The Mystery of a Hearts and Arrows Diamond

!±8± The Mystery of a Hearts and Arrows Diamond

The 'Hearts and Arrows' phenomenon has been documented in the very finest Ideal round cut brilliant diamond. The term 'Hearts and Arrows' refers to a pattern of eight impeccably symmetrical hearts when viewing the diamond through it's pavilion and eight impeccably symmetrical arrows when viewed down through the table of the diamond.

A Beautiful and Desirable Rarity

An absolute 'hearts and arrow's diamond is a rarity. The impeccable symmetry of the diamond cut means that it requires an absolute craftsman whose cutting skills are nothing short of perfect. When you are looking for a 'hearts and arrows' diamond to purchase, only the highest grading credentials will do and GIA will provide that essential recommendation.

The Hearts and Arrows Cut

In this diagram, you can see clearly how the hearts and arrows design is depicted when looking down upon the diamond. The precision required to cut a diamond must be perfect. Many diamonds may have the 'hearts and arrows' design, but on closer inspection you will find that only the very best will achieve utter perfection.

Each facet must line up absolutely with it's opposite. The sheer beauty of a diamond is determined by the amount of light that is reflected back to the viewer. The 'hearts and arrows' cut allows maximum light and brilliance to be emitted from the stone.

Master Craftsmen

The hearts and arrows cut requires more than a diamond cutter. To achieve this cut, years of experience of working with diamonds will come into play. A seasoned master cutter will spend the time necessary to finish the stone to 'Ideal' proportions. The cut requires so much more time, thought, energy and love of the craft to achieve such a magnificent result. The cut must be incisive and clean, the facets must be totally equal to it's partners and be flawlessly symmetrical to it's opposite number.

Today, science is often used to establish the potential of an uncut stone. Diamonds will be analysed and scanning devices used to build a 3-d model of the stone before it is cut. A master craftsman will know instinctively when he is holding a stone that can be cut into a perfect 'hearts and arrows' diamond.

Time is Money

A diamond that is painstakingly crafted to such a high level will be at the more expensive end of the diamond spectrum. A decision will always have to be made by the purchaser as to whether an inferior diamond will do. Of course, there are many beautifully cut diamonds to match every purse.(see article on diamond cuts) but a master cutter will require fair compensation for the time he has spent lovingly cutting the diamond... and for his unquestionable expertise.

Your First Breathtaking View of a Hearts and Arrows Diamond

To facilitate the viewing of the Hearts and Arrows pattern within a diamond, an instrument called a 'Firescope', a reflecting optical symmetry tool was designed in the 1990's to reveal the precision cut patterning of hearts and arrows, also known as H & A. The arrows pattern can on occasion be seen by photography and some light viewers, but the purpose designed viewer is the only way the full pattern can be seen.

The full H & A patterning is rare. Only 1% of diamonds will contain the properties that are required for a craftsman to reveal it's inherent beauty.

The History of The Hearts and Arrows Diamond

In the 1970's and 80's Japanese artisans began to study more closely the formations of the stones they were cutting. Due to these studies they invented the 'Firescope,' an instrument designed to provide light mapping, a way of distinguishing the properties of each stone and therefore evaluating the quality.

Takanori Tamura had observed many thousands of diamonds when in the late 1980's he noticed a pattern that seemed to represent the Mandala, known as the Buddhist 8 spoked wheel of life. It was at this time that the 'hearts and arrows' template for quality and beauty was born.

Higoshi Higuchi was commissioned to cut a stone with an eight arrow pattern to reflect the optimum return of light and brilliance. It was known as the Eight Star Diamond and was the beginning of The Hearts and Arrow Diamond cut as we know it. By the 1990's The 'Firescope' had been designed to enable those viewing the stone to see it's optimum light performance and it's symmetry in the crown and pavilion...the beautiful and rare pattern that is called Hearts and Arrows.

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