Many people shopping for diamonds have at one time or another come across the term “hearts and arrows”. However, what most don’t understand is that this is an industry generic term used to describe the optical symmetry of a diamond and has nothing to do with a particular diamond brand or even diamond shape.
For example, when a round brilliant diamond’s facets are in perfect alignment to one another the resulting effect is a “hearts” pattern as seen through the pavilion of the diamond and an “arrows” pattern as seen through the crown of the diamond. This pattern has varying degrees of perfect symmetry but suffice it to say that only the most precisely cut diamonds exhibit this optical symmetry as an overall effect of cut precision.
It is important to understand that optical symmetry is produced by the internal light reflection of the diamond crystal and depends on the overall size, shape and placement of the various facets. Interestingly, a stone can be graded an Excellent or Ideal for symmetry and not show the H&A pattern while another diamond may show a beautiful hearts and arrows pattern but not have the highest symmetry grade.
The reason these diamonds are in high demand but are not available in every retail store or diamond website is because this cut requires a greater amount of the rough diamond to be polished away. It also takes two to three times longer to cut a hearts and arrows diamond in comparison to an average cut stone. This explains why these diamonds are sold at a premium and are not readily available from every retail and mom and pop jewelry store.
One popular jewelry website that does specialize in these superior cut diamonds is Whiteflash. This online retailer has been selling these specialty cut diamonds for more than a decade and has amassed a following of very discerning and happy repeat customers. Whiteflash is based in Texas, but ships their diamonds and diamond jewelry all around the world. They have one retail store but mostly conduct their jewelry transactions via their extensive website. This diamond vendor caters to only the best cut round brilliant and princess cut diamonds in the world. They not only have magnified pictures of each of their in-house diamonds, but they also provide other technologically advanced information like light reflector images that give the customer an idea of exactly how their diamond will shine and sparkle. To date, Whiteflash is only one of perhaps 3 other vendors on the internet that provides this extent of information on each of their diamonds.
Hearts and Arrows diamonds are more expensive than your average “very good” to “ideal” cut diamond because they possess optical properties that show the skill and technological advancement in diamond cutting. These diamonds are the wave of the future and as more and more people become educated in how and why cut is the most important aspect to purchasing a diamond it is a no-brainer that most people will choose to invest in these higher quality cut stones.