What makes a good oval?

[abbeyld]

Hi all. I've been looking on line for a while for an oval.

I'm looking in the 2.2 to 3 carat range. I am primarily looking at GIA stones in the VS1 to SI1 clarity and colors of H or I. I narrow my search to depth around 57 to 60 and table around 58 or 59. I'm also looking at measurement proporations keeping in mind that close to 1:1.5 would be great.

Since I'm buying on-line I can't look at multiple stones to compare in person. I want a stone with minimal bow-tie and lots of sparkle.

What are some other key measurements I should look for to help ensure a sparkely oval? I see about 5 on line that I'm interested in based on the usual...but what will make one better than another??

Thanks for your always wonderful advice.

 

[valeria101]

What would set them apart (in sort-of-order, according to common PS wisedom

):
- Light return analysis
- symmetry
- pavilion depth
- girdle thickness
- inclusions plot (for SI)


My advice may not be all that great, comming from non-profesional, hobbyst's experinence, but there are a few points below you may want to consider:

It could be nearly imposible to find a stone with reasonable depth and no bow tie. The only ovals without one I know of were very deep stones - maybe as deep as 70% - not a desirable feature at all. Otherwise, some bowtie is to be expected in all ovals by design alone. Not a totally bad thing.

Also, table and depth percentages alone will not tell you how the stone looks (the extent of this tricky bow-tie effect, overall light return, what not) so you may want to know more of the stone than this. Online 'more info' usually means magnified and Iscope pictures. The AGA guidelines are quite useful for a first draw (proportions and pavilion depth included), as you say, but could not replace visual representation, in my opinion.

 

[pqcollectibles]

There's a pretty kewl screening tool available at www.gemappraisers.com. In the left hand tool bar, select DIY Cut Grading. On the next page, you can select Oval and enter the carat weight. The next page you get will allow you to enter spec info on the diamond and give you the Cut rating. The Cut Class Chart for Ovals is also available on the bottom of that page.

 

[diamondsman]

anic eoval should have the ratio of 1:1.50 L/W, with around the 60's depth and around 60's table. In fancy shapes it's very difficult not to have a bowtie,and minimal is accepted.
Stay withing these numbers and you should have a nice stone.