Thoughts on ACA Hearts&Arrows

_____________________
Note: Chainsaw Not Sold Separately.

Why use a big word when a diminutive word would be succinct!

____________________________________________________________
Just a regular person trying to be helpful. Consult a Pro prior to purchase!

Director of Sales at Whiteflash from 2000-2008

Wow that picture is amazing...nice image & eye-popping numbers!!!

________________________________

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein

Rhino
Good Old Gold

----------------
On 2/20/2004 6:38:28 PM Rhino wrote:

---

I don't mean to sound critical but there are 2 notable blacks between the arrow shafts which indicates that one heart may be out of sync with the rest, ie smaller due to lower girdles cut longer between those 2 pavilion mains than the others. 

----------------

Really?  How much out of sync?  Are you suggesting that this stone won't perform AMAZINGLY?  Are you suggesting that creates a light return problem?  Perhaps you'd take an additional minute to tell us how you think those "notable blacks" will affect the stone's performance in any discernable way to the naked eye.  I'd be very interested to know.  To me, this seems a bit like observing that a lightbulb isn't completely tightly screwed all the way into the lamp.....even though the light *is* on.  I must be missing the significant point, so perhaps you could help me out.

I know this will resonate with you because you yourself often say it.......if you were to compare this stone to the wide array of stones typically found on the retail market, I'm pretty sure there would be NO comparison.  From what I see, this stone should blow those (and most others) away.  What am I missing?

Rob, keep in mind that we all tend to get a bit over-the-top in our perfectionism....it's a PS-addition, cut-freak learned response.  I'm sure the comments about the black arrows weren't meant to suggest that this stone wouldn't perform fantasticly or to discourage consideration of this stone.

_____________________
Note: Chainsaw Not Sold Separately.

Why use a big word when a diminutive word would be succinct!

____________________________________________________________
Just a regular person trying to be helpful. Consult a Pro prior to purchase!

Why use a big word when a diminutive word would be succinct!

____________________________________________________________
Just a regular person trying to be helpful. Consult a Pro prior to purchase!

Ana "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." [Souren Melikian]

________________________________

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein

Why use a big word when a diminutive word would be succinct!

____________________________________________________________
Just a regular person trying to be helpful. Consult a Pro prior to purchase!

_____________
Omnia Mea Mecum Porto.

Giangi

Hi Al,

In answer to your question, no that detail will not affect the face up appearance of the diamond and I am admittedly splitting hairs here.  However when it comes to H&A optical symmetry, we are in essence splitting hairs with regards to the size, shape and continuity of the hearts pattern.  On our page of the minor facets I point out this type of feature in a stone we've anlayzed which I will copy/paste here.

Question: Is it possible to tell the optical results on the minor facets by reading a general Sarin or OGI Report?

While both Sarin & OGI each make instruments to measure the minor facets, most software/hardware
packages that stores/labs own do not show this data.  At best you may find a report giving star/upper girdle
ratio or just star facet length.  If the dimensions and minor facet measurements are know it is easier to assess
optical properties of the entire stone rather than attempt to make a prediction based on only the results of 18/58.
So the short answer to your question is no.

This diamond below is a good example to learn from.

Not only do all it's proportions fall in the AGS "0" zone but it's variances are super tight (min/max's).  One would
automatically assume a *perfect* Hearts & Arrows optical symmetry but when we look at the photographs we
see a different story.

Haha! Ok.. so I'm being anal.  Yes we do have here what many manufacturers
& stores would consider a "true" Hearts & Arrows diamond (and perhaps I am being a tad crude in my
analysis, the stone really is gorgeous and we did purchase it but...). A variance that was too wild in one of the
lower girdle facets caused one heart, in the 8:00 position, to be smaller than the rest, thus disqualifying it as
a "true" H&A. Smaller hearts are the result of lengthening lower girdle facet length.  And on the contrary
shortening lower girdle facet length increases the size of the hearts.

We can see the direct results of this in the face up view between the 4:00 & 6:00 arrows in the
"arrows pic" under the table facet and also in the LightScope image between the 7:30 & 9:00
arrow shafts under the table.  Note that increasing lower girdle facet length increases the blacks
in the LightScope image at that point (thus increasing DCLR).

Regards,

Rhino
Good Old Gold

----------------
On 2/21/2004 11:44:06 AM robd1438 wrote:

---

are those spots an issue?  or is it barely anything.  i want this stone to blow her and everyone else away with its shine and sparkle and from everyone elses' comments it will do just that. 
----------------

Rob.....not to worry at ALL......this stone will sparkle and shine like mad from the IS images.

The difference Rhino's pointing out is a technical difference, but it won't adversely affect the performance of the stone in any discernable way.  H&A is a pattern.......and that's it.  While it's nice to have, that doesn't mean that non H&A diamonds are inferior light performers.  In fact, it's been observed by several experts over time here that sometimes non H&A diamonds outperform H&A diamonds.

I guess what I'm saying is this:  all the science is cool and all.......but it ain't the be-all, end-all.  The bottom line is will this sparkle like heck?  and the answer is YES from what the IS shows.  Think of it this way:  by quantifiable measurements, one of your hands is slightly larger than the other.......but not enough to be noticeable when you look at them, and the infinitessimal difference doesn't make one hand less useful (or attractive) than the other.  Make sense?

Lastly, Dave Atlas is a widely respected appraiser here on PS, and one of his "pearls of wisdom" is this:  "You will need to LOOK at the diamonds. Don't pick one just by the numbers. Let the numbers guide you, but not be the sole deciding factor.  Diamonds are a visual thing, not a scientific commodity." 

AMEN, Dave.  

I'm willing to bet that you'd be blown away by this diamond, Rob.  My humble 2 cents. 
 

_____________________
Note: Chainsaw Not Sold Separately.

Why use a big word when a diminutive word would be succinct!

____________________________________________________________
Just a regular person trying to be helpful. Consult a Pro prior to purchase!

We're on the same page Al.  Rob, from the numbers and IS you definetely have a performer there.  Report the good news once you've taken the plunge and as you know on this forum ... WE WANT PICS.

Rhino
Good Old Gold

----------------
On 2/21/2004 3:14:49 PM Rhino wrote:

---

This diamond below is a good example to learn from.

Not only do all it's proportions fall in the AGS '0' zone but it's variances are super tight (min/max's).  One would
automatically assume a *perfect* Hearts & Arrows optical symmetry but when we look at the photographs we
see a different story.

Haha! Ok.. so I'm being anal.  Yes we do have here what many manufacturers
& stores would consider a 'true' Hearts & Arrows diamond (and perhaps I am being a tad crude in my
analysis, the stone really is gorgeous and we did purchase it but...). A variance that was too wild in one of the
lower girdle facets caused one heart, in the 8:00 position, to be smaller than the rest, thus disqualifying it as
a 'true' H&A. Smaller hearts are the result of lengthening lower girdle facet length.  And on the contrary
shortening lower girdle facet length increases the size of the hearts.

We can see the direct results of this in the face up view between the 4:00 & 6:00 arrows in the
'arrows pic' under the table facet and also in the LightScope image between the 7:30 & 9:00
arrow shafts under the table.  Note that increasing lower girdle facet length increases the blacks
in the LightScope image at that point (thus increasing DCLR).

Regards,

----------------

Regards,

Rhino
Good Old Gold