Is H&A better than Ideal?

[rlockton]

So I have been reading all about the Hearts and Arrows and A Cut Above H&A (WhiteFlash) on all of the websites.I live in Kansas City, and our I guess you would call premier hometown jeweler – Tivol, sells stones which they call their “Signature” cut.They have a brochure that lists out the requirements for their “Signature Cut” diamond.They are:

(These are all GIA ratings)

Depth: 59% - 61.5%

Table:55% - 56%

Symmetry:VG – Ex

Polish:VG – Ex

Fluorescence:None-Faint

Girdle:Thin-Slightly Thick (faceted)

Cutlet:None-Small

For the most part, all of the H&A diamonds I have looked at online fall under these requirements.I haven’t gone out and picked up any of the scopes yet to see how the local diamonds look under it, but should I assume they would show a very good H&A correct? Or, is this another feature that these online dealers are looking for when they buy their diamonds? It looked like the "A Cut Above" diamonds on WhiteFlash are just highly polished very ideal (fall under the categories above) diamonds. If the local store rated the polish as excellent wouldn''t that be pretty much the same diamond? Thanks in advance for anyone''s feedback!

 

[belle]

 

[rlockton]

Has anyone compared a diamond with the same specs (Ideal polish, symmetry, etc) but one is H&A and one is not? How big of a difference is it? Do you see the difference from over 10 inches away or is it something you only notice with one of the scopes? I could care less if you can only see the H&A when you are looking at it under a magnifying glass, but if you can see it sparkling from across the room as opposed to two feet away, I might agree it is worth paying for the difference. What does everyone else think?

 

[belle]

you can see the arrow pattern from 10" away...depending on the size of the stone, much farther than that even.

you won''t see the hearts, they are on the pavilion side of the stone.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/6/2005 5:36:38 PM
Author: rlockton
Has anyone compared a diamond with the same specs (Ideal polish, symmetry, etc) but one is H&A and one is not? How big of a difference is it? Do you see the difference from over 10 inches away or is it something you only notice with one of the scopes? I could care less if you can only see the H&A when you are looking at it under a magnifying glass, but if you can see it sparkling from across the room as opposed to two feet away, I might agree it is worth paying for the difference. What does everyone else think?

impossible to answer because even in h&a diamond there are different looks.
I can tell differences in various different h&a diamonds personalites from a fairly large distance depending on diamond size.

But over a wide rangle of lighting conditions the optical symmetry of an h&a diamond will tend to outperform a diamond with poor optical symmetry with the same crown and pavilion angle averages on both.

 

[Gonzodogg]

I cannot speak specifically to the ACA line from whiteflash but I have seen something VERY similar. I went to a local jewler that carries "Hearts on Fire" diamonds (basically a more well known name than ACA but the same thing - please correct me if I am worng).
He let me look at both a HonF diamond and an almost identical AGS000 diamond under a microscope and I SAW NO DIFFERENCE. (Other than the price tag difference of about $1000)

All that being said - I am in the market for a ring and I really considering paying the premium for the ACA.

I know I am kind of contradictng myself, but... i dunno, it is what it is.

Hope that helps some
Mike

 

[oldminer]

A person pays a premium price for "assurance" and for their own mental comfort. Many times the extra money is less important than the feeling that you have done the best you can. If all you think about is cost, then a premium is to be avoided. You shop until you get exactly what you want at the lowest price. Its up to you to be self assured. However, if you want outside assurance, then you pay the premium and relax knowing you have what you intended to purchase. You''ll be a little less rich, but you will feel good.

Each of us has a different tolerance for how much assurance we need to buy and how much we can do on our own. That''s what paying premium prices are all about.

 

[Regular Guy]

Theoretically, ultimately, I would pay some premium for this (H&A). Garry sometimes reports from research from AGS and/or GIA that their research does not bear out the performance benefit, and with John, despite his payroll status, one is lead to believe that, all things being equal, he does believe the precision alignment provided by and associated with H&A is worth investing in virtually every time. Although Dave, at first thought, says it best, at second thought, you really would like an expert to provide education that will help inform the amount of premium this particular aspect may be worth. Although you could say such qualitative factors are "priceless," it is an appraiser's job to provide a basis for some sort of valuation based assessment, in contrast to what a grading lab would do...and largely, these have chosen to ignore the H&A aspect entirely, at least thus far.

Does anyone remember Shirley Maclain's response in Terms of Endearment, when the treating doctor told her: "We like to say, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."