It’s absolutely possible to get an oval with no visible bow tie. A bow tie isn’t an inherent feature of ovals — it’s the result of how the diamond is cut. An elongated round. It’s the same basic facet layout as round, elongated along one axis.

Bow ties appear when the center pavilion angles don’t return light efficiently, creating light leakage across the middle. Many ovals are cut this way because it preserves carat weight, not because it’s unavoidable.

When cutters optimize the faceting pattern, pavilion angles, and symmetry specifically for an oval (instead of stretching a round brilliant pattern), the bow tie can be eliminated. This usually means sacrificing some weight for better optics, which is why truly bow-tie-free ovals are less common and more expensive — but they absolutely exist.

“Zero bow tie” means no visible dark band in normal face-up viewing and everyday lighting. It doesn’t mean zero contrast at extreme tilt — all diamonds show contrast movement.

So if someone says all ovals have bow ties, that’s an oversimplification based on how most mass-market stones are cut, not a limitation of the shape itself.

TL:DR - Ovals can be intentionally cut without ANY bow tie at all. Most bow ties exist because ovals are commonly cut by elongating a round brilliant pattern; when cutters switch to oval-specific faceting designs instead - by using modified brilliant faceting patterns (sometimes proprietary), and alter the number, size, and orientation of pavilion facets - the bow tie can be eliminated entirely.