Overall, round cut diamonds are typically the choice that is most popular when compared to all diamond shapes. Although things are changing lately, and oval cut diamonds seem to be rising in popularity due to unprecedented interest over the last few years.
Shoppers all over the world are interested to learn about how round diamonds and oval cut diamonds stack up against one another. Some people believe that the oval cut isn’t even in the same class as a round cut diamond. But we tend to disagree. In fact, we feel that oval diamonds possess a certain type of charm that makes this gemstone look very stunning and quite attractive.
For those looking for detailed info on this topic, please keep reading this article to the very end. We will look over oval diamonds vs round diamonds, consider their pros and cons, and tell you which shape would be the best option to meet your needs.
Round Cut Diamonds Vs Oval Diamonds: Which Is the Better Choice for Me?
Picking the shape of your diamond is all about your specific personal preferences and the amount of money you have available to spend on your purchase. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each of the shapes in much greater detail below, but for a quick reference list please check out this information:
A Round Cut Diamond Is Perfect If You Want:
- A classic diamond with a traditional shape
- A diamond shape that is the most brilliant
- A wide range of buying options
- A diamond that isn’t restricted by a budget
An Oval Diamond Is Perfect If You Want:
- A way to save money on your diamond purchase
- A shape that is quite unique
- A shape that is sophisticated and elegant
- A stone with a sparkling brilliant cut
- A diamond that’s rarer than a round cut diamond
- A diamond that appears larger
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining the Sparkle
Overall, when compared to every other diamond cut the round cut is considered the most brilliant. The concentrated shape and faceted structure is the reason for this brilliance. With this particular shape, it is imbued with the most scintillation, brilliance, and fire.
Do you lose these great attributes when buying an oval diamond? Nope, that isn’t the case. Although oval diamonds do not possess the specific level of sparkle of a round cut, they do have a tremendous amount of brilliance as far as diamond shapes go. It’s very similar to a round diamond because of the faceted structure. Plus, oval cut diamonds also land in the category of brilliant cuts, so the diamond was created with maximum brilliance in mind.
A round diamond is definitely more brilliant than its oval counterpart. But oval diamonds unquestionably have an amazing sparkle too.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining the Size
When examining an oval diamond, we often look at it from top to bottom while viewing it with our eyes. This means when you look at the diamond it will actually appear larger than it actually is. Not only will oval shaped diamonds appear bigger, they actually are bigger than round cut diamonds as far as surface area is concerned. In fact, they are about 10% bigger in total. So when you choose an oval cut diamond, you’re getting the largest surface area out of the best diamond cuts.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining the Price
This particular category is one where oval cut diamonds truly excel. On average, the oval cut diamond is usually the more affordable choice when compared to round diamonds. In fact, they typically cost about 30% less than their counterpart.
Why? Overall, round diamonds are in a lot more demand than oval diamonds, which makes oval diamonds cheaper. As a matter of fact, shoppers discover that for the most part, about 75% of the people buying diamonds will choose the round option. On the other hand, there’s less diamond wastage with an oval cut compared to a round diamond. With the round diamond it’s possible to lose about 40% of the rough.
Are you on a budget? If so, then financially speaking the oval cut diamond is the much better and less expensive choice.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining a Variety of Shapes
Rough cut diamonds have a different visual perspective as opposed to other round cut diamonds. But the shape is typically the same even though the size will vary.
Oval cut diamonds are available in a wide variety of ovals, depending on the ratio of length to width. Oval diamonds can be long and wide, squat, slender, or thin.
When an oval is considered wide, that’s more the classic shape. When the ovals are longer, they look more slender and actually bear a striking resemblance to round diamonds.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining Availability & Rarity
Using the Blue Nile website for this example, we discovered that the comparison between round diamonds and oval diamonds was outrageous. There were 5400 oval cuts available compared to 136,000 available round diamonds!
