Would you choose a 1 carat hearts & arrows or 1.226 ideal AGS 000

[rosy]

Hi,
Please help. I would like to purchase a hearts & arrows online but notice that there is not much selection in the 1.25 range but lots in the 1 carat range. I am considering buying instead an ideal AGS 000 diamond that is a little larger at 1.226. The 1.226 scores a 2.5 on the HCA. Am I making a mistake by buying the slightly larger diamond or would a 1 carat hearts & arrows that scores below 2 on the HCA be beautiful enough to make up for the size difference?

Thank you.

 

[headlight]

Honestly, I don't really know how discernable to the naked eye the difference between an HCA of 2 and 2.5 would be... I'd say actually "indiscernable" -- however, those on the forum who are more in tune with the nuances of the HCA might have a more in-depth perspective on that.


As for going H & A versus AGS000, personally I would forgoe any concern regarding such close HCA scores and either go for the added size or the H & A. Some people prefer seeing H & A's. Others (like myself) prefer the "randomness" of non-aligned facets (old school of thought, I suppose). For me, size is key, so given that both stones are top-notch, I'd personally go for the larger stone in the AGS000.


But, only you can weigh the pros and cons of each and know what is best/right for you.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Can you get an ideal-scope image of the 1.226?

I think I would take the 1.226ct over the h&A's

 

[rosy]

Hi,
I looked through the viewer at the jewelers & saw the arrows, they looked perfect. When I flipped it over & looked at the hearts some were of varied size & slightly "fuzzy", not perfect I guess. What effect would this have on the diamond?

 

[headlight]

If it didn't have PERFECT H & A's, it is my understanding that it is NOT a TRUE H & A, in which case you should not pay a premium for that. If the fact that -- through the viewer of which you aren't going to be carrying around anyhow -- that the H & A's aren't "perfect", and they DON'T charge you the premium for a true H & A, it could be a good value as you'd be basically getting the advantages of the H & A look without paying an arm and a leg for it.

 

[ChooChoo]

I would definitely go with a non-H&A AGSOOO to get a bigger rock for your money, but I think you could find one that performs better on the HCA. The stone we bought is NOT H&A, it's a GIA EX/EX with Sarin stats that put it into AGSOOO category, and it scored a 1.0 (X/X/X/X) on the HCA!

 

[Brian Knox]

Hi Rosy,

There are 1.20+ H&A's out there.

However, if you compared the two diamonds you decribed , the bigger diamond would look more desireable to most people from my experience.

At that quality and size difference, volume trumps (usually)

 

[Hest88]

I'd say go for the larger one. It sounds pretty and I doubt most people will be able to tell the difference in cut.

 

[valeria101]

So, both diamonds show arrows but one (the non H&A) has randm harts. The H&A pattern is supposed to be an indication of top brilliance good to see if there are not a few dozen diamonds with light retrurn pedigrees infront of you to choose from. This does not say that there are not many great rounds that do not show H&A.

You have two - is the H&A allot more brilliant ?

The numbers on these two are such close call.

Any chance to actually see them ? Even in picture...

 

[headlight]

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On 10/15/2004 3:51:27 PM valeria101 wrote:






The H&A pattern is supposed to be an indication of top brilliance This does not say that there are not many great rounds that do not show H&A.

----------------

Valeria, please help clarify for me as I don't know much on H & A's and am confused: I recall reading that the H & A has nothing to do with whether or not a stone is a "top performer" and is merely something that gives a stone a specific "look" to it (i.e. appearance of the arrows).

Thanks!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Say you have a set of 5 diamonds and all had exactly the same proportions.
Say they range from very poor to perfect symmetry (ie the H&A's pattern).
If the best and worst were compared, t is likely that everyone would select the best in a blind test (pun).

At what point would an inexperianced person be able to differentiate between say #1 and #2, or #1 and #3? We do not know. There are experts who say they can pick the H&A's diamond. Personally I doubt that many would consistenly be able to select between #1 and #2 on a consistent basis.

So near H&A's and H&A's to my mind would be indistiguisable for 99% of consumers and 90% of jewelers once set in a ring.

 

[Brian Knox]

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On 10/15/2004 4:53:51 PM Garry H (Cut Nut) wrote:

...

So near H&A's and H&A's to my mind would be indistiguisable for 99% of consumers and 90% of jewelers once set in a ring.----------------

Very true, and if the diamond had a strong arrow pattern and even a minimal or poor heart pattern, I would put the numbers at 100% and 99% respectively.

 

[valeria101]

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On 10/15/2004 4:12:58 PM headlight wrote:




I recall reading that the H&A has nothing to do with whether or not a stone is a 'top performer'
---------------

Garry already did the talking. Just that "nothing to do" in your phrase is too strong - H&A does have something to do with brilliance.

You already have a H&A and a non infront. So Garry's post applies 300%. In the end, it is just up to you to decide if you really want those hart-shaped facet reflections on the back of the stone or not. I can't know what this choice means otherwise to you. The diamonds are very much alike from this side of the screen.

If I am not mistaking, the logic of the H&A pattern was to mark these top stones in absence of any other means of judging brilliance. The trick holds true, since it is easier (they say) to look for the tell-tale pattern than to compare dozens and dozens of diamonds. One can still look for the H&A reflections and roughly judge a stone even if this is the only diamond at hand and they could not evaluate non H&A anyway for lack of practice. Given these circumstances, H&A is great.

But you do have two diamonds with similar proportions and great symmetry (otherwise even those arrows would not be there at all). Also, there are a dozen more tools to judge diamonds mentioned on PS - each makes the same promise as the H&A (judge one diamond without the need to compare dozens side by side). Take your pick