Hearts and Arrows Diamonds are accurate and precision cut modules of
the traditional 57 faceted round brilliant cut. This phenomenon was
registered as a patent by Kinsaku Yamashita. The Japanese are known for
being perfectionists and this entire process was developed initially by
them. All polished round diamonds usually have some properties of the
eight hearts and arrows but on most of these diamonds, they are not
fully pronounced and visible. Diamonds which are cut to "ideal
proportions" with perfect optical symmetry and a specific faceting
pattern can achieve the status of a Hearts and Arrows Diamond. This
results in a perfect pattern of eight symmetrical arrows when the
diamond is viewed in the face up position and eight symmetrical hearts
when it is viewed in the table down position as shown in the picture. So
when you look through the top of this type of diamond you should be
able to see the eight arrows an if you turn the diamond upside down and
view from the bottom, you should be able to see the eight hearts through
the diamond.
To see and confirm this hearts and arrows pattern in a diamond, one must
use a specially designed light directing viewer called a Firescope
which was developed by another Japanese Ken Shigetomi. The Hearts and
Arrows Viewer is a rather simple device that allows the viewer to
analyse the physical symmetry, contrast and alignment of facets of a
diamond by viewing the stone through both the crown area and pavilion
area of a diamond, by directing white and coloured light at set angles
in order to catch and reflect light back from specific facets and angles
of the diamond.
The first Hearts and Arrows diamonds surfaced in the mid 1980’s in Japan
and embodied three important design factors. First, they have to be
polished to “ideal proportions”, very close to those summarized by the
most famous polisher of all time, Marcel Tolkowsky in his 1919 book,
Diamond Design. Second, they needed to be cut with superior physical and
optical symmetry so that they would garner a grade of Excellent Fire in
the Japanese laboratories when the phenomenon started. The third and
very important factor was that they were cut to a very specific
brillianteering 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 gem rough crystals are pure enough to become a hearts
and arrows diamond. Using 100 times magnification and analysis through
all stages of production, the expert cutters create perfection at 10
times global standards for grading and evaluation.
A Hearts and Arrows Excellent cut diamond with excellent polish and
symmetry takes up to four times longer to cut than other diamonds. The
polisher and nowadays the rough diamond cutting software developer
require additional expertise to prepare the rough diamond to be polished
in such a way so that perfection is achieved. A Hearts and Arrows
diamond is deemed to be more expensive than a normal brilliant cut
diamond as the rough diamond loses more of its weight when polished to
ideal proportions.
Marlows Diamonds are a firm believer of supplying the finest quality
diamond engagement rings to the discerning consumer. Hence we have one of the largest
stockholdings of Hearts & Arrows Diamonds in Birmingham in a variety
of colours and clarities to choose from.
Excellent, also called a Triple Ex in the trade.
Some Companies may term these as being “True Hearts, Ideal Hearts, Super
Hearts & Arrows or Super Ideal, but all these “marketing” terms end
up with the GIA mentioning Excellent for Cut, Polish & Symmetry on
their Certificate. We, at Marlows like to keep things simple and grade them as Hearts & Arrows which is the correct terminology without gimmicks, below which come our Ideal Cut which have a Cut Grade of Excellent and Polish & Symmetry of a minimum of Very Good.
