If you are looking for a diamond ring for an engagement or wedding, there may be more options than you are aware of. Not only are there choices between having a single diamond (a solitaire ring) and multiple stones (such as a trilogy ring with three), but there are many variations on each theme.
For instance, even when there is only one diamond, there are choices of different cuts and sizes. This means you can choose between diamonds with an elongated flat area like an emerald cut, a squarer shape such as an Asscher Cut, or a more curved diamond.
In the latter case, choices include a pear cut and an oval cut. For many connoisseurs, the oval cut is the most attractive of all.
The Oval Cut Explained
Despite its name, the oval cut is not all curved lines. From above, there is a clear oval shape, but there is still an apex with different facts angled in towards it on top, with more facets on the side - 57 in all.
This means the stone will capture and refract a lot of light, providing the beautiful sparkle you would come to expect with a diamond ring.
Oval cuts are not just used for diamonds, a famous case being the sapphire engagement ring worn by Princess Diana and then Kate Middleton, in this case surrounded by a ring of small diamonds. However, what that variation does show is that if your main stone is an oval cut diamond, it doesn’t have to be a solitaire.
Surrounding it with other diamonds is one option, or you could reverse the Diana model and have a surround of sapphires. Rubies are another possibility.
Of course, while Diana’s sapphire was spectacular and continued a royal tradition for using this particular stone prominently in jewellery, a large oval cut sapphire won’t offer quite the sparkle of an oval cut. Quite apart from that, there are many ladies, and indeed couples, for whom only a diamond will do for an engagement or wedding ring.
Celebrity Endorsement Creates ‘Insane’ Popularity
Indeed, while Princess Diana may have had a sapphire, there have been plenty of examples of celebrity oval cut diamond engagement rings, such as those worn by Blake Lively and Hailey Bieber.
The fact this cut has been favoured by celebrities has made it “insanely popular” in recent years according to Marie Clare’s report on Taylor Swift’s engagement ring, although it noted than Taylor’s diamond, while similar to an oval cut, was technically something slightly different, a cushion antique cut.
Both Blake Lively and Hailey Bieber had solitaire rings with large oval cut diamonds, neither of which were ringed by any other stones in the princess Diana style. However, there were differences, most notably that Blake Lively’s diamond was a faint pink, while the band was made from rose gold. By contrast, Hailey Bieber had a white diamond on a yellow gold band.
Kaplan Or Koh-i-Noor?
However it is configured, an oval cut is simply a stunningly beautiful diamond. Unlike the Asscher Cut or the Emerald Cut, the first of which was invented in the 1900s and the latter not commonly used for diamonds until the 1920s, an oval cut is a much older style.
Although officially named and invented in 1957 by Russian jeweller Lazare Kaplan, there are many far older oval cuts going back centuries and a prominent 19th century example was the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which the British procured from India in the days of the Raj and was cut into an oval shape on the orders of Prince Albert.
Set into the Queen Mother’s crown, the Koh-i-Noor diamond is today on display with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, so anyone venturing down there can see for themselves that the oval cut, while not actually named as such, was around long before 1957.
Indeed, this is a less controversial point than its true ownership, with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran all claiming it is theirs and that Britain should hand it over.
Your Wonderful Bespoke Ring
Thankfully, there will be no such debate about your oval cut diamond. The only questions to be answered will be how you might want it to be presented as part of a bespoke design. This may include a choice of size, of having it as a solitaire or trilogy ring, alone or surrounded by smaller stones, plus what metal the band should be made from.
Whatever the details, we can enjoy creating the perfect ring for you with a beautiful, traditional and highly popular cut, one that you will feel great pride and joy in wearing for many years to come.