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Concept
Hearts and arrows
Summary
Hearts and Arrows (H&A) diamonds are precision-cut variations of the traditional 57 faceted round brilliant cut. They are cut to "ideal" proportions with good optical symmetry, polish and a specific faceting pattern. When all these factors are present, the result is a repeatable, near perfect pattern of eight symmetrical arrows in the face-up position of the stone (called 'crown') and eight symmetrical hearts when viewed in the table-down position (called 'pavilion').
The original Hearts and Arrows were diamonds that surfaced in the mid 1980s in Japan that embodied three important design factors. The first of these factors was that they were cut to what is known in the diamond industry as "ideal proportions," i.e. very close to those summarized by Marcel Tolkowsky in his 1919 book, Diamond Design. Second, they were cut with very good physical and optical symmetry so that they would garner the grade of "Excellent" in the system used by Japanese laboratories. The third important factor was that they were cut to a very specific brilliantine scheme to produce the accepted hearts and arrows pattern. This faceting scheme involves prescribed lengths and ratios as well as smaller table sizes that are imperative in producing a distinctive, repeatable and gradable hearts and arrows pattern.
Less than 1% of the world's diamonds are cut to hearts and arrows optical symmetry precision. This is in large part due to the greater amount of rough diamond that necessitates additional polishing to create diamonds with this precise optical symmetry. Diamond polishers take up to three times longer to cut diamonds of this cut quality, with much greater waste of the original diamond rough material. Using specialized tooling and high quality cutting wheels and in some cases 100X magnification, factories must employ careful analysis through every stage of production. Diamonds cut in this way are more expensive than average cut diamonds.
To see the hearts and arrows pattern in a diamond, a specially designed light-directing viewer called a Hearts and Arrows scope is used.
Official source
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