The round brilliant diamond cut is the most common diamond cut seen in engagement rings worldwide. One of the biggest factors behind the popularity of round cut diamonds is that based on size, they are the brightest of all diamonds available on the market. For a bride that wishes to stand out distinctively from the crowd though, you would normally choose something unconventional, which is where oval engagement rings come into the picture.
Characteristics of Oval Cut Diamonds
The typical oval cut diamonds features about 58 facets and has, of course, an oval shape. This diamond shape is just as attractive as the round brilliant, and maybe even more so if you prefer the elongated appearance, which can make the stone look a lot larger on the same carat level. An oval cut diamond could easily be regarded as an advanced alternative to the traditional and mostly clichéd round cut stone. The length-to-width ratio that is most preferable in an oval cut center stone is something between 1.35 and 1.50. Nonetheless, since the real beauty of the diamond lies within the eyes of the viewer, it would work just as well if you chose a noticeably elongated or wide variation of this shape.
The History
It is true that the origin of diamonds which are cut in the oval shape dates back hundreds of years; however, the modern oval cut only came out and around by 1957. Lazare Kaplan, a diamond cutter of the time who was of Russian origin, was the one that discovered this diamond cut. Kaplan in fact came from a whole family of jewelers — it was his uncle Abraham Tolkowsky who devised the ideal diamond cut. Even prior to his creation of the modern day oval, Kaplan was famous for his skill at cleaving gemstones, which is how badly flawed or cracked diamonds are cut to a smaller size.
Kaplan mastered the art so completely that he even attempted to cleave some diamonds which were deemed worthless or useless by many other established diamond cutters of the time. Through his dexterity, he was able to transform these otherwise worthless stones into pieces of remarkable beauty. Even though his talent was much appreciated back then, he did not come into significant to fame until the creation of the contemporary oval cut diamond, which many consider his magnum opus. This remarkable cut really raised him to great heights, helping him become one among the most renowned jewelers in the world.