HOF versus H&A

[mikemaz]

What is the difference in a Heart on Fire diamond versus an H&A from GOG or a ACA from Whiteflash?

Is a HOF that much more superior... and if so, how? Is it noticeable to the naked eye?

 

[Shay37]

In my opinion, they are not worth the mark up. Here is a link to the new ACA and halo setting with ACA melee I just bought. You tell me if you think that HOF is enough better or better at all. link

Shay

 

[valeria101]

A search for ''HOF'' on the forum should yild a range of opinions... but not too many HOFs. Many ended up getting other H&As. Take a look.

 

[MissAva]

I would say no. I have seen HOF diamonds are while they are lovely, I would not say that they were any more attractive then the H&A diamonds that I veiwed at GOG over the summer. HOF diamonds demand their price based on their superior cut, however both WF and GOG and many of the other diamond vendors here on Pricescope carry ideal cut diamonds. It doesnt seem resonable to spend the extra money for the HOF brand name.

 

[perry]

Hearts On Fire (HOF) is one of 2 major branded stones that are sold in jewelry stores - that are super ideal cut. The other is Eight Star (8*).

If you look at enough diamonds you will note that each line has a relitively distinctive look (and they look differerent from each other).

Also, there is a certain "appeal" to some people about owning a HOF or a 8*

GOG, NiceIce, and a few others have great looking diamonds - but they may span a wide range of "looks."

Whiteflash A Cut Above (ACA) and Infinity diamonds also tend to a specific look.

Bottom line. If you are after the "look" of a HOF or a 8*, or are interested in the appeal of owning a HOF or 8* then the price is not a real issue (and I believe that their prices are fair for premium jewelry store diamonds - certianly a lot better value than much of the "dead" diamonds sold at jewelry store markups). In that case, go for it. I will not object - and you will know that you own a very nicely cut diamonds. While some people cannot seem to understand that some things are worth paying extra for - I do understand that.

GOG, NiceIce, and perhaps a few others can do a search of their supreideal cut diamonds and eventually find one that matches the typical look of a HOF or a 8* - for less money.

If all you want is a great cut diamond - and are not that knowlagable or sensitive to the "look" then GOG, NiceIce, Whiteflash ACA, Wink''s Infinity, and several other vendors can help you for less money.

Hope this helps.

Perry

 

[belle]

Date: 9/29/2005 8:37:31 PM
Author:mikemaz
What is the difference in a Heart on Fire diamond versus an H&A from GOG or a ACA from Whiteflash?
Is a HOF that much more superior... and if so, how? Is it noticeable to the naked eye?

the main difference would be in the minor facet construction. as far as aca''s go...they are the most consistent in their specs, so in my opinion, they are actually superior.
i would rather pay for actual quality in a stone as opposed to the premium associated with mass market branding.

 

[Mara]

There are few other threads on here with this same Q and possibly same name...search the archives for more info.

But I will say that HOF are stunning but in reality they are just a branded H&A...and they come with a steep markup over even other branded H&A's like an ACA or other non-branded but precisely cut H&A's like what you'd find with some other vendors, like GOG.

So for me personally, I'd say that ACA and other brands/precisely cut stones can compare quite nicely if not better and I wouldn't spend the extra for a HOF. Good luck!

 

[mrsstone]

HOF and Hearts and arrows are really the same thing except HOF is branded by one cutting house. These two things are selling tools to make you think that you bought a perfect diamond. By using an idealscope, it is a very cheap way of convincing a customer that they are buying an ideal diamond. The problem is not all H and A diamonds are ideal. Not all ideal diamonds are H & A. You can have a Hearts and arrow diamond that has a crown height that is too low or a pavilion depth that is to deep or even a crown or pavilion angle that are to low or too high. HOF may eliminate the diamonds that have h & A cuts but are not ideal.. I can''t tell you one way or another if they do or not....I just don''t know.

The Japanese came up with the H & A gimmick. It is much cheaper to buy a Idealscope or something similar for $10 to $100 then it is to buy a sarin machine for $15,000 - $25000. An idealcsope or others in case you didn''t know... is just a 10 X lens put on a cylinder with a piece of colored foil in it. Some may be more elaborate but when you break the H & A scope down this is all that it is.

If you have a sarin report then you have all the information that is needed to make a sure that all nine of the cut parameters are ideal.

