Are Hearts and Arrows a gimmick?

[lachalatte]

DIamond Experts,

Are you meant to see hearts and arrows with the naked eye?

I went instores and the retailer said all their rounds are hearts and arrows, but i cant really see the arrows like i would typically see on the photos/ 3D loupe online. I however, can definitely see it through the scope they use.

I've seen photos of other diamonds on this forum and you can definitely see it, so would this suggest the retailer's diamonds are poorly cut hearts and arrows, or i'm just not viewing it at the correct angle. To give context we were looking at all GCAL 8X diamonds, and the certificate photos also showed the hearts and arrows.

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On another topic; a local jeweller I'm enquiring with is trying to steer me away from fancy cut hearts and arrows (Jann Paul, Brian Gavin) saying it is all marketing and hype, and they only show top down view with strong lighting, and you don't see the lumpy side view and girdles and very limited information about how it performs in real life settings. To summarise his very lengthy emails, he advises traditional well cut oval will offer better value, better proportions, and perform better than a cut like Jann Paul and there is a reason that alot of diamond cutters don't do it. And if i want a hearts and arrows, i should stick to rounds. Like to see other opinions, especially those that own specialty cuts.

 

[sabinameister]

I can only speak of my round. My diamond is not a branded hearts and arrows on the certificate but I can see them all the time in real life looking down. It never looks dark or dull from not cleaning it like my non ideal cut natural I started with. I’m curious what others share! Great question.

 

[Alybird]

Personally, I love the look of tight precision cut H&A patterning. I can tell the difference so it's only super ideal diamonds for me (tight proportions for maximum light return and precision patterning).

I don't think it's hyped up if having the best quality is something that you value as a priority when shopping for diamonds.

 

[0-0-0]

It’s easiest to see the arrows in a H&A cut in diffused lighting. Jewelry stores typically have strong spotlighting that shows off diamond fire, but makes it difficult to see the faceting.

The only experience I have with fancy H&A cuts is BG’s H&A cushion and it performs similarly to a H&A round.