Natural Diamond Prices – November 2024
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Hearts on Fire Review: These pages may reference products from companies that help to support PriceScope.
Hearts on Fire Review
Hearts on Fire was founded in the ’90s, making it a relatively new company in comparison to its competitors. Even so, with a catchy, emotive name and smart marketing campaigns, it has quickly gained popularity among consumers and celebrities.
With a registered trademark like, ‘The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond,’ it draws buyers’ attention instantly, but can a claim like that ever truly be backed up?
Customers are willing to pay a lot more for Hearts On Fire jewelry than for unbranded jewelry. Let’s see if they really live up to their name. Extinguishers at the ready, we’ve explored Hearts on Fire below.
- What is the Hearts on Fire’s story?
- What is most appealing about Hearts on Fire?
- What diamond and jewelry products does Hearts on Fire offer?
- What sets Hearts on Fire apart from others?
- What does Hearts on Fire packaging look like?
- Are you the ideal Hearts on Fire customer?
1. What is Hearts on Fire’s story?
Source: https://www.heartsonfire.com/
This Boston-based diamond manufacturer was started in 1996 by Glen Rothman and his wife Susan. It now has over 550 retail stores worldwide, an impressive feat in itself.
Rothman became fascinated by the Hearts and Arrows patterns of round brilliants during a trip to Belgium in 1978, inspiring the company to shift the focus of its wholesale diamond business towards optimized cuts. Music to our ears.
As the company continued to grow, it formed some impressive partnerships that further cemented its position as the world’s biggest diamond retailer. The diamonds supplied by Hearts of Fire were used to create the legendary Fantasy Bra at the Victoria Secrets runway show of 2006. Valued at 6.5 million dollars, it remains one of the most expensive bras ever created.
Hearts on Fire doesn’t just sell any old diamonds; they sell their own brand of diamonds with a patented, unique cut. Through an ingenious business model, the company has built a global brand whose customers are happy to pay much more for a HOF diamond than those sold by other retailers.
In 2014, Hearts on Fire was sold for $150 million to Chow Tai Fook, Asia’s largest jewelry retailer to continue its success.
The brand, and the personalization it enables, are what have made Hearts on Fire one of the most renowned diamond retailers in the world. It is also a great name. Whether you are a diamond aficionado or not, the name speaks for itself.
2. What is most appealing about Hearts on Fire?
Hearts on Fire sells only white diamonds, with color grades ranging from D (Colorless) to J (Near Colorless). They are certified by the highly respected and reputable American Gem Society (AGS).
Color and clarity are strategically grouped on Hearts on Fire’s website so they complement the two diamond qualities it offers. Anyone who has done their research on diamonds will know that there can be a lot of price disparity between two color grades.
It can be argued that the difference between an E and an F in color may not be obvious to the eye; however, it does affect the price. In any case, you should be aware of exactly what you are buying.
The matter of cut is one matter in which Hearts on Fire and we completely concur. It is by far the most important of the four Cs. We always recommend sacrificing color and clarity when operating on a budget, rather than the cut. Well-cut diamonds appear larger, brighter and more colorless than others with identical Cs, this is something everybody considering a purchase should be privy to.
We recommend taking a look at Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE, Astor by Blue Nile, and James Allen True Hearts – premium brands we work with that provide diamonds with superior cut quality, time and time again.
With so much information online about diamonds and jewelry, it can be difficult to navigate and know what is accurate. PriceScope offers an easy-to-use online resource for diamond consumers, backed by a team of diamond and jewelry experts.
Variety
Hearts on Fire’s appeal lies in its exclusivity, as well as its promise of “The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond”. Their diamonds are of excellent quality, no doubt. Its stones would outweigh any diamond found in a chain store or high-street jeweler. It’s worth noting they only carry round and square cut diamonds.
As mentioned previously, their diamond grading colors are cleverly grouped – here are the two stones they offer below.
Sensational – The diamonds that qualify as ‘Sensational’ will fall within the color range of G-H and will be of VS1 to SI1 clarity.
Signature – Diamonds of the ‘Signature’ series are guaranteed to be of I-J color and VS1 and SI1 clarity.
In theory, these sound great. However, with no details beyond what’s stated, it’s difficult to know what we’re purchasing. As long as they are accompanied by a detailed description, we’re not opposed to paying a higher price for premium and branded precious stones.
No matter how we feel about Tiffany’s and the premium it charges, every year thousands of consumers purchase a diamond so they can say, “It’s a Tiffany diamond”. At least they have the paperwork to back up the price.
Until Hearts on Fire is able to reach that level of prestige, its pricing should reflect its competitors and the evolving market of today. In an age where so many diamond retailers offer GIA-certified diamonds, it seems a little unfair to pay the prices expected for a Hearts on Fire diamond without fully understanding its specifications.
Ease of Use
A look through the Hearts on Fire website shows that it has adopted some of the features of its different competitors – this isn’t a bad thing. There’s a small push made to visit its many stores like that of Tiffany & Co and if you reside in the U.S you can purchase jewelry online, which is delivered to you for free.
As soon as you choose engagement rings, you’re greeted with a navigation tool along the bottom to assist you with narrowing your choices. It takes only a few seconds for filters to be applied, and presto, you have one ring fitting the criteria of your search.
The zoom and various angle shots are useful, but we aren’t able to view a 360° image or see the ring on the hand. Nevertheless, we enjoyed being able to add it to the cart or locate the nearest stockist to get up, close and personal with the product.
During those tricky stages of choosing a ring, there is a live chat option available to help. Although it lacked some of the promptness and detail offered by competitors, we thought it was helpful despite that.
It’s a good website overall. The interface is simple, and quite easy to use, but it lacks any useful information regarding the diamonds themselves, and it does not have the effortless feel of luxury one can expect from top brands we’ve vetted.
Before making any decision, we suggest reading through some of our recommendations for vendors. With their seamless selection process and a wide array of options, Blue Nile, Whiteflash, and James Allen deliver the best diamond shopping experiences online.
The Selection
You will find that the selection is quite limited if you wish to design your own engagement ring (which is typically how online engagement ring purchases are done), and the website does not provide the same viewing and selection options as other online retailers.
As you build your ring, it walks you through the steps, but fails to provide the necessary details regarding the diamond. As highlighted earlier, no images or diamond maps accompany the grades, so it is difficult to know what you are buying.
As for the settings, they are limited as well. With James Allen’s seemingly endless online inventory, it would be impossible to compete.
The Experience
Hearts on Fire stores are pretty much what you’d expect from any other higher-end guild independent jewelry store.
The problems you come up against online (limited selection, minimal information) still persist in person. When the salesperson told us the diamond’s color and clarity didn’t need to be overdone since Hearts on Fire were cut so “perfectly,” we were very impressed. They were right, and the jewelry store lights were playing their part in creