When did hearts and arrows start?

[whitewave]

I don't remember any of my friends mentioning hewrts and arrows as they got their rings (early 90s). Has the cut always been around?

 

[denverappraiser]

Cut has been a topic for a lot longer than that. Marcel Tolkowsky wrote a book about it in 1919 for example.

H&A started with the Okuda scope in the 1970's Japan. It was a big hit. After a few variations it came to the US in a fairly big way with the Eightstar brand in the 80's. It went 'mainstream' in the 90's.

It's not exactly light reading but here's the entire text of Tolkowsky's book -- Diamond Design. It's amazingly relevant, even today.

http://www.folds.net/diamond_design/index.html

 

[diamondseeker2006]

People still don't talk about it much, because most jewelry stores do not carry hearts and arrows diamonds!

 

[WinkHPD]

Cut has been a topic for a lot longer than that. Marcel Tolkowsky wrote a book about it in 1919 for example.

H&A started with the Okuda scope in the 1970's Japan. It was a big hit. After a few variations it came to the US in a fairly big way with the Eightstar brand in the 80's. It went 'mainstream' in the 90's.

It's not exactly light reading but here's the entire text of Tolkowsky's book -- Diamond Design. It's amazingly relevant, even today.

http://www.folds.net/diamond_design/index.html

Somewhere, buried in my books, is a paperback book with the details, most of which I have long since forgotten. I remember that EightStar was one of the early players, as I was one of their dealers for awhile, but they were eclipsed in the minds of the public by Hearts on Fire, who spent millions of dollars advertising and quickly became the preeminent vendor of Hearts and Arrows quality cutting in the United States. I believe the EightStar brand actually preceded the term Hearts and Arrows terminology, which if I remember correctly was used because EightStar was trademarked, but I may be way wrong here.

Initially, there were very few cutters capable of cutting such hearts and arrows quality diamonds, but now there are hundreds, most of whom do not do it all that well.

As the preeminent brand, HoF still charges a huge premium for its diamonds, allowing the term used here on Pricescope, "Wallets on Fire," to become fairly well known.

Wink

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Hi all,
Neil I think H&A's started in Japan in the late 1980's.
As you and Wink both mentioned - Okuda, who seemed to be a crazy inventor who made many instruments for a diamontaire in Japan called Shigetomi. The Firescope was one, and I was one of the maybe 2 or 3 people outside Japan to have one in 1984. A lady at De beers promotion service gave it to me because she knew I was studying diamond cut quality for my Diploma of Diamond Technology. I based my mini thesis on the Firescope.

H&A's came sometime after the Firescope - rumour has it that Kinsaku Yamashita, who maybe worked with or for Shigetomi was reputed to have claimed a Japanese trade mark for hearts and arrows in 1988.
The earliest atents and trademarks in USA are from around 1995.

I went on to become the national convenor and Victorian teacher of the Aussie diamond diploma for some years. In demonstrating to students where and how the direction of light is important in diamond cut quality, I cut some strips of green fluoro card board and joined the ends into a circle which i placed under neath the sliding tray of the firescope. Effectively inventing the ASET scope. Al Gilbertson made the same discovery but played with multiple colors making first the AG scope.

 

[whitewave]

Interesting.Thanks so much for all the replies. i appreciate it.