Peerless vs Hearts and Arrows

[Wheelo]

Im still relatively new to this diamond hunting. I was at Jared the other day and the jeweler showed me a 3 stone diamond ring featuring peerless diamonds, 1.5 carat tw round cut for $9999.99. It was beautiful.

My question is:

When I look at a diamond rating online, for example this hearts and arrows diamond:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2561999.htm

how can I compare it to the peerless diamonds i saw? does it have to do with the first 3 ratings? light performance, polish and symmetry?

Thanks

 

[TimMD]

Wheelio, hello again. So to answer your question, many different vendors have different name for their "super ideal cut", a cut above for whiteflash, brian gavin signature diamond for Brian Gavin's, hearts and arrows for james allen, and peerless for Jared. When we talk about super ideal, we are talking about in the light performance of the diamond, the white light, color light and scintillation. AGS (of the grading institutions) has the strictest guidelines and most information on their certs in regards to an ideal cut, AGS0 (or sometimes you see it at AGS000--best light performance, symmetry, polish). Having said that, it doesnt have to to be AGS to be super ideal, just has to possess the dimensions/angles that would allow for the optimal optical symmetry (i.e. light performance). We best view that with tools such as ASETS. Whiteflash (along with Brian Gavin whom co founded whiteflash) was amongst the first in the US to market these "super ideal" or hearts and arrows cuts so feel comfortable that their signature diamonds will have optimal light performance because of super ideal cut. They also proceed the ASETs to show such.

Hearts and arrows is a phenomenon which when looking from the top or the bottom and ideal cut stone with a idealoscope, it will display perfect arrows and hearts, respectively. So companies that provide these diamonds will usually provide the images to show both the arrows and the hearts. Not every single AGS000 or GIA ex/ex/ex will display H&A but be sure it will be very close and will be a great performing diamond. Not all companies have the same standards for "hearts and arrows" so it sometimes can be abused as a selling point, but be sure that online vendors like Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, and Good Old Gold (to name a few) have excellent performing diamonds and provide the documentation to help you see what that means. Peerless are great diamonds and Jareds ideal cut but as I demonstrated to you yesterday, you likely will be a better deal from a reputable online dealer and there should not be any sales sales for me. Both of the 3 sets of diamonds (H/VS2 and G/S1) I thought were great sets and roughly 1.5 for about what you stated your previous budget of 5000. That stone you posted I believe personally is a great stone, that is why I listed it for you yesterday . I am partial to whiteflash because I just bought my ring from there and not only is the center stone brilliant, but even the smaller stones in the setting get raves reviews. So much so I have already bought more a cut above diamonds for other jewelry pieces. I hope that helps and I am sure people smarter than me have things to add too I have purchased from Jared before and they have lovely jewelry so definitely nothing wrong their, I just think you have other avenues to get bigger bang for your buck.

 

[TimMD]

Just to add, a lot of people use the HCA calculator as a selection tool to help weed through bad performing diamonds, with the best performing diamonds receiving <2. Use the link below to plug in numbers and to read about the limitations and use of this tool. The diamond you listed from whiteflash received a 1 so again, along with the ASET and images, should be a great performing diamond.


https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

 

[TimMD]

Actually I take it back, that is not the one I listed yesterday (sorry), on first glance it looks very similar. That stone isn't listed as "eye clean" and whiteflash usually lists on the description when the stone is eye clean, you definitely want an eye clean stone. But you can always discuss it with them. The one I listed yesterday was H/VS2 and similar size.

 

[TimMD]

Ok, too many posts and my mind is playing tricks on me, G/VS2 is what I listed yesterday. I remember another remember listed the H/SI1 set and a very nice set but I would ensure eye clean. I worked with Traci at whiteflash and she was AWESOME and very straight forward with all the stones I purchased. I am posting a G/SI1 just simply to show you where it usually states "eye clean" but again, this is something you can discuss with any vendor (eye clean usually meaning when looking from the top from X distance, there are no visible inclusions, but you can ask for more views and discuss this with the vendor)


http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2564435.htm

 

[yssie]

All peerless diamonds are AGS0 I believe, meaning they score AGSL's top cut grade. Cut is a measure of light output, brightness, scintillation, contrast & patterning...so many things, that are all under discussion!

Presence of nicely formed hearts and arrows is a measure of optical symmetry. A) A stone may have high optical symmetry and leak under the table, B) a stone may have "excellent light return" and poor optical symmetry, C) a stone may have both nicely formed hearts and arrows and "excellent light return", D) or a stone may have neither. Most branded H&A stones (like that WF ACA) will be of variety (C), because it just doesn't make sense for a vendor to pay extra to have a stone precision cut and not ensure that it gets the labs' highest cut grade (which commands a premium) to offset the extra cost of manufacturing, and because the cut-nut market to which H&A has special appeal will also appreciate the high cut grade.

Peerless stones are not sold as H&A, and AGS0 does not mean the stone has nice hearts and arrows.

This short thread discusses a very similar question, I think it will help answer your question.