Oval Cut Emerald: Pros, Cons & Fire

The oval stretches the brilliant plan along one axis: our model is 1.331 times as long as it is wide, with 93 facets and a 40.99° pavilion, 64.0% deep.

Emerald disperses light weakly, so fire is usually the score it gives away. The oval is the exception in our census: Fire 71, against 39 for the T73 in emerald. Why the elongated plan does this, the census does not say; it measures that it does. On the other side of the ledger, it returns 55 to the T73's 78.

Is an oval cut good for emerald? Pros and cons

Pros

Far more fire than a round emerald 71 vs 39
Lighter than an oval diamond 1.10 vs 1.42 ct
Slightly more sparkle than the T73 87 vs 80

Cons

Much less light than the T73 55 vs 78
Loses more light when tipped than in diamond 71 vs 92
Two-fifths of the light leaks 41 vs 22

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald and with the Oval Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 2 (Spread) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Oval Cut in emerald (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

Global69, the comparison 73, difference −4
Brilliance55, the comparison 78, difference −23
Fire71, the comparison 39, difference +32
Scintillation87, the comparison 80, difference +7
Spread99, the comparison 100, difference −1
Symmetry98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Shape-norm64, the comparison 84, difference −20
Tilt71, the comparison 77, difference −6

Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring.

Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What emerald gains in an oval cut

Far more fire than a round emerald

Fire 71 against 39 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 32 points higher

In our census the oval returns more colour to the eye than any other cut we measure in emerald, rounds included. It is still a long way from the same oval in diamond, at 92.

Oval cut in emerald face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 71) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

T73 round brilliant in emerald face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 39) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Lighter than an oval diamond

1.10 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.42 ct for the same cut in diamond (−23%)

Measured 6.5 mm across its width, the oval comes to 1.10 ct in emerald and 1.42 ct in diamond. Beryl's specific gravity of 2.72 makes the difference.

A Oval Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Oval Cut page

Slightly more sparkle than the T73

Scintillation 87 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 7 points higher

93 facets against 73: a modest gain in scintillation, the same in any stone.

Oval Cut · 93 facets · Scintillation 87

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Scintillation 80

Scintillation follows the number of facets: more facets, more and smaller flashes as the stone moves. Count the facets in each crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: Compare the Scintillation spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

The catch with an oval emerald

Much less light than the T73

Brilliance 55 against 78 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 23 points lower

55 against 78. Ovals are prone to a darker band across the middle, which we do not score; the census figure covers the whole face. Oddly, the same oval in diamond returns less, 47.

Oval cut in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 55) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

T73 round brilliant in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 78) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: For light in emerald, the Cushion Cut Emerald returns 74 among the fancy shapes, and DG-M5 Emerald 90 as a round.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

Loses more light when tipped than in diamond

Tilt 71 against 92 for the Oval Cut in diamond: 21 points lower

Tilted 20°, it keeps 71 of its face-up light; the diamond oval keeps 92.

Oval cut in emerald tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 36% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Oval cut in emerald tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 46% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Ovals are mostly seen face-up in a ring; the loss shows at an angle. For a steadier fancy shape, the Square Cut Emerald keeps 85 at 68 brilliance.

Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Two-fifths of the light leaks

Leakage 41 against 22 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 19 points higher

41% in our census, nearly twice the T73's 22% in emerald. The pavilion figure is 40.99°, above the 39.4° guide minimum for round designs, so a shallow main angle is not the obvious cause.

What helps: The share follows the angles, not the size. The Cushion Cut Emerald leaks 25%.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Who an oval emerald suits

If colour flashing across the face is what you want from an emerald, the oval is the cut our census backs: no other we measure scores higher for fire in this stone. It suits a ring where the stone is seen face-up and the elongated outline is welcome.

If light matters more, DG-M5 Emerald for a round or the Cushion Cut Emerald for a fancy shape. For a fiery drop shape, the Teardrop Cut Emerald scores 63.

Oval Cut Emerald: questions

Does an oval emerald have fire?

More than any other cut we measure in emerald: Fire 71, against 39 for the T73. A diamond oval scores 92.

Is an oval cut good for emerald?

For fire, yes. For light it trails a round: Brilliance 55 against 78, with 41% leakage against 22%.

Oval or round for an emerald?

A round returns more light: DG-M5 Emerald scores 90. The oval gives more fire, 71 against 46.

Does an oval emerald show a bowtie?

We have no bowtie measure, so we cannot put a number on it. The site's cut notes warn that ovals tend to show one where the pavilion is shallowest.

Get the Oval Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Oval Cut 3D files

The Oval Cut as exact geometry: 97 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
GLBWeb, AR and quick previews

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad96 index

Oval Cut cutting files

The Oval Cut as a faceting design: 73 + 20 girdles = 93 facets, 96 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
.csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Emerald: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Oval Cut: specifications, model and files

Oval Cut Emerald: the most fire we measure in this stone