Woman looking at the oval three-stone engagement ring on her hand just after a proposal, 14K yellow gold with two round side stones

Oval Diamond Engagement Rings

An oval covers more finger than its carat weight suggests. That is why people choose it, and why we build more of them than any other shape.
Hand-drawn technical sketch of an oval diamond engagement ring on a jeweler's bench, with a loose oval-cut diamond resting on the drawing

Drawn Before It's Made

Every ring starts as a CAD model on my screen, not a stock setting pulled from a catalogue.

Jeweler setting an oval diamond into the four prongs of an engagement ring at the bench, held in a wooden ring clamp

Set By Hand in New York

An oval has no corners to grip, so prong placement is judgement, not a rule. That happens at the bench, one ring at a time.

 About the workshop

Find Yours Below

Every oval below is made to order in my workshop, so nothing here is a stock setting. Scroll, pick the one that stops you, and I will build it to her finger.
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Diamond shape — FAQ
Does an oval look bigger than a round of the same carat weight?

Yes, and noticeably. A round carries much of its weight in depth, below the girdle where nobody sees it. An oval spreads the same weight lengthwise instead, so more of the stone shows face-up. A 1ct oval typically reads closer to a 1.2ct round on the hand. That is the single most common reason people choose the shape.
What length-to-width ratio should I look for?

Between 1.30 and 1.50 is the range most people find balanced. Below 1.30 an oval starts to look almost round; above 1.50 it reads long and narrow, which some people want and others find severe. There is no correct answer, but if you are unsure, 1.40 is the safe middle and the one I would put on your finger first.
What is a bow-tie, and can it be avoided?

It is a dark band across the middle of an oval, where facets fail to return light as the stone widens. Every oval has some. Whether you notice it comes down to the cut, and it does not appear anywhere on a lab report — which is why I check every oval face-up at the bench before it goes into a setting rather than buying to specification alone.
Which way should an oval sit on the finger?

Lengthwise is standard and does the most to elongate the hand. Set east-west, across the finger, it reads wider and more modern. Both work, though the east-west version needs a different prong layout and is worth deciding before I start.
Do ovals chip more easily than rounds?

No. An oval has no points or corners, so the edges are no more vulnerable than a round. The prongs at each end take more knocks than the rest because they sit at the extremities, so I set those slightly heavier.
Which wedding band sits flush against an oval?

A straight band works with most oval solitaires, since the setting is symmetrical and sits low. If your ring has a cathedral shoulder or a raised basket, a contoured band will close the gap better. Because both rings are made to order, I can size them as a pair so they meet cleanly from the first day.

Guides
Emerald cut diamond wedding band worn on the ring finger, showing how band width reads on the hand

3mm vs 3.5mm vs 4mm Diamond Wedding Bands: Which Width Is Right for You?

|Dimitrios Koukoulis
A bench jeweler's guide to choosing the width of a women's diamond wedding band, and why half a millimetre changes more than you would expect.