hearts on fire

[oaf]

I just started looking at engagement rings....but my gf has had her ring picked out since shes been very young. its just less than 1.5K hearts on fire with a platinum band for about $18K. Is that a good price??? The stone doesn''t look all that big compared to other brands that I see. Apparently hearts on fire has more of a sparkle, but wouldn''t you want a bigger rock for that price?

 

[Clairitek]

I have one question before I launch into my response:
Is the band plain or does it have a lot of work put into it? That sort of thing could lead to a more expensive ring.

Now I am not any sort of diamond expert like some of the people you will find on this forum but $18K DOES seem like a lot to pay for 1.5 carats and platinum. I just did a quick search on Blue Nile (just one of many online stores where you can purchase certified diamonds) and found that for a range of 1.45-1.55 carats, VS2 clarity or above, Ideal or Signature Ideal Cut, and G color or above the stones range in price from $13,600 to $44,000. Keep in mind that $44K stone is a VVS1 (very rare, 1.51 carats, and D color). I am not sure what standards of clarity or color the HOF diamonds are held to but I can imagine that you aren''t getting VVS stones in platinum for $18K. HOF does advertise themselves as "the world''s most perfectly cut diamond" but they don''t make any guarantees about the other aspects of a quality rock.

I guess in summary it doesn''t seem like $18K is WAY out there but it does seem inflated by a few grand.

For example, my own personal favorite Mark Morrell platinum settings run about $2,000 a piece and I would be personally very excited about that $13,600 stone so that ring is coming in right around $15,600. I bet you could even do better if you live near a large city with a diamond/jewelery district where you are more likely to be able to negotiate on the stone.

I hope this information was helpful.

Good luck in your search!

 

[swingirl]

She's heard of Hearts on Fire because that is want is advertised and it's a branded cut. But Whiteflash's ACA is their branded cut. Good Old Gold has beautiful ideal-cut stones. AGS certified. So if she isn't stuck on the name HOF you can purchase online and take advantage of some of the great offerings by PS vendors.

So your search begins...

There are quite a few in that size range offered by Good Old Gold.
GOG

 

[deegee]

I had my heart set on a HOF diamond because I already had a HOF 5-stone band that I wear on my right hand and I love it. I had a 1ct stone picked out along with a beautiful setting and was about to buy it when I decided to do a little research, and that''s when I found this forum. I ended up getting a gorgeous 1.32 ct ACA stone from Whiteflash for waaaay less than the HOF stone. I took the ACA stone into several jewelery stores trying to find a setting, and jewelers in stores that sold HOF mistook my stone for a HOF. My ACA stone sparkles every bit as much as the stones in my 5-stone band. I love it so much that I just bought an ACA pendant!

 

[Clairitek]

Oaf-

Today BF and I visited a jewelery to begin our own e-ring research and I noticed that they were an HOF dealer. I asked him what the big deal was about them and he spent a while detailing how much research HOF put into their technology and how the standards of the cut and polish of the diamond are above all other stones. He said that it is actually their polishing technology that makes it above and beyond the finish of other certified stones. Then he took an ideal cut "generic" diamond and an HOF of equal quality and size and put them side by side and I honestly couldn''t tell the difference. He said that pretty much any layman couldn''t tell the difference between the two and that only when you get up to relatively high magnification could you begin to see the difference in polish of the two stones. The major difference WAS the price though. The 1.3 carat round brilliant he showed me from HOF was around $12K.

So I guess it all depends on WHY exactly your girlfriend has her heart set on that particular stone. If its the band she loves so much you might be able to find a jeweler who will sell you the band mounted with a high quality non-HOF stone. The jeweler we visited today offered just that service to us after I stated that it wasn''t necessary to pay the several extra thousands for a branded perfect polish diamond.

 

[oaf]

a 1.3 carat for $12,000? Why would there be such a price drop from 1.4 carat to 1.3? In that case, I would much rather go for the 1.3. I thought Hearts on Fire had "set" prices that were non-negotiable...

The band doesn''t matter all that much. No diamonds or anything in it so I probably will end up just going online to get a nice one, but cheaper. The jeweler was trying to sell me a hearts on fire band but I think that is a waste of money. She just wants to focus on the main diamond. Thanks for your responses on this!!! Its lots of help.....

 

[Clairitek]

Our jeweler did mention that the HOF diamonds are a fixed price and that HOF doesn''t allow them to negotiate with clients so you weren''t mislead by your jeweler. It could be that the stone I was look at wasn''t as high in quality (color and clarity specifically) as the ones you were looking at. Its also possible that he didn''t remember the price correctly on that specific stone. He didn''t look up anything specific for us because we decided that it wasn''t necessary to pay the premium for HOF despite their great technology.

 

[susi]

Clairitek, I have not kept up with HOF prices except for the diamond I have, but, for me, my HOF''s main claim to fame is the fabulous white light return.

It looks like a shining headlight. It''s whiter looking than my Lazare Kaplan ( E grade) and my Tiffany Lucida ( F grade) and my HOF is an I color grade.

 

[Clairitek]

I just wanted to clarify that I wasn''t saying that they aren''t worth the extra cost at all, just that we personally didn''t see it necessary to buy one. I am a scientist and definitely appreciate from that standpoint the technology and all of the thought put into the perfect cut and polish achieved by HOF. Its this technology that does guarantee great sparkle. I can see why they haven''t bothered to patent their technology (except on the cut of the Dream stone which is patented) because they didn''t want to disclose it and let other diamond cutters replicate it.

Oaf- like I said before, good luck with your search and I am sure that your girlfriend will love anything you get for her. Its evident that you want to please her and I think thats great! Shes a lucky girl.

 

[Skippy123]

I would check out Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Winfield''s and a few other vendors for the H&A like HOF for less expensive.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 7/27/2008 8:26:07 PM
Author: Skippy123
I would check out Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Winfield''s and a few other vendors for the H&A like HOF for less expensive.

Ditto. All you''re paying for with HOF is the name. GOG and WF have the same precision cut stones for a much more reasonable price.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/2/2008 1:55:37 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 7/27/2008 8:26:07 PM

Author: Skippy123

I would check out Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Winfield''s and a few other vendors for the H&A like HOF for less expensive.

Ditto. All you''re paying for with HOF is the name. GOG and WF have the same precision cut stones for a much more reasonable price.

Yup...HOF stones are gorgeous, but any super ideal cut stone is! No sense in paying the premium for the stone when you can get the same thing for less. But it IS very very important to stay with a super ideal cut stone if you want the same light return as HOF stones.

Color has nothing to do with the light return...it''s all about CUT!

 

[diamond_lover1]

Date: 7/25/2008 5:50:15 PM
Author:oaf
I just started looking at engagement rings....but my gf has had her ring picked out since shes been very young. its just less than 1.5K hearts on fire with a platinum band for about $18K. Is that a good price??? The stone doesn''t look all that big compared to other brands that I see. Apparently hearts on fire has more of a sparkle, but wouldn''t you want a bigger rock for that price?

for starters, you''re paying for the name "hearts on fire" which is going to add $$$ to the price. like most people here, im not a diamond expert either but it sounds pretty steep to me too. they are beautiful diamonds (but most are, and without having to pay those prices) so if you''re looking for the diamond as more of an investment than an engagement ring than that might be the route to go. good luck. just make sure you trust your jeweler!