Learn About Hearts & Arrows Diamonds
 What is a True Hearts & Arrows Diamond?
Hearts & Arrows is the term that is used to describe diamonds that display a complete and precise Hearts & Arrows pattern. Hearts & Arrows Diamonds are supreme ideal cut diamonds. Hearts & Arrows diamonds have three distinguishing factors – perfection in polish, symmetry, and proportion.
The Hearts & Arrows effect is displayed when all the facets are precisely aligned and the diamond is cut and polished to perfection. For a diamond to be classified as a true Hearts & Arrows diamond the hearts & arrows pattern must be vivid, symmetrical and clearly formed.
A Hearts & Arrows diamond is a perfectly cut round brilliant diamond, which is ideal in proportion, totally symmetrical and perfectly polished. In order for the diamond to attract and reflect the maximum amount of light, it must be cut with expert skill, precision and exacting standards. Hearts & Arrows diamonds produce excellent brilliance, fire and scintillation.
For optimum Hearts & Arrows effect that is created by reflection and refraction of light, the cutter must be willing to sacrifice expensive rough diamond material, losing significant percentage of costly rough stone to yield a smaller diamond of superior beauty. Whereas it takes an hour to polish a standard cut, the Ideal Cut Hearts and Arrows diamond can take up to four days. As a result of the extremely complex cut and occurrence of a rare phenomenon, the diamonds exhibit a complete Hearts & Arrows pattern that cost more to produce than a regular round or even a standard Ideal cut diamond.
Not all Ideal Cut diamonds are created equal. The Ideal Cut with the Hearts & Arrows optical effect is the unique diamond in the world of ideal proportions. The term Hearts & Arrows is a generic description used by the diamond industry to refer to diamonds that exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of Hearts & Arrows. They are created by the reflection of 16 lower girdle facets in the table of the stone. This phenomenon of Hearts & Arrows pattern can only be seen with the aid of a Hearts & Arrows viewer.
When a Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamond is placed in a Hearts & Arrows Viewer, you are able to clearly see the effect of the Arrows when viewing the diamond from the top or the table and the Hearts effect formed when viewing the diamond from the bottom or pavilion.
Do all Diamonds Have Hearts & Arrows?
Diamonds that display a partial Hearts & Arrows pattern, that are not crisp and sharp or that have miss formed or different sizes of hearts and arrows is not a genuine Hearts & Arrows diamond. The Hearts & Arrow Viewer is merciless when it comes to detecting any deviation from perfection. This device, as low-tech as it is, can clearly show even the untrained eye how well or how poorly a diamond is cut. The Hearts & Arrows Viewer can clearly show poorly shaped and miss formed Hearts & Arrows patterns.
Having said all of this it is important to note that all diamonds display a Hearts & Arrows pattern to a certain extent, however it is extremely rare for a round diamond to be classified as a true Hearts & Arrow diamond. The Hearts & Arrows term has been unfortunately loosely used as a marketing & branding term by many diamond dealers and jewellers in order to entice consumers. If these diamonds were to be tested by a diamond grading laboratory for a true Hearts & Arrows status most of these diamonds would not qualify as true Hearts & Arrows diamonds.
Even if a diamond is graded as Ideal Cut or Excellent Cut it does not necessarily mean it will display a true Hearts & Arrows phenomena, because the term Hearts & Arrows relates to the optical symmetry. Both DCLA - Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia & HRD test diamonds for Hearts & Arrows status and diamonds that qualify as true Hearts & Arrows will have this stated on the Diamond Certificate.
Laser Inscription H & A or Hearts & Arrows
One should be careful when they see a diamond that has H&A or Hearts & Arrows laser inscribed on the girdle, as this does not guarantee that the diamond is actually a true Hearts & Arrows by diamond laboratory grading standards. On most occassions it is merely nothing more than a marketing or branding term that has been used to misrepresent the diamond as being a true Hearts & Arrows diamond.
BEWARE OF GIA CERTIFIED DIAMONDS THAT ARE DOCUMENTED AS FOLLOWS:
"Laser Inscription H & A"
GIA DOES NOT GRADE "H & A" ( HEARTS & ARROWS) DIAMONDS
The only diamond grading labs who have decided to note hearts and arrows on their certificates are the International Diamond Council diamond labs , DCLA in Sydney,Australia and HRD in Antwerp, Belgium. This test to verify that the diamond displays a true Hearts & Arrows phenomena is usually done at an additional cost to the diamond certificate upon request.
GIA is not an International Diamond Council ( IDC) diamond grading laboratory
True H & A or Hearts & Arrows diamonds are very rare.
Recently we came across GIA graded diamonds which had been laser inscribed H&A as well as having the GIA inscription or report number on their girdles.
Does this mean that these GIA graded diamonds are H&A?
NO it does not.
These diamonds had been laser inscribed with H&A on their girdles before being submitted to GIA to be graded.
GIA was therefore compelled to mention the H&A on the grading report because the grader had viewed this H&A inscription when examining the diamond. This was irrespective of the diamond not being examined for H&A or Hearts & Arrows status.
This H&A inscription is then mentioned on the grading report underneath fluorescence as
'Laser Inscription H&A'.
However when you verify or confirm the GIA grading report details on the GIA web site the H&A inscription is stated there as 'Additional Inscription: H&A'
This can be very confusing for consumers and is misrepresenting the diamond as H&A or Hearts & Arrows when it is merely an additional laser inscription on the diamond's girdle that has been done prior to the diamond being graded by GIA.
A genuine Hearts & Arrows Ideal Excellent hand precision cut and polished round brilliant diamond epitomises the art of diamond cutting perfection.
The reason these diamonds cost more is because of the extra time taken in polishing them so they attain sheer perfection. A true Hearts & Arrows Diamond is extremely rare.
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