferior? I know there has been discussion in other forums regarding the AV ovals and how they face up smaller, but fare much better in terms of light performance. There seems to be a general agreement here on PS that AV is the gold standard (and I may very well end up with one), but I'm wondering if anyone has an example of a non-AV oval in the wild that's well-cut enough to be worth buying!

Thanks in advance for your help everyone,

Mr. MR

FreeDiam · Jun 30, 2019

smaller stones but better makes (ex ex), almost no bow tie.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.72-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-6882697
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.80-carat-e-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-6882693

lovedogs · Jun 30, 2019

FreeDiam said:
smaller stones but better makes (ex ex), almost no bow tie.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.72-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-6882697
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.80-carat-e-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-6882693

You can't choose fancy cuts by the certificates or by how JA rates cut. You need to watch the videos to see how the facets look while moving.

OP: I'm not an oval expert, but my eye was drawn to the faceting on this one:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...DiamondDetails&action=newTab&catalogView=true

And this one
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...DiamondDetails&action=newTab&catalogView=true

OoohShiny · Jul 1, 2019

Good 'classic' ovals are very hard to find

lol

Molotov Rocktail · Jul 1, 2019

@OoohShiny I know, tell me about it!

@lovedogs and @FreeDiam thanks for the help. I do like the faceting on the second Blue Nile one you posted.

@lovedogs how does that second Blue Nile one you linked compare to this AV oval:

https://www.augustvintageinc.com/collections/opulence/products/2-00ct-g-si1-elyque-oval-1606948

Pros/cons of one versus the other?

Molotov Rocktail · Jul 4, 2019

What about the ASET on this one? Merely good? I'm a little in a time crunch here

https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/oval-diamond-2.01-carat-h-vs1-yd6958008

tyty333 · Jul 5, 2019

Molotov Rocktail said:
What about the ASET on this one? Merely good? I'm a little in a time crunch here

https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/oval-diamond-2.01-carat-h-vs1-yd6958008

A bunch of stones come up when I click on this. I tried doing a search on the end part of the quote (yd...) and no stone comes up. Can you try again
with a link?

I'll take a look at the stones above. Just give me a little bit.

tyty333 · Jul 5, 2019

#1 stone
4 main...light return looks pretty decent, slightly larger for size. Would need to find out if its eye-clean. What are your standards for eye-clean? 6 inches
away...10 inches away? I could not find JAs eye-clean definition with a quick look so if you dont know it you'll need to ask JA.

#2 stone
4 main - light return not good

#3 stone
another 4 main - decent light return... eye-clean

#4 stone
6 main I believe. Nice light return, 2nd biggest, high color, high clarity. Probably my favorite out of the lines you listed.

4 mains tend to be more, but smaller sparkle (possibly some big flashes depending on stone)

Edit...I check JA and BN and really didnt find anything that thrilled me.
6, 8, and 10 mains tend to show a more symmetrical pattern with bigger sparkle through the center (if its well cut).

Let me go look around to see if there are any I can find any others worth taking a look.

lovedogs · Jul 5, 2019

@Molotov Rocktail I prefer the AV ovals to traditional, so I'm probably not the most impartial person to ask. Bowties in typical ovals drive me nuts, so for that reason alone i would personally buy an oval from AV. But of course it's a personal preference!

Molotov Rocktail · Jul 5, 2019

@lovedogs Yes I'm starting to come around on this myself...I just wanted to keep an open mind through the process but I feel like the more I learn the more I'm leaning towards AV.

@tyty333 thanks so much for taking a look at all of those! Don't worry about that Yadav link, I don't think I'm going to go for that stone anyway after all...and it's good to know your thoughts on all the JA diamonds. For #4 though would you say there's still a significant bow-tie to your eyes or not so bad? Let me know if you do see anything around the other sites, really appreciate the help!

Thanks all.

Ss52 · Jul 5, 2019

What do you think of these?

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.10-ct-F-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D43245224

https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.40-ct-H-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Oval-Diamond/D43143560?rfr=similar

Molotov Rocktail · Jul 5, 2019

@Ss52 Thanks for the suggestions, I do like the first one quite a bit! It's got a nice set of specs and I like the cut. The second one is nice too, especially with the pricing but not sure if I need the extra carat so much (and would probably prefer/lean not to have as much Fluor)?

I'll keep an eye on that 1st adiamor stone while looking to see if there's anything else out there...

Sunshine812 · Aug 2, 2019

@Molotov Rocktail
Hi, I too am in the market for an Oval, but seems like for my budget I need to look at the 1.5 range. I’ve always been set on 2 CT’s but from all the posts it’s about the cut not carat. I also thought I wanted the traditional until I saw the AVs.
I was very curious to see what you decided to buy, traditional or oval?

Molotov Rocktail · Aug 3, 2019

@Sunshine812 I ended up going with the AV elyque oval after all. It looks as good if not better in person. The face-up size is maybe a little smaller by around 10% perhaps but YMMV--I think it was definitely worth it.

Starfacet · Aug 3, 2019

Molotov Rocktail said:
@Sunshine812 I ended up going with the AV elyque oval after all. It looks as good if not better in person. The face-up size is maybe a little smaller by around 10% perhaps but YMMV--I think it was definitely worth it.

Welcome to the Opulence/Elyque club!! I love staring at mine. Please post photos!

Sunshine812 · Aug 4, 2019

@Molotave Rocktail
@Starfacet

“Welcome to the Opulence/Elyque club!!”

Please send me pictures, I just bought an Elyque and would like to see both yours. All the details too, please. I’ll send a pic and video of mine, it’s beautiful, can’t wait to see it!

Have a question, did either of you get a smaller diamond because of price? I’m a little sad because I always thought 10K-12K could buy a nice 2 ct oval, but I eventually had to tell myself the cut is better than size, so I went down to a 1.51. It’s a gorgeous elyque.

Another question, did either of you try to purchase a 1.5 to 2 cts? I found there was a shortage of 1.53 and 1.80, not many to choose from in that range.

Thank you for anything you can share...

My elyque is on the left (J)

Sunshine812 · Aug 4, 2019

Molotov Rocktail said:
@Sunshine812 I ended up going with the AV elyque oval after all. It looks as good if not better in person. The face-up size is maybe a little smaller by around 10% perhaps but YMMV--I think it was definitely worth it.

Please see my message below

Starfacet · Aug 4, 2019

Sunshine812 said:
@Molotave Rocktail
@Starfacet

Have a question, did either of you get a smaller diamond because of price? I’m a little sad because I always thought 10K-12K could buy a nice 2 ct oval, but I eventually had to tell myself the cut is better than size, so I went down to a 1.51. It’s a gorgeous elyque.

Another question, did either of you try to purchase a 1.5 to 2 cts? I found there was a shortage of 1.53 and 1.80, not many to choose from in that range.

Hi @Sunshine812! I actually bought my 1.53 to go into a particular setting. I had Saturn Jewels make a platinum vintage halo ring, but once the stone was in, I felt it got lost in the setting. The I put the oval up for sale because of some unexpected bills, but I was able to sell some other things and keep the oval. Yippee!! I then had David Klass set it onto one of the bands that he has on Etsy. The new setting is 18K yellow gold.
Here is the oval in the Saturn setting: https://www.instagram.com/p/BfNGU8uBFUJ/
Here is the setting with a vintage sapphire that I already had:

and here is my DK shown below my two-tone three-stone:

Looking back, if I had known that I was going to be setting the oval like that, I might have sprung for a 2 ct., but I also wanted an AVR, so I opted to go that route instead.
Enjoy your Elyque! The halo setting is gorgeous!!

Sunshine812 · Aug 4, 2019

@Starfacet
The bottom pic is with your 1.53 Elyque, correct? It’s beautiful. Your vintage halo is beautiful too. Are you happy with your Elyque?
So you said if you would have known you were going to put it in that set, which set, the 18k band or the vintage halo?
Please give me your honest opinion, do you think my halo is a little too big for my Elyque?

Starfacet · Aug 4, 2019

Sunshine812 said:
@Starfacet
The bottom pic is with your 1.53 Elyque, correct? It’s beautiful. Your vintage halo is beautiful too. Are you happy with your Elyque?
So you said if you would have known you were going to put it in that set, which set, the 18k band or the vintage halo?
Please give me your honest opinion, do you think my halo is a little too big for my Elyque?

Hi yes I'm delighted with my Elyque!! And yes, it's my 1.53 G SI1 in the lower ring. I was saying that if I had not picked a halo that dictated a certain size stone like the Saturn, I might have considered a 2 CT, but on the other hand, I did want an AVR, so I had to spread the cost over both stones. I'm actually considering resetting my AVR into a halo since my oval is in more of a solitaire type setting!

I think your halo setting is perfect! Personally, I wouldn't change a thing!! Is it yellow or rose gold?

Sunshine812 · Aug 4, 2019

Starfacet said:
Hi yes I'm delighted with my Elyque!! And yes, it's my 1.53 G SI1 in the lower ring. I was saying that if I had not picked a halo that dictated a certain size stone like the Saturn, I might have considered a 2 CT, but on the other hand, I did want an AVR, so I had to spread the cost over both stones. I'm actually considering resetting my AVR into a halo since my oval is in more of a solitaire type setting!

I think your halo setting is perfect! Personally, I wouldn't change a thing!! Is it yellow or rose gold?

I think a halo for your AVR would look really nice.

Thank you for your opinion on my halo, I was not sure if I needed to have the same size diamonds on halo and shank. Per pic, the halo has 2mm and shank has 1.8mm. It is Rose Gold.

OoohShiny · Aug 4, 2019

Sunshine812 said:
@Molotave Rocktail
@Starfacet

“Welcome to the Opulence/Elyque club!!”

Please send me pictures, I just bought an Elyque and would like to see both yours. All the details too, please. I’ll send a pic and video of mine, it’s beautiful, can’t wait to see it!

Have a question, did either of you get a smaller diamond because of price? I’m a little sad because I always thought 10K-12K could buy a nice 2 ct oval, but I eventually had to tell myself the cut is better than size, so I went down to a 1.51. It’s a gorgeous elyque.

Another question, did either of you try to purchase a 1.5 to 2 cts? I found there was a shortage of 1.53 and 1.80, not many to choose from in that range.

Thank you for anything you can share...

My elyque is on the left (J)

Congratulations! I think you will be very impressed with the performance when you see it in real life

Don't forget that a well-cut diamond is bright from edge to edge, so it should appear larger than a poorly-cut or 'average' diamond of the same spread, such as most 'classic' ovals!

Sunshine812 · Aug 4, 2019

OoohShiny said:
Congratulations! I think you will be very impressed with the performance when you see it in real life

Don't forget that a well-cut diamond is bright from edge to edge, so it should appear larger than a poorly-cut or 'average' diamond of the same spread, such as most 'classic' ovals!

@OoohShiny
Hi, thank you, I messaged you on our last thread, did you get?
Do you think the 2mm diamonds are too big for the Elyque? I just don’t want the halo to suck up the oval. Thoughts?

Starfacet · Aug 4, 2019

Sunshine812 said:
@OoohShiny
Hi, thank you, I messaged you on our last thread, did you get?
Do you think the 2mm diamonds are too big for the Elyque? I just don’t want the halo to suck up the oval. Thoughts?

Hi @Sunshine812! Why don't you start a new thread on Rocky Talky to ask your questions. Maybe others would like to weigh in! I feel like we have threadjacked @Molotov Rocktail's thread enough!!

Molotov Rocktail · Aug 6, 2019

No worries folks! But yes I'll plan to post some pics after the ring is set (and once/if she's said yes!).

Thanks again for everyone's help and the lively discussions around ovals!

Molotov Rocktail · Aug 20, 2019

She said yes!!

Thanks to August Vintage for a beautiful diamond, and KATKIM for a beautiful setting.

Thanks also to the PriceScope community for all your help!

meely · Aug 20, 2019

Beautiful! I love the ring what a stunning setting its really unusual.

tyty333 · Aug 20, 2019

That is unique and beautiful! Love the setting/AV oval combo! Congratulations!

Help with a traditional oval?

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