heart shaped diamonds

[flagenta]

I decided I must have a heart shaped diamond for my engagement ring! But is it true that they are of less value than other cuts appreciation wise? Also, I don''t know anything about what kind of depth or dimensions they should have. PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

[jennalyns]

I don''t know either but I think they''re really cool. I was looking at them originally, but the setting I wanted only could hold a round... maybe a good excuse for a right hand ring someday! good luck with your search!

 

[michela002]

I know nothing of the "ideal" specs for a heart shaped diamond, but I think if you want one, go for it.

An engagement ring has enormous symbolic value - its "resell" value shouldn''t matter. Go for what you love, and who cares what others deem it to be worth.

 

[valeria101]

Not too common (a good thing, no ?) but... hart shaped diamonds have been these all the time. I don't think there's any chance that this type will just vanish.

They can be quite brilliant, and there's no reason to give up hunting down a well cut heart shape

With no ideal standards, you would probably have to choose a seller and trust their tools for selecting a piece. There isn't much to say about the table & depth & size numbers on the typical cert

- only extreme values are advisable to avoid, but there's no iadeal range.

I haven't seen a piece with "excellent symmetry" (GIA words), but "very good" exist and the extra precission does make a difference, IMO.

Of all the tools for selecting ideals cut diamonds talked about around here, the Gem Adviser and the IdealScope (idealscope.com) work on heart shapes. Good Old Gold uses both and you can take a look at their website to see what these tools are all about.

Hope some of this helps

 

[mia1967]

Ooo fun! I have a 1 ct. heart shaped diamond pendant (I''ll try to post a picture in eye-candy). It is an F color SI1 with VG sym and polish. All I can say is that it''s very important to see heart shaped diamond(s) in person...Look for as close to a 1:1 ratio in length vs. width as you can find otherwise you''ll get an overly fat/beefy one (I actually like this look) or an overly skinny/lean one. It''s important to see them in person to make sure the shoulders are well rounded and that the cleft is well-defined. Also, I believe (experts - correct me if I''m wrong) "symmetry" refers to the aligning of the facets and therefore doesn''t tell you much as to whether the left side of the heart looks identical to the right side. I''ve seen hearts with one shoulder noticeably higher than the other yet they were rated as very good sym by GIA.

As a pendent I am thrilled with my heart shaped diamond. Mine''s beefy enough to be as brilliant and firey as a round but then when people notice that it''s actually a heart - I gets loads of compliments - moreso than I think I would have with a round pendant.

Good luck in your search...hearts are a tough one!

 

[mia1967]

I forgot to mention...check out David''s "Fancy Shapes" section in the Knowledge forum above...it gives a great tool at the bottom which shows how various hearts can look (using L:W ratios and buldge percentages).

 

[katrina_33]

someone posted a big old heart shaped solitaire engagement ring on SMTR a while back, I think...you should search for it. I believe there was also thir whole backstory about the search and which vendor they worked with and what they looked for, specs wise.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/14/2005 4:39:22 PM
Author: mia1967

''symmetry'' refers to the aligning of the facets and therefore doesn''t tell you much as to whether the left side of the heart looks identical to the right side

sounds right to me (no expert here, just one more opinion).

 

[mrssparkles]

As I am not able to see the Heart shaped diamonds (I am in Singapore), how best can I make sure the shoulders of the heart are balanced and closely identical? A normal photo may not be adequate, I suppose

 

[EdSkinner]

Ideal proportions for heart shape: Table 53% to 61.5%. Crown height 11.5% to 16%. 1 to 1 L/W ratio. Total depth 59% to 63%. Girdle: thin to slightly thick. I knew somebody had to like this cut or they wouldn''t make them. To me I just think they are tacky.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hearts are not of less value than other shapes, but I''ve heard that they are difficult to cut.

 

[pearcrazy]

Date: 12/16/2005 9:28:15 AM
Author: HAMMER
Ideal proportions for heart shape: Table 53% to 61.5%. Crown height 11.5% to 16%. 1 to 1 L/W ratio. Total depth 59% to 63%. Girdle: thin to slightly thick. I knew somebody had to like this cut or they wouldn''t make them. To me I just think they are tacky.

Well in the first part of your post you answered some of her questions. The last line of your post was just plain rude. I don''t think she was asking anyone''s opinion as to what we thought of them.

 

[luvn2oxfrd]

Date: 12/16/2005 9:28:15 AM
Author: HAMMER
Ideal proportions for heart shape: Table 53% to 61.5%. Crown height 11.5% to 16%. 1 to 1 L/W ratio. Total depth 59% to 63%. Girdle: thin to slightly thick. I knew somebody had to like this cut or they wouldn''t make them. To me I just think they are tacky.

>

wow! totally uncalled for.

 

[Agape]

I have a heart shape and I love it! I get compliments on it all the time. I did have a difficult time choosing the perfect shape. As someone else said, they may be too fat or too skinny. I just depends on the look you like. As far as depreciation, I would never even dream of giving mine up, but....I have had some jewelers offer to buy it from me flat out, not in a upgrade type conversation. There are not a lot of them out there, so it really stands out among all those rounds!

 

[princessv]

I''ve been drooling over this as a RHR. http://www.whiteflash.com/jewelry_gallery/other%20gems%20and%20colors/i_DSCN4651.jpg.aspx

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/16/2005 4:49:21 PM
Author: luvn2oxfrd

Date: 12/16/2005 9:28:15 AM

Author: HAMMER

Ideal proportions for heart shape: Table 53% to 61.5%. Crown height 11.5% to 16%. 1 to 1 L/W ratio. Total depth 59% to 63%. Girdle: thin to slightly thick. I knew somebody had to like this cut or they wouldn''t make them. To me I just think they are tacky.