Since oval diamonds are in such low demand, they are harder to come by and they are the rarer choice. You can find a wide range of round diamonds just about anywhere, but finding and oval to fit your specifications is a lot harder and usually takes more searching and digging to find the perfect choice.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Depending on your views, it could be either. Having a harder time to find an oval could be annoying, but at the same time you know it’s rarer and certainly more unique.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining the Bowtie Effect
The round cut diamond takes the cake in this particular category. Believe it or not, round diamonds do not ever have a bowtie, but the oval shapes – especially the longer ones including pears and marquise – usually do.
Do you know what a bowtie is?
Simply speaking, as you are viewing random oval diamonds you’ll notice certain differences. But in particular, you’ll be able to visibly notice a bowtie, otherwise known as a horizontal line that cuts across the center as you look at the face of the diamond. This bowtie doesn’t look very attractive, which is why many people often avoid oval diamonds.
If you were to take a closer look at other randomly selected oval diamonds, you’d also notice bowties within them to varying degrees. This is a normal thing that you can expect from an oval stone, although a less severe bowtie will have less of an impact on the diamond’s beauty.
The biggest difficulty with fancy cut diamonds including ovals is that grading labs do not give them a cut grading. Overall, various oval diamonds would all have very similar specifications, but visually speaking, each diamond is definitely not created equal.
On another note, even though oval diamonds do not show the bowtie from each angle, and when looking at it from a different angle it can look amazing, you have to remember that the diamond will remain face up after it’s mounted. And as we know, bowties show up on the face of the diamond.
In all fairness, round diamonds will often have a poor cut or misaligned facets as well, but they will never have a bowtie. The major difference between the two is that they rate the cut of round diamonds, from poor to ideal or excellent and everything in between. So you’ll know exactly what you need to look for.
Either way, you have to visually look at the diamond and take a close look for bowties and other occlusions before making your final buying choice.
Round Cut vs. Oval Cut: Examining the Choices for Settings
It’s pretty simple to set an oval diamond in just about any setting, even the avant-garde tension rings. Round and oval diamonds look amazing no matter the setting type, whether it’s avant-garde, vintage, or solitaire. Since neither of these shapes contains corners or sharp edges, they do not chip very easily and extra protection is also not needed when the ring is mounted within the setting.
Nonetheless, the round diamond shape is the most exemplary of the bunch, and history going back several centuries proves it. Oval diamonds are a more recent and unique development. Because of this, round diamonds have a more classical look, which is perfect for anyone in the market for a traditional ring style. On the other hand, oval diamonds have a unique and different look that many people enjoy. Both of these diamonds are classy, sophisticated, and make excellent engagement rings to buy and they’re perfect for other types of jewelry too.
The Best Places to Buy Oval Cut and Round Diamonds
There are plenty of retailers on the Internet to choose from selling oval cut and round diamonds, so you have to make sure you’re dealing with a trustworthy retailer with an excellent track record. They also need to offer videos and images of the diamonds, a grading report when applicable, and even a light performance report when available.
Take a look at a brief review of four of the best online retailers that we completely recommend. Our top recommendations include:
- James Allen – we recommend James Allen because they have a wide selection of available oval and round diamonds on their website. Plus, you can carefully view each one of their diamonds from every angle using their incredible Diamond Display Technology. On the other hand, they also have diamond experts on staff to help you with the diamond selection process. Their rings are of the highest quality and the best designs, which is why we love this making this recommendation. Read our JamesAllen review.
- Blue Nile – we like Blue Nile because they are the biggest diamond retailer on the Internet and have the widest selection of round diamonds compared to all of the other retailers. Even better, they have more than 5000 oval diamonds to choose from as well. Plus they have great products, competitive prices, and a gorgeous array of impressive settings.
- Brian Gavin – we also like Brian Gavin because their diamonds have the highest quality cut, plus they are continually improving their diamond cut process as well. For the best cut round or oval diamonds available today, please visit Brian Gavin Diamonds.
- Whiteflash – we also recommend Whiteflash because their diamonds possess a superior sparkle. They have incredible quality, stunning brilliance, and their customer service is second to none. Take a look at their website to browse through their exciting diamond collections.
