Oval-Shaped Diamonds - The 4 C’s
Take a look at our oval diamond 4 C’s information to guide you in your jewelry purchase.
Cut — Although sometimes used synonymously, it’s important to remember that there is a difference between the cut and shape of a diamond. The shape of a diamond (such as oval or round) refers to the physical appearance. The cut refers to how well the diamond’s features interact with light. Clean Origin only offers diamonds at or above a ‘good’ cut quality. Good, very good, excellent, or ideal are the four available options. However, since an oval diamond is considered a ‘fancy shape,’ most grading labs do not offer a cut quality.
Clarity — Clarity refers to the amount of inclusions and blemishes in a particular stone. Each diamond will have a different amount of these “flaws” and will be graded from SI2 (having the largest amount) to VVS1 (having the least). Due to the shape of an oval diamond, inclusions and blemishes are well hidden. For oval diamonds, clarity can be a place where you cut back, making it easy to increase your carat size while still enjoying a beautiful diamond and keeping within your price range.
Color — Color in a diamond actually refers to the absence of color. Clean Origin only offers diamonds from D (essentially colorless) to J (some color), even though technically, the diamond color scale extends all the way to Z. Although it can be hard to tell the difference in color from one letter grade to the one above or below it, color preference varies from person to person. Ovals also have a tendency to show color more than round diamonds.
Carat — Since oval-shaped diamonds tend to appear larger than a different shape of the same carat, you can often get more bang for your buck in terms of size while maintaining your budget. This gives buyers’ more flexibility when it comes to color and clarity. Or, it allows you to purchase a carat that looks much bigger than the one your significant other was hoping they would receive. Not to mention, the 20-30% you’ll save from purchasing a lab-grown diamond could almost double the appearance of your oval stone.
LEARN ABOUT THE 4 C'S
