Help me understand what I''m looking at, please!

[Carmel]

I am having trouble comprehending the “Hearts & Arrows” phenomenon. I am still in my infancy in recognizing visual performance and beauty of stones. The more reading and research I do, though, the more I find that maybe what I thought was stunning is not what the connoisseurs consider as such. I’m trying to develop some good-judgment ability here, but is it possible that I wouldn’t know the difference between a rare beauty and some uninteresting stone at all?? Yikes! For instance, I recently saw a diamond and noticed a prominent “arrow” pattern when I positioned it at certain angles. I was utterly turned off. These “arrows” just looked like black holes to me. Did I just see some very poor example of the “hearts & arrows” effect – or is this what all the “hearts & arrows” hype is about? I thought I wanted pure, crisp, white, glimmering, sparkling and unobstructed jolts of illumination – not some black lines representing arrows. Do I just have poor, undeveloped taste? Someone please help my mind from reeling out of control here!

 

[Carmel]

Boy, did I blow it. I forgot to mention that I do not mean to offend anyone – I’m just trying to develop a trained eye and learn about the complexities of diamonds. A long time ago, when I first ate sautéed mushrooms, someone had to explain to me that it was a good thing for them to taste like dirt.

 

[Rhino]

LOL... first of all, noone should be offended in what you do and don't like. I've written quite a few articles on the subject which you can read by clicking on the link below and going to the 4C's and beyond button up top, then clicking on the chapters of cut.

The short answer to your question (if there is such a thing) is that the H&A phenomena is caused by cutting a diamond to certain (limited) sets of proportions combined with a certain (limited) precision which is only found in diamonds representing less than 1% of goods on the market.

H&A diamonds can take on many different appearances depending upon the light conditions that they are observed under and not all H&A's have the best appearance under various light conditions. There are certain H&A's that certainly outperform others.

As briefly as I can explain...

In direct or strong light conditions certain H&A's will have some of the most amazing fire and scintillation you'll ever observe in a diamond. The areas within the diamond that are not illuminated however will appear dark/silvery but the amount of fire/scintillation and the intensity of it make up for it especially when you compare it to other more common cut qualities on the market.

In diffuse light conditions the primary observance will be that of lights/darks. A proper balance of these light/darks acheives the best contrast (brilliance) you'll see in a round brilliant cut. There are diamonds (even AGS "0") that do not have a great balance of this contrast and the diamond can appear more dark (or have more darks) than lights thus counterbalancing the brightness of the diamond.

In ambient light conditions an H&A diamond will be one of the most beautiful diamonds you'll ever see when the facets are functioning in their role as "mirror" instead of "window" (mirrors reflect while windows let light through). When the greater majority of the facets are functioning as mirrors the H&A diamond will light up like a Christmas tree in ambient light.

From your description it sounds you were observing the diamond in diffuse light (perhaps office lighting, etc.) and perhaps in the particular stone you were viewing there were too many darks as opposed to lights (generally the result of pavilion angles cut too shallow combined with improper crown angles, ie. a shallow/shallow combination). There is a technology that weeds out stones like this called the Isee2 which you can read about further on our site. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Rhino

 

[Hest88]

LOL, Carmel. That dark area you're seeing will make for a most gorgeous stone. I remember when I first started looking at diamonds I prefered less precise stones, but the more I looked and studied the more I realized that my initial reaction was due more to an uneducated perspective than a real preference. You might end up still preferring less well-cut stones, but the more you read and see and compare, you might find that as you learn to discern the difference between a well cut and non-well cut diamond you'll start desiring that "dark" area.

 

[pqcollectibles]

The best thing I can suggest is something that worked for me. Call around to local jewelers and diamond brokers. Find out who physically has true H&A's, Ideal cuts, and "regular" diamonds in stock. Then go visit them. Ask to see the varying levels of cut without knowing which one is which. You'll see for yourself what you like and don't like without any preconceived notions planted in your mind.

 

[Carmel]

Thanks Rhino, Hest... and pq...

At the great expense of neglecting my husband, I have spent the greater part of my day delving even further into the sea of knowledge - namingly, the GOG website. The "checkerboard" analogy shown on the GOG site helped the most in my understanding the importance of three-dimensional symmetry vs. chaos (whereas before, I thought seeing the “arrow” pattern was a defect). And, Jonathan, I also studied your articles on cut as well as viewed your comparison videos. It’s too bad that you can’t find something to be passionate about (har har!).

Gosh, all I want is the perfect diamond. I didn’t know it was going to take a master’s degree for me to find one!! I don’t want to start shopping on the Internet until I see some differences in person. However, I feel a bit naughty shopping at a jeweler’s just to see things with no intention to buy. I guess I’ll get over it.

 

[moremoremore]

don't feel guilty...I do it all the time with furniture...I think I've been banned from several stores...