Help with an oval search? 8,500 budget

[CrisM]

I wonder if stocks are depleted due to engagements over the holidays? I'm not seeing much available, or perhaps my criteria need to be tweaked. I'm hoping for an oval:

8x6 or greater
Facing white (H or better)
SI1 or better
No bowtie.

The budget is $8,500 just for the stone, but it could be stretched for the right find. There are some that are available at 8x6 and under our budget, but I'd rather go a little bigger. I wonder if a bigger spread/carat weight jumps me past the $8.5k? Should I wait a little closer to Valentine's for vendors to restock?

Thoughts?

Edit: Actually, for sentimental reasons I'd love for this to be in our hands by Valentine's. But if not, I'd rather wait for the right stone. My husband was worth waiting for!

 

[Niel]

I would contact gold old gold. They are fantastic at findjng fancies and they will pick you a few and show you a vid so you can see how they look for light performance and color. I think youre right ja seems depleted as of late

 

[Roxy]

I would contact gold old gold. They are fantastic at findjng fancies and they will pick you a few and show you a vid so you can see how they look for light performance and color. I think youre right ja seems depleted as of late

Niel is right about Good Old Gold. In fact they currently have a 1.37ct (8.95 x 6.51) D/SI1 listed on their website for $8,755. The reason I'm mentioning this one is because Jonathan already has a video of it up on YouTube. In the vid, he's comparing it to a smaller stone (I think maybe around 1.01ct or so), but you'll get a chance to see how amazingly well this oval performs & the level of knowledge that he has for these stones. Just search for videos by DIAMONDINFOMAN, then search for ovals, there are already a bunch of uploaded videos that you can watch and learn from.

Of course, Jonathan can also have stones brought in for you to choose from (as Neil mentioned), but you'll need to be really patient because oval inventories, in general, have decreased quite a bit since last fall. I'm not sure why that is (it happened well before the holidays), but in one of the videos that he did last fall, Jonathan mentions that he could barely keep the great ones in stock when they come in.

One last note, ovals are going to have bowties (an expert can explain why this is and Jonathan says this openly on almost every video). So what you're looking for is a minimal bowtie & that's why seeing these educational videos are necessary. You & your SO really need to see how the stones perform and what aspects look good to YOU and YOUR eyes. Good luck, Jonathan did a great job finding one for me, and I know you're going to be equally as pleased with your results!!!

 

[two_little_birds]

because oval inventories, in general, have decreased quite a bit since last fall

Maybe because of the book "50 Shades" and this being the ring style Christian proposed with...

 

[LibbyLA]

Ovals are only a small percentage of the overall diamond market so there's seldom a large inventory.

liz

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I will agree with having Jonathan call in a couple of stones for you to consider. I just had him do that for me with some asschers and I could not have found the stone on my own. Fancy cuts are hard to buy and the selection is usually not good anywhere because there are not going to be a lot of ovals (or other fancy shape) stocked in every single size at a typical jewelry store. And finding a good one is even more challenging!

 

[Jereni]

Good luck with your search! I was obsessed with ovals when I started out. Just my $0.02 - don't set it sideways. Unless you look at it in the empty setting first. I really think sideways settings make the bow-tie more noticeable.

 

[Roxy]

because oval inventories, in general, have decreased quite a bit since last fall

Maybe because of the book "50 Shades" and this being the ring style Christian proposed with...

No way! I know that was a popular book but was there really an oval engagement ring in there??? That's hot!

 

[Niel]

because oval inventories, in general, have decreased quite a bit since last fall

Maybe because of the book "50 Shades" and this being the ring style Christian proposed with...

No way! I know that was a popular book but was there really an oval engagement ring in there??? That's hot!

haha i didnt think that was the type of book that ends in a wedding

 

[Roxy]

Good luck with your search! I was obsessed with ovals when I started out. Just my $0.02 - don't set it sideways. Unless you look at it in the empty setting first. I really think sideways settings make the bow-tie more noticeable.

That's a good point Jereni!!! If the OP is considering an E-W setting, he should ask Jonathan to do his comparison videos with the ovals in the E-W direction so that he can see it before buying.

The way I learned about my own sensitivity to what I call the E-W bowtie, was while watching a video that Jonathan had made for someone considering an E-W setting. To my eyes, all three bowties were more prominent E-W than in the N-S position, but I don't know what the buyer ultimately decided.

I forgot to mention that tidbit in my original reply, so I'm glad you brought it up. The video Jonathan did that shows the 1.37ct oval is in the N-S position, so I can't give any opinion on how that diamond would look set E-W.

