Antique Oval Engagement Rings May Be Hard To Find

It can be somewhat difficult to find an oval cut diamond ring due to the difficulty in cutting such as shape, however some antique oval engagement rings are found among collectors. When rough diamonds are inspected for their use, it is not only the cut and clarity of the stone that is considered before cutting, it is also how the finished diamond will appear in the setting. Today’s diamond companies can use computer modeling to get a visual representation of how the diamond will react to light, something that was not available when antique jewelry was being made.

There are some inherent problems with oval cut diamonds, in addition to the difficulty in cutting the basic shape, if the outer bevel is too weak, it may chip during cutting or during setting. It can also chip causing the diamond to fall out of the setting. For this reason many of antique oval engagement rings used a bezel to hold the stone in the setting, hiding the outer edge of the stone.

More modern setting may use four or more prongs with which to hold the stone in the setting, helping to protect the outer rim from damage. However, cutting stones by hand for antique oval engagement rings took a lot of time, not just in the cutting process but also the planning process.

Surface Is Lost During Oval Cutting

In many case, the older pyramid cut was used in engagement or wedding rings, due to the ease of making the cuts. It also allowed for more of the diamond to be used and not lost on the cutting table. Many diamond cutters believe the teardrop shape is the most efficient shape for cutting diamonds and therefore the most economical.

The manufacture of antique oval engagement rings may have been done only reluctantly due to the amount of the stone wasted during the cut. Additionally, more modern methods used to determine how to cut a stone to maintain its brilliance and clarity were not available 60 or 70 years ago.

It took a lot of planning to use the most of a diamond in a setting and cutting shapes other than those recognized 100 years ago, and many diamond companies were not willing to make a cut with which they could not realize the maximum return on their investment. While the search for antique oval engagement rings can be successful, the price should be expected to be well above rings with stones of similar weight.