Simply sparkling with a great deal of character, oval cut diamonds are absolutely exquisite. Instead of the more conventional rounder shapes, these diamonds are elongated and elegant. Many believe that an oval cut diamond actually makes your hands and fingers look slimmer. Better still, these shapes come without any sharp corners or angles and so, they chip less often!
A Brief History
As many as 200 long years ago, oval diamonds first arrived on the scene. However, the slightly more contemporary oval cut that you see today, only came about during the 1960s. Lazare Kaplan, a prominent Russian cutter was the one who first introduced the oval cut diamond to the people. He was truly blessed with the ability to split large, rough diamonds into tinier shapes using one single blow–in other words, an expert in cleaving! His discovery of the oval cut led to him finding a well-deserved spot in the Jewellers International Hall of Fame. Lazare Kaplan was truly well-known for his excellent ability to transform the most ordinary stones into stunningly cut diamonds.
Evaluating the Oval cut diamond
CUT
When it comes to the cut, oval cuts don’t necessarily have an official grading system. However, if you’re curious, look for a depth percentage between 58-62 and a table percentage between 53-63. You could always ask your jewellers for their opinion, too.
COLOUR
The colour of an oval cut diamond would depend on personal preferences. While plenty of people have a preference for warmer tones, many more like the icy hues offered by D-F colour grades. Suffice to say that the difference between colourless and nearly colourless diamonds is not easily visible to the naked eye.
CLARITY
Just like colour, the clarity of an oval cut diamond is also a matter of personal choice. Some people don’t mind inclusions in their diamonds, so long as they aren’t glaringly obvious. Then again, there are also a few who like their diamonds to be absolutely flawless. While diamonds are being formed in the earth, they are riddled with clarity characteristics. These take the form of minute irregularities. Based on the diamond size or the diamond colour, these irregularities may not always be visible. But when you’re picking an oval cut diamond, we suggest going for an Sl1 clarity grade or higher.
Uniglo Diamonds promises a range of diamonds in many different shapes.