Confused about the cut type

[godiva]

I asked our gemologist what kind of cuts the diamonds were (the ones that we are interested in) and he said that cuts such as H&A is like a brand name.
He said that what we should look for is the "true zero cut grade". These diamonds are also coming out of Israel (BTW I asked about this Israel diamonds yesterday and I received no response) and not from the pile that belongs to DeBeers if that makes any sense. What is he talking about when he says "true zero cut grade"? Should we be concerned?

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hearts and Arrows is NOT a brand! They are internal patterns that appear as a result of symmetry. Symmetry is a result of cut. Brands are Eight Star, SuperbCert, A Cut Above, etc.

When your jeweler says, "true zero cut grade", he/she may be referring to AGS0 for Ideal Polish, Ideal Symmetry, and Ideal Proportions.

 

[godiva]

So should he be able to tell me what kind of cut it is?
Other than the H&A cut, what other cuts are available?

 

[mike04456]

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On 1/29/2004 1:49:20 PM godiva wrote:











These diamonds are also coming out of Israel (BTW I asked about this Israel diamonds yesterday and I received no response) and not from the pile that belongs to DeBeers if that makes any sense.

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Sorry, I thought I had answered that. It makes sense, it's just, well, nonsense. AGS0-grade stones are being cut everywhere, not just Israel. And plenty of De Beers rough goes through Israeli cutting centers.

 

[godiva]

lawGem,
You probably did.
I leave work at 4:00 so I probably didn't see your reply.
You said "nonsense". Does this mean this is a bad thing?

 

[mike04456]

Not good or bad, just wrong. There is nothing inherently superior or inferior about Israeli-cut diamonds. There are good and bad Israeli cutting firms. And plenty of manufacturers--in Israel, India, the US, and elsewhere--turn out ideal-cut stones.

 

[godiva]

So should he be able to tell me what kind of cut it is?
Other than the H&A cut, what other cuts are available?

 

[pqcollectibles]

By cuts, Godiva, do you mean shapes of diamond cuts?? Or are you talking cuts as applied to Round Brilliants??

 

[godiva]

Applied to round brilliants...
Everybody here seems to describe their stones as H&A etc and that's one thing we never asked our guy about. So when I asked him today over the phone that's when he said something about true zero cut grade. So I guess he never answered my question.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Round Brilliants graded by AGS with Ideal Polish, Ideal Symmetry, and Ideal Proportions are referred to as AGS0. Many jewelers will liberally apply the "AGS0" description to diamonds graded by GIA, EGL, and other labs, as a marketing tool.

A jeweler may have, as an example, a GIA Excellent Polish/Excellent Symmetry diamond and represent it as a "true zero cut grade". What the jeweler is saying is, "This GIA Ex/Ex is as good as an AGS0." The GIA Ex/Ex may meet AGS Proportions for Ideal and it may not. Just like many diamonds are marketed as Hearts and Arrows when they are not.

It's a gimick to sell a diamond for a premium when the make of the diamond doesn't really command the premium.

 

[Hest88]

I also think your jeweler is confusing you about what H&As actually are. A H&A diamond is one that is supposedly cut with such precision that it displays a perfect internal symmetry. That internal symmetry has the appearance of hearts and arrows. Thus, you can also have a diamond not specifically cut for H&A that still exhibits the phenomena. Don't think of H&As as a type of cut, but as the result of a well-cut diamond.