 

[belle]

here is a link about h&a

 

[yellowfan]

Hi Mikemaz,

I have a HOF necklace and a eternity band all ACA diamonds from whiteflash and the ACA''s look better than the HOF diamond. I use my ideal scope and the arrows are better on the ACA''s.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/29/2005 8:37:31 PM
Author:mikemaz
What is the difference in a Heart on Fire diamond versus an H&A from GOG or a ACA from Whiteflash?

Is a HOF that much more superior... and if so, how? Is it noticeable to the naked eye?

The HOF diamond and the ACA diamonds are branded stones.....meaning they carry a brand name that intends to represent consistency/quality of the brand. GOG H&A stones aren''t branded; they are hand-selected for quality.

In my personal opinion, no....the HOF is not superior. It may be equivalent in some cases....but I think that other H&A stones EASILY compete on quality with the HOF diamonds, and likely sometimes exceed them. I personally don''t feel the mark-up on the HOF diamonds is warranted. That mark-up is for people who want a superior quality and don''t want to do any research to find comparable quality at better prices. The cost for that convenience is the stiff HOF mark-up.

For those who want a stone of that quality who are willing to do a little homework, much better pricing can be had with the ACA stones or the GOG unbranded stones.

I own an ACA stone from Whiteflash, and it rivals *any* HOF stone I''ve seen in the chain stores. Even the store managers have to agree when they ask to see it.

 

[Capitol Bill]

Date: 9/30/2005 4:15:18 PM
Author: mrsstone
HOF and Hearts and arrows are really the same thing except HOF is branded by one cutting house. These two things are selling tools to make you think that you bought a perfect diamond. By using an idealscope, it is a very cheap way of convincing a customer that they are buying an ideal diamond. The problem is not all H and A diamonds are ideal. Not all ideal diamonds are H & A. You can have a Hearts and arrow diamond that has a crown height that is too low or a pavilion depth that is to deep or even a crown or pavilion angle that are to low or too high. HOF may eliminate the diamonds that have h & A cuts but are not ideal.. I can''t tell you one way or another if they do or not....I just don''t know.

The Japanese came up with the H & A gimmick. It is much cheaper to buy a Idealscope or something similar for $10 to $100 then it is to buy a sarin machine for $15,000 - $25000. An idealcsope or others in case you didn''t know... is just a 10 X lens put on a cylinder with a piece of colored foil in it. Some may be more elaborate but when you break the H & A scope down this is all that it is.

If you have a sarin report then you have all the information that is needed to make a sure that all nine of the cut parameters are ideal.

If the above post is not read carefully, there might be some confusion between the IdealScope and a simple Hearts & Arrows scope. There''s a major difference. The IdealScope and it''s predecessor, the FireScope where developed in an effort to measure optical symmetry and light performance. Conversely, H&A scopes are only able to reveal the symmetry of 16 main facets and nothing more. The whole H&A movement in Japan was spawned (accidentally) by Mr. Shigetomi and Mr.Tamura and their revolutionary approach to cutting. The H&A effect was a visual byproduct of their optical symmetry measuring device (the FireScope). As demand grew, other cutters began cutting for the H&A pattern, but not necessarily for optical symmetry and light return. H&A scopes soon appeared everywhere and were marketed as "secret decoder rings" for diamonds. To date, the marketing machines have cashed in on the H&A phenomenon. But as most savvy P''Scopers know, not all H&A diamonds are created equal.

Bill Scherlag

 

[perry]

Bill:

Welcome to Pricscope.

You are absolutely correct about the difference between a Hearts and Arrow scope, and an IdealScope.

It is very possible to have a diamond with a good Hearts and Arrow pattern - but very dead from a light return standpoint. The IdealScope being the simple tool to determine light return.

I would much rather take a diamond with a good IdealScope image, and no Hearts and Arrows - than one with good Hearts and Arrows and a poor IdealScope image.

Light return rocks... Now, as I mentioned above - there are different looks possible with high quality light return diamonds.

I would also like to point out that a $15,000 sarin machine will not tell you if the diamond has good light return or not. You have to take the data from the sarin machine and plug it into a good diamond calculator program to calculate the likely idealscope image to see that. A lot quicker - and cheaper - to just look at the diamond with an idealscope in my book (besides, it fits in my pocket..)

Perry