Hearts and arrows

Hearts and Arrows Diamonds are precision cut variations of the traditional 57 faceted round brilliant cut. They are cut to “ideal proportions” with superior optical symmetry and a specific faceting pattern. When all these factors are in harmony the result is a repeatable, near perfect pattern of eight symmetrical arrows in the face up position and eight symmetrical hearts when viewed in the table down position.

Design factors

The original Hearts and Arrows were diamonds that surfaced in the mid 80’s in Japan and embodied three important design factors. First, they were cut to “ideal proportions”, very close to those summarized by Marcel Tolkowsky in his 1919 book, Diamond Design. Second, they were cut with superior physical and optical symmetry so that they would garner a grade of “Excellent” in the Japanese laboratories. The third and very important factor was that they were cut to a very specific brillanteering scheme to produce the accepted hearts and arrows pattern. This faceting scheme involves prescribed lengths and ratios as well as smaller tables sizes that are imperative in producing a distinctive, repeatable and gradable hearts and arrows pattern.

Less than 1% of the world´s rough diamond crystals are pure enough to become a hearts and arrows diamond. Using 100X magnification and analysis through all stages of production, the artisanal cutters create perfection at 10X global standards for grading and evaluation.

A Hearts and Arrows diamond takes up to four times longer to cut than other diamonds. That's why Hearts and Arrows diamonds look like no other diamond comparing Color, Clarity and Carat weight and shines with the utmost brilliance, fire and sparkle.

In respect of market value, a Hearts and Arrows diamond is superior in value and price than brilliants and other commercial diamond cuts.

Hearts and Arrows viewer

To see the hearts and arrows pattern in a diamond one must employ a specially designed light directing viewer called FireScope. The Hearts and Arrows Viewer is a rather simple device that allows the viewer to analyze the physical symmetry, contrast and alignment of facets of a diamond by viewing the stone through both the top (crown area) and bottom (pavilion area) of a diamond, by directing white and colored light at set angles in order to catch and reflect light back from specific facets and angles of the diamond.

In the early mid 1990s when Hearts and Arrows (aka H&A) began to trickle into America, they were much more high-tech than the grading labs were. When GIA began to encounter H&A diamonds a few things jumped out from the report. The diamonds were extremely round, tables were 55-57%, the girdles were medium or thin to medium and polish and symmetry were excellent. This kind of consistent cutting was unheard of at the time and cut grading did not exist yet in America.

Diamonds with a Hearts and Arrows cut command a price premium in the world's market, reflecting the generally greater time needed to produce them and the greater loss of weight from rough, as well as their generally better overall cut quality. It has also become a popular sales tool in diamond marketing. Although the «Hearts and Arrows» property is indicative of a top-tier cut, it does not always mean the diamond will be the most brilliant, and should be looked at in conjunction with the cut grade. However a Hearts and Arrows Grading in conjunction with Excellent or Ideal cut grade will give a superb sparkle.

Hearts and Arrows labelling

Some in the diamond industry disagree on which diamonds should receive the "Hearts and Arrows" label. Because there used to be no industry standard, one person or company may say a diamond is a Hearts and Arrows diamond while another may say it is not. Most diamonds with an overall cut graded by GIA as "Excellent" (with Excellent symmetry as well) or American Gem Society as "0" (or "Ideal") will have some sort of hearts and arrows pattern when seen through a viewer, although the pattern may not be perfect. All in the diamond industry believe the Hearts and Arrows pattern should be graded, and only those with the top grade should be called Hearts and Arrows. Those people believe just the presence of Hearts and Arrows pattern alone is not enough to be considered a hearts and arrows diamond, the pattern must be perfect to fit within certain guidelines.

Nowadays IGI and HRD grade Hearts & Arrows optimal cut, and IGI have a specific certificate. GIA does not grade Hearts & Arrows cuts, although GIA certificates will sometimes contain a note stating "Laser Inscription: H&A." This note on the GIA certificate simply indicates that "H&A" was laser inscribed on the diamond before it was graded by GIA. Neither the "H&A" laser inscription nor the corresponding note on the GIA certificate is an indication that GIA observed hearts and arrows patterns on the diamond.

In any case only an official certificate can describe the features of the Diamond. It also prevents fraudulent sales to an uninformed buyer..

History

The timeline of the evolution of Hearts and Arrows is:

• 1977-1984 Ken Shigetomi et al. perform research to develop the FireScope.
• Kazumi Okuda contracted by Ken Shigetomi develops a tool based upon Shigetomi's research to help examine diamond cut, this device eventually becomes the FireScope.
• 1985 First EightStar diamond cut by Higuchi for Takanori Tamura in Tokyo after research using the Firescope. A worldwide search to find diamonds which gave a perfect result in it found almost none out of tens of thousands examined.
• 1987 First "copy" of EightStar by Ken Shigetomi of Tokyo, called Apollon 8. Shigetomi's company fails because of quality control problems.
• 1988 Kinsaku Yamashita, A salesman for Apollon 8 buys the remaining Apollon 8 diamonds, develops relationships with the Apollon 8 subcontractors and renames the cuts Hearts and Arrows. Kinsaku Yamashita also patents the Heart and Arrow viewer and copyrights the words Heart and Arrow.
• 1997 Hearts on Fire brands in the US and is the first Hearts and Arrows branded diamond to be sold in retail stores.
• 1998 www.heartsandarrows.com [1] debuts as then only Hearts and Arrows only website on the internet with its sole purpose of introducing these new diamonds to the American market.
• 1999 Whiteflash Inc.. brands in the US and is the first Hearts and Arrows branded diamond (A CUT ABOVE® Diamond) to be sold exclusively on the Internet.
• 2004 Brian Gavin presents his paper "Hearts and Arrows - How They are Formed and How They are Graded", at the First International Diamond Cut Conference (IDCC) in Moscow, Russia. Brian, co-founder of Whiteflash later goes on to start Brian Gavin Diamonds (BGD)

References

• History of EightStar diamonds
• Video: How a Diamond is Cut and Polished at Eurostar Diamonds International
• What are Hearts and Arrows Diamonds?
• Diamond cutter polisher in Antwerp cuts Hearts & Arrows certified diamonds
• International Gemological Institute's Hearts and Arrows Diamond Report
• Video: Hearts And Arrows Diamonds Cut in Perú
• "True Hearts" Hearts And Arrows Diamonds
• (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoz5Bcy8pTY)