 

[CrisM]

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful replies! I'll keep you apprised of the search as it comes along, as I'm sure your feedback will continue to be invaluable.

 

[CrisM]

I found this gorgeous oval on JA: http://beta.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/Oval-cut/1.54-carat-D-color-VS2-clarity-sku-156099

...but it's out of my price range. Am I correct that there is no bowtie? I'd love to get something elongated like this in a lower color/clarity/price. If I can find such a beauty I'd still want it set sideways, so no bowtie is key. The setting is a semi bezel so much like the Sholdt I mistook it for the real deal but it's the jeweler's own design.

Separately, I've also just found a 7mm OEC that would probably look great in that setting. I'm starting to feel like a tennis ball in a high stakes game: "on the other hand, on the other hand".

 

[04diamond<3]

That is a gorgeous stone. But have you called Jonathan at GOG? If you give him your budget, he'll find you the absolute best. They also have some gorgeous designer settings or can make you something custom

www.goodoldgold.com

 

[LibbyLA]

ChrisM,

Ovals (and marquise and pears) have bowties. It's the nature of the beast. What you are looking for is one that has a minimal bowtie. If NO bowtie is a requirement, an oval is not the shape for you.

I saw something online that posited that deeper stones (e.g., 68%) tended to have a less visible bowtie than less deep stones. I suspect that stones with a longer L/W ratio are more likely to show a prominent bowtie than stones that are shorter, but I can't prove it. It's just that the facets that make the stone oval/marquise/pear rather than round are not as wide if the stone is "shorter" and that would seem to be more likely to minimize the bowtie. I could be all wet, though.

I have a "roval" (L/W 1.29, depth right at 60%) that doesn't show any bowtie most of the time, but in some lighting and some positions, it's there. I have an antique oval that is 70% deep that hardly ever shows a bowtie, and when it does, it's more a silvery maltese cross, but it faces up small for its weight.

liz

 

[Roxy]

I found this gorgeous oval on JA: http://beta.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/Oval-cut/1.54-carat-D-color-VS2-clarity-sku-156099

...but it's out of my price range. Am I correct that there is no bowtie? I'd love to get something elongated like this in a lower color/clarity/price. If I can find such a beauty I'd still want it set sideways, so no bowtie is key. The setting is a semi bezel so much like the Sholdt I mistook it for the real deal but it's the jeweler's own design.

Separately, I've also just found a 7mm OEC that would probably look great in that setting. I'm starting to feel like a tennis ball in a high stakes game: "on the other hand, on the other hand".

ChrisM,

Ovals (and marquise and pears) have bowties. It's the nature of the beast. What you are looking for is one that has a minimal bowtie. If NO bowtie is a requirement, an oval is not the shape for you. .... /abbreviated for emphasis/

liz

That is a gorgeous stone. But have you called Jonathan at GOG? If you give him your budget, he'll find you the absolute best. They also have some gorgeous designer settings or can make you something custom
www.goodoldgold.com

Cris: While a picture of a diamond may look fantastic, you can't really tell much about the stone until you're able to take a look at some of the jeweler's data/analysis and (in the case of "fancy cuts"), see the actual diamond's performance for yourself (ie, moving around in front of you in a variety of lighting conditions).

Remember, ovals have bowties so it's not a case of finding one with "no bowtie" (please see Libby's post), it's more of a case of finding one with a "minimal bowtie for YOUR specific eye". What may seem like an obvious bowtie to me, might be very minimal to someone else and vice versa.

To piggyback on 04Diamond's post, have you looked at any of the videos that show oval comparisons on YouTube? We keep mentioning Jonathan at GOG, but I'm sure there are other jewelers who have made other oval videos that you can learn from as well. I know that it's human tendency to push back against using a specific vendor that people continually mention over and over again because you think there must be a "catch" or an "agenda". So all I'm suggesting is that you fully educate yourself before you purchase anything, whether that's via GOG, or WF, or JA, or BGD, or ABCXYZPDQ ... okay I made that last one up . I just wanted to lighten this up a bit because although it's a lot of money, this should be FUN!!!!!

Finally, since you've mentioned that you'd like to set the stone "sideways" (I take that to mean East-West), then you really need to insist that the jeweler provide mutiple pictures and videos of that stone in the E-W position. Trying to make a determination while the oval (or elongated stone) is in the N-S position is really going to hinder your ability to know how the final product will look. And as Libby mentioned, you might find that an elongated stone may not be right for you after all.