<< To me I just think they are tacky. >>


wow! totally uncalled for.

Agreed

There are several shaped diamonds that I personally don''t care for but that is not what is important here. She asked advice about finding HER dream stone not YOURS.

 

[Capitol Bill]

Heart shapes in the US are few and far between, especially when you''re seeking an "ideal" one. Last year I had a client interested in an ideal heartshape and most of my searches ended the same way - the stone was with a dealer somewhere in Asia (Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc). There''s apparently much more demand for heart shapes in the Asian markets than the US and European markets. So if you really want a stone that fits very specific parameters for ideal, be prepared to wait awhile for the right stone. It may just have to be sent from far away. But it''s worth the wait to see a truly well made heart shape.
Bill Scherlag

 

[cflutist]

Date: 3/14/2005 9:55:08 PM
Author: valeria101

Date: 3/14/2005 4:39:22 PM
Author: mia1967

''symmetry'' refers to the aligning of the facets and therefore doesn''t tell you much as to whether the left side of the heart looks identical to the right side

sounds right to me (no expert here, just one more opinion).

Here are some features that qualify as major symmetry variations in heart shapes (from GIA Diamond Grading class):

UW - Uneven wings, the arching of opposing wings should be the same. Hearts have 2 wings and they should match. If the wings look uneven to your unaided eyes, note it under Major Symmetry.

UL - Uneven lobes, lobes should be equal in height, width and curvature. If unevenness is evident to your unaided eyes, it is a Major Symmetry variation.

C Pl - Culet placement, seen face-up a heart''s culet should align with the belly bezels where they come to a point at the table. In other words, the culet needs to be closer tot he head or the cleft than to the point; otherwise it will crowd reflections into the point. If it is too close to the head/cleft, however, the pavillion agnles will vary radically, and brilliance will be uneven.

Things that are judged under shape appeal:

FW - flat wings, on a well shaped stone, the wings form low arcs, but not so low as to look straight or flat

BW - bulged wings, this is the opposite of flat wings, and tends to make stones look squat or fat

UP - undefined points, bulged wings or small L:W ratios often cause blunt or undefined points

ML - misshapen lobes, a shallow cleft or broad shoulders makes the lobes look too wide, while lobes that are flattened on top give a stone a squashed look

Hope this helps

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/17/2005 9:28:18 AM
Author: cflutist

Date: 3/14/2005 9:55:08 PM
Author: valeria101

Date: 3/14/2005 4:39:22 PM
Author: mia1967

''symmetry'' refers to the aligning of the facets and therefore doesn''t tell you much as to whether the left side of the heart looks identical to the right side

sounds right to me (no expert here, just one more opinion).

Here are some features that qualify as major symmetry variations in heart shapes (from GIA Diamond Grading class):

...
Hope this helps

Sure that! I didn''t know the list.

These ''major variations'' are faults incompatible with the ''Good'' symmetry grade or higher ones?

 

[valeria101]

Hammer, where do the ideal numbers come from?

This is just about the one and only cut grading standard not given as a range of proportions these days. If it can be traced down to whom came up with them and why, it should be quite interesting. Heart shapes are not often talked about

 

[The Joker]

Here''s a GIA full fancy colored diamond report with a heart shaped diamond.

Would The Joker''s diamond be considered a Fancy Fancy????

Joker....

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Date: 12/17/2005 9:47:45 AM
Author: valeria101


Hammer, where do the ideal numbers come from?

This is just about the one and only cut grading standard not given as a range of proportions these days. If it can be traced down to whom came up with them and why, it should be quite interesting. Heart shapes are not often talked about

Yes Hammer, I''d be really curious as to which "expert" would put their name on the load of malarky you posted.
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN THE STATS HAMMER POSTED.
Many very beauitiful heart shaped diamonds fall well outside his "ideal" measurements. In fact, there are no agreed upon "ideal" measurements for a heart shaped diamond.


I''d also join the badwagon in defending this shape.
It may be whimsical to some- not as serious as a round- but why is serious neccesary in a diamond?

 

[EdSkinner]

Date: 12/18/2005 4:15:10 PM
Author: diamondsbylauren

Date: 12/17/2005 9:47:45 AM
Author: valeria101


Hammer, where do the ideal numbers come from?

This is just about the one and only cut grading standard not given as a range of proportions these days. If it can be traced down to whom came up with them and why, it should be quite interesting. Heart shapes are not often talked about

Yes Hammer, I'd be really curious as to which 'expert' would put their name on the load of malarky you posted.
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN THE STATS HAMMER POSTED.
Many very beauitiful heart shaped diamonds fall well outside his 'ideal' measurements. In fact, there are no agreed upon 'ideal' measurements for a heart shaped diamond.


I'd also join the badwagon in defending this shape.
It may be whimsical to some- not as serious as a round- but why is serious neccesary in a diamond?

Go to Accredited Gem Appraisers web site. Heart shaped chart is on left hand side under old DIY cut grading. By the way I can't stand princess cuts or square emerald cuts.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/19/2005 11:41:27 AM
Author: HAMMER

Go to Accredited Gem Appraisers web site. Heart shaped chart is on left hand side under old DIY cut grading.

Thanks for the clarification.

Ok... now, those tables give ranges of dimension for their cut grades and the ''user guide'' page (under Knowledge/Fancy Shapes on top of this page) explains that the top two grades are ''top'' and make it rather clear what these tables are good for and what they are not. That their grades are not fault-proof predictive tool etc.

Thanks to AGS and the cut grading for rounds, the term ''ideal cut'' came to mean some sort of optimized brilliance. Which would be tall order to establish by numbers for a heart shape (at least along the same hair-splitting lines as AGS uses for their grades) and the AGA tables never promised to do.

Meaning - this is clear. 61.5/53 just came out of the blue.