HCA- is this made up????

[BSS]

I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

Is this something new?

Doesnt the CERTIFICATION address these issues?

Who made up the formula for the HCA output?

Very curious about this HCA deal...

 

[Maisie]

https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

http://www.diamond-cut.com.au/

 

[Skippy123]

Not made up. I think it is an awesome tool!

This person plugged the certificate numbers at Tiffany's into the HCA and then looked at the stones w/the Idealscope and compared the numbers of the HCA to what they saw in the Ideal scope.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-day-at-tiffanys-with-the-i-scope.69733/

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM
Author:BSS
I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

Is this something new?

Doesnt the CERTIFICATION address these issues?

Who made up the formula for the HCA output?

Very curious about this HCA deal...

If you mean cut, or lack thereof, no. GIA's EX range is too broad. AGS0 is a safer bet, but not all AGS0's are created equal, though you won't get one that's a dog.

The HCA is still relatively new, but it's catching on slowly. Most jewelers (but not all), kind of live in their own little world. They don't keep up with new technologies, because many of them don't care, or don't even know, to care. They think the "old" way is still best (or only way), but they are losing business because of that train of thought.

 

[Regular Guy]

A non-Pricescope advertiser, but internet jeweler...comments (favorably).

 

[neatfreak]

When you say "well respected people" who are these people? Because in my experience once someone in the industry understands what the HCA does they generally have a favorable opinion of the tool. BUT that being said, many people in the industry refuse to acknowledge the new technologies that are available...

 

[John P]

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM
Author:BSS

I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I''m curious to know who you''re referring to. The heads of the world''s foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway''s work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.

Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

 

[BSS]

Date: 12/2/2008 8:26:35 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM
Author:BSS

I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I''m curious to know who you''re referring to. The heads of the world''s foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway''s work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.

Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

Two major diamond wholsalers in NYC who have been in business for over 30 years, with sterling reputations.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/2/2008 11:25:27 PM
Author: BSS

Date: 12/2/2008 8:26:35 PM

Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM

Author:BSS


I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I''m curious to know who you''re referring to. The heads of the world''s foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway''s work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.


Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

Two major diamond wholsalers in NYC who have been in business for over 30 years, with sterling reputations.

Not the same thing IMO...

 

[John P]

Date: 12/2/2008 11:25:27 PM
Author: BSS

Date: 12/2/2008 8:26:35 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM
Author:BSS

I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I'm curious to know who you're referring to. The heads of the world's foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway's work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.

Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

Two major diamond wholsalers in NYC who have been in business for over 30 years, with sterling reputations.

It's certainly possible. Many people have been successful in the wholesale & retail businesses for ages without the assistance of formal cut grading systems. The HCA has been around for less than 10 years and it's not a grading metric. Even the GIA's cut grading system for round has been around less than three years.

If your friends are familiar with that GIA cut grading system they'll likely recognize the HCA's usefulness. In short, it's a predictive metric founded on the same principal of the main cutter's line that other proven metrics, including GIA and AGS, use.

 

[BSS]

Date: 12/2/2008 11:58:46 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 11:25:27 PM
Author: BSS

Date: 12/2/2008 8:26:35 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM
Author:BSS

I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I''m curious to know who you''re referring to. The heads of the world''s foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway''s work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.

Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

Two major diamond wholsalers in NYC who have been in business for over 30 years, with sterling reputations.

It''s certainly possible. Many people have been successful in the wholesale & retail businesses for ages without the assistance of formal cut grading systems. The HCA has been around for less than 10 years and it''s not a grading metric. Even the GIA''s cut grading system for round has been around less than three years.

If your friends are familiar with that GIA cut grading system they''ll likely recognize the HCA''s usefulness. In short, it''s a predictive metric founded on the same principal of the main cutter''s line that other proven metrics, including GIA and AGS, use.

Thanks for everyones input on this issue. This site is invaluable!!!
The search continues for an engagement ring..........................................................

 

[honey22]

Date: 12/2/2008 11:32:19 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 12/2/2008 11:25:27 PM
Author: BSS

Date: 12/2/2008 8:26:35 PM

Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/2/2008 6:58:28 PM

Author:BSS


I have talked to several well respected people in the diamond industry and NO ONE knows about this HCA rating system.

I''m curious to know who you''re referring to. The heads of the world''s foremost cut grading laboratories (GIA and AGS) are quite familiar with the HCA and its premise. Any professional who is up to date on cut research and technology should be familiar with Holloway''s work; in terms of both the HCA and Ideal-Scope.


Info on the US Patent: http://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=18544

Two major diamond wholsalers in NYC who have been in business for over 30 years, with sterling reputations.

Not the same thing IMO...

Ditto. Just because they well respected, doesn''t mean they know squat about well cut stones.

The majority of jewellers out there just want to palm off average diamonds at exceptional prices.

The HCA tool is brilliant! I would dare say these jewellers wouldn''t have much stock that actually scores well on the HCA, hence their aversion to it!

 

[arjunajane]

Exactly, what about that "well respected family jeweller" in Geneva that plain ripped off poor Alexis recently ...?

Like NF says, definately not the same thing imo either.
The most well known jewellers in my city are the ones I would least like to shop at, lol !

 

[denverappraiser]

The HCA is a tool, used primarily by consumers, to evaluate diamonds that they and probably even the seller haven’t seen based on data provided from the lab to help decide which ones to look at in person.

Long in the tooth New York wholesalers don’t do this. Even their customers don’t do this. Heck, 5-10 years ago, NOBODY did this and it’s still a darned unusual activity. Assuming the people you’re talking about spend their days doing the normal things that diamond wholesalers do, I’m not at all surprised that they’ve never come across the HCA, diamcalc, Idealscopes, ASET’s, or any of the methodology that’s so familiar with the shoppers here. This doesn’t mean that they are unfamiliar with diamonds or diamond cutting, it doesn’t mean they’re stupid and it doesn’t mean that their merchandise is lacking. What it means is that they are unfamiliar with the high end Internet shopping experience. For a dealer who is selling in person to other dealers, this doesn’t seem like such a serious omission in their education. Even for a retailer who calls himself a ''wholesaler'', and who is selling things in person to consumers, this is pretty far outside the proverbial box. Send ''em a link to this site or the HCA site provided above (assuming they can get email) and they''ll look into it for the next time someone asks about it.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Very well put, Neil.

 

[secondhandnews]

I couldn''t say it better than Neil did but I had another thought. The HCA scores are used primarily to weed out potentially poor performing stones. Maybe they don''t want to use anything that might cause a customer to pass on one of their lesser stones. Then again, a local well-respected jeweler who owns 3 stores didn''t know what I was talking about when I asked if he carried any AGS graded diamonds. He had never heard of that lab!

 

[Indira-London]

Date: 12/3/2008 7:06:34 AM
Author: denverappraiser
The HCA is a tool, used primarily by consumers, to evaluate diamonds that they and probably even the seller haven’t seen based on data provided from the lab to help decide which ones to look at in person.

Long in the tooth New York wholesalers don’t do this. Even their customers don’t do this. Heck, 5-10 years ago, NOBODY did this and it’s still a darned unusual activity. Assuming the people you’re talking about spend their days doing the normal things that diamond wholesalers do, I’m not at all surprised that they’ve never come across the HCA, diamcalc, Idealscopes, ASET’s, or any of the methodology that’s so familiar with the shoppers here. This doesn’t mean that they are unfamiliar with diamonds or diamond cutting, it doesn’t mean they’re stupid and it doesn’t mean that their merchandise is lacking. What it means is that they are unfamiliar with the high end Internet shopping experience. For a dealer who is selling in person to other dealers, this doesn’t seem like such a serious omission in their education. Even for a retailer who calls himself a ''wholesaler'', and who is selling things in person to consumers, this is pretty far outside the proverbial box. Send ''em a link to this site or the HCA site provided above (assuming they can get email) and they''ll look into it for the next time someone asks about it.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

Totally agree - well said Neil - as useful as HCA is to consumers and especially those who use Pricescope, not everyone in the industry uses HCA.

 

[:)]

I had to laugh at your title.
Vendors (such as your friends) using their eyes (having stones in front of them) likely would not be using the HCA. The HCA helps us weed out stones when we (consumers) are considering stones that are not in front of us.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

What Neil said.

The man has a way of sizing up every aspect of a situation while being fair to everyone involved.

I recommend we vote Neil Ambassador to Belgium.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Yes Neil - well written as usual.
BTW there is another thread running
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/newbie-question-re-hca.101292/
which gives a totally different viewpoint of what a ratbag I am