Ann:
To avoid the typical 'bowtie' in a diamond, the depth of the pavilion should be between 43 and 48% of the girdle WIDTH (ref: 'Faceting Limits', G&G, Fall 1975).
If the cutter tries to make the 'culet' come to a point, the slopes of the end facets will become too shallow. For good results, look for an oval with a wedge-shaped pavilion - a ridge instead of a point.
The azimuths (rotational angles at which the facets are cut) are also important to beauty of an oval-cut stone; this is a factor often misunderstood by cutters.
An article on this (recreated from thread 3 yrs ago in 'DiamondTalk') may appear here soon.
To avoid the typical 'bowtie' in a diamond, the depth of the pavilion should be between 43 and 48% of the girdle WIDTH (ref: 'Faceting Limits', G&G, Fall 1975).