The Ultimate Guide to Round vs Oval Cut Diamonds

By Tiffany Moore

From the very beginning, round brilliant cut diamonds and oval cut diamonds became timeless classics. There's something everlasting about both of them, which is why they are always in style.

Both round and oval shaped diamonds have existed since as early as the 17th century. Today's round and oval brilliants, however, are products of the 20th century.

This is the right place if you need help choosing between a round diamond and an oval diamond for your engagement ring. They may appear to be slightly different, but there's a lot to learn about how they compare.

Ultimately, your budget and personal preferences will determine which shape you choose. Below, round versus oval diamonds are thoroughly compared in detail so you can confidently make a choice that you'll be happy with for many years to come.

An Introduction to Oval Cuts
All About Round Cuts
Round vs Oval Cut Diamond: Which Is Right For You?

An Introduction to Oval Cuts

With their effortless grace and elegance, oval cut diamonds are the ideal choice for any woman. In addition to flattering the hand, their elongated fancy shapes give them an impressive face-up appearance.

Oval cut loose diamonds don't have standardized length-to-width ratios; this allows the proportions to be chosen according to personal preference.

An oval shape makes an excellent choice for an engagement ring because it is both versatile and durable. A diamond "halo" may be added to rings with oval cut centers, emphasizing their distinctive shape even more.

A. Jaffe MES867 Diamond Engagement Ring

Adding a pave setting enhances the overall look of the oval cut, making it that much more dazzling and elegant.

To make sure you choose the best quality oval cut diamonds, we suggest reading our complete guide to oval cuts, or contacting us directly. We’d love to help you out!

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All About Round Cuts

It is no secret that round cut diamonds remain the most popular choices for fine jewelry. Round cut diamonds have an impressive history. As far as diamond cuts are concerned, round cut diamonds, and especially round cut engagement rings, are the top sellers in the jewelry industry.

No other shape compares to the round brilliant in terms of pure optics and light performance. The round cut is highly flattering on both classic and contemporary engagement rings, complementing both styles in a seamless way.

As a timeless classic, round cuts have stood the test of time. When demand for ideal cut diamonds emerged, Japanese diamond cutters became obsessed with optimizing diamonds and achieving a pattern of Hearts and Arrows facet reflections. A perfect hearts and arrows pattern is visual proof that all the diamond’s facets are in precise 3D alignment.

Danhov LE104 Halo Solitaire Engagement Ring

To this end, they developed a tool to visualize these patterns called the Hearts & Arrows viewer. There are eight arrows visible through the table, and eight hearts visible through the pavilion. Only specialized manufacturers can achieve this level of precision in diamond cutting since it takes so much time and skill.

Round diamonds have the most remarkable ability to maximize light performance due to the symmetry of their geometry. In the right hands, there is no shape that can produce more fire and brilliance than one crafted with precision.

Learn more about this highly desirable diamond shape in our buying guide to round cut diamonds.

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Round vs Oval Cut Diamond: Which Is Right For You?

The definitive comparison of oval and round diamonds breaks down the details you need to know. Below we’ve provided insights depending on what you wish to prioritize for your diamond, so you can decide which one is right for you.

Color:

Color is one of the 4Cs to consider when buying oval diamonds. An oval diamond may concentrate color at the ends of the stone depending on its facet arrangement and proportions.

As a result, fancy color diamonds are often cut in oval shapes to intensify the color due to longer light ray paths.

The importance of this factor should not be underestimated, especially when considering an oval in the near-colorless range or lower, and particularly if you are highly sensitive to color.

It is possible to see the body color of an oval of the same color grade in the face-up view, which is not necessarily the case for a round. As a result, you can get away with a lower color grade when choosing a round diamond than you can when it comes to ovals.

Even though round brilliants cost more in general, you may not need to get such a high color grade. The color grade matters more with oval diamonds, especially in the lower “near-colorless” range.

Size Appearance:

It has been debated whether or not an oval looks bigger than a round of comparable weight. Many people believe the ovals look larger because they are 'stretched.' In reality, the ovals are only slightly larger by about 0.1%. The difference is almost negligible.

The real difference between round diamonds and oval diamonds may lie in the actual light performance of the diamonds. Round brilliants have almost perfectly symmetrical facet configurations, so when they are ideally proportioned and cut with precision (such as the A CUT ABOVE®), they can reflect more bright light into the eye, thus making them appear larger.

Concealing Inclusions:

A round diamond and an oval diamond both have a brilliant appearance that makes them perfect for concealing inclusions and blemishes. Due to their faceting, ovals, especially, are very effective at hiding inclusions and blemishes. Just be sure the inclusions aren't too close to the girdle, as this will increase the chances of the diamond chipping over time.

An oval diamond, however, has a specific characteristic shared with other elongated shapes, that requires attention: the bow-tie effect. This is a visible shadow that spans the diamond's center width. A large bow tie is something to be avoided as it tends to create darkness in the middle.

Bow Tie Effect in an Oval Cut Diamond

Sparkle:

A diamond's sparkle is an unmistakable flash of brilliance, fire, and scintillation that erupts from the stone with every movement. Among all diamond shapes and cuts, the round cut has the most sparkle due to its faceting structure and concentrated shape, assuming it is well cut.

In order to maximize the brilliance, scintillation, and fire of round cut diamonds, diamond cutters, jewelers, and experts have refined precise mathematical equations over decades.

Well-cut round diamonds have the greatest capacity for maximizing light performance because of their symmetry. With proven optics of the highest order, the A CUT ABOVE® Round Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Diamond, fully demonstrates the almost limitless potential of a round diamond.

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Versatility:

There's no doubt both round and oval cut diamonds will always be in style, whether it's a statement halo, a sparkling 3-stone, or a timeless solitaire.

The versatility of both round and oval diamonds cannot be overstated. Their versatility makes them a great choice for any jewelry, although the round brilliant is a little more versatile due to its ability to be used as an accent stone.

Due to the absence of sharp edges or corners in oval and round brilliant diamonds, those diamonds are more difficult to chip or damage. By choosing one of these shapes, you won't need to take extra precautions to protect the stone in your ring setting, such as extra prongs or large v-tip prongs. This will allow more of the diamond to show.

Rounds, and to a lesser extent ovals, are available in a huge number of beautiful setting styles.

Price:

The 4 C's are the basis for all diamond pricing systems. Likewise, diamond prices increase geometrically as diamonds get larger, quality for quality. Choosing the appropriate Cut quality is the most important factor, and can be the most difficult part of the calculus.

The price of oval diamonds is lower than the price of comparable round brilliants of similar size and quality. However, finding a great oval deal can be challenging, since cut quality is very important, and listings rarely provide this information.

Buying an oval cut diamond may result in a more appealing price, but it may also take more time than you anticipated.

Our focus at Whiteflash is on ideal and super ideal round cut diamonds, and we have a large inventory of fully vetted and in-stock diamonds on hand.

The diamonds in our exclusive categories (A CUT ABOVE®, Expert Selection, and Premium Select) are only available at Whiteflash.

We also provide customers with a full range of shapes through our Virtual Selection category, where they can take advantage of both our expertise in light performance as well as our gemologist's thorough vetting.

Diamonds will never go out of style, whether they are round or oval or any other shape you prefer. Whether it's by phone, email, or chat, friendly and knowledgeable Whiteflash diamond consultants are always ready to help you find exactly the diamond that you've been looking for.

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