Hearts & Arrows - Some Insights

So today I am browsing my supplier inventory, and I noticed that they have included some stones with Hearts & Arrows image. Nice. However, after looking at most of them, I am actually quite disappointed with the quality of the Hearts & Arrows. Have a look.

0.4ct D IF

0.57ct F IF

0.6 F VS1

0.62 G VVS2

0.64 D VS1

Despite the Hearts lacking in cutting precision, but for certain stones, such as the 0.6ct F VS1, it is actually very good already, considering these stones are virtual inventory stones, some inventory that most sellers use. Again, if we zoom out, the Hearts actually look pretty decent. But when we move back to normal view, we can clearly see the pattern of Hearts & Arrows is not as perfect as we hope them to be.

So overall, if you don't mind the stone didn't display nice Hearts and Arrows (at high zoom level), most of these stones will be quite a good buy. For instance, the 0.6ct F VS1 will cost appoximately RM 9600, ring setting will be approximately RM 1500, so total will be around RM 11,100 for existing 18k solitaire ring design. A pretty good price I would say.

If you ask me about performance, I would say that if the proportions are similar to a super ideal sell by people like Brian Gavin, then the performance can be quite close. If you are that type that looks for best bang for your bucks, some of these will be it. No doubt that better precision diamonds should bring better results, but to me, when the item is not too big, what our eyes can observed can be quite limited.

In fact, I can say that some vendors who claim that their diamonds are Hearts & Arrows are far worse than what I have showed you here. That is one of the reasons why Hearts & Arrows is a gimmick to some people. To me, Hearts & Arrows have been overused and mislead customers to some extent. Consider yourself lucky if you vendor can show you Hearts that are as good as what I have shown here.

However, regardless gimmick or not, there are still vendors that sell diamonds that are cut until they display more precise set of Hearts & Arrows. If you are that kind of guy that wants the best cut just for the sake of it, really, do yourself a favour and buy from WhiteFlash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, High Performance Diamonds, and Jann Paul.

In fact, Brian Gavin is so into Hearts that he is almost a perfectionist in that area. Why almost? Because there is really no 100% precise Hearts, just how precise only. And Brian Gavin, is one of the leader in this area. This article by Brian Gavin Diamonds may provide some insights for you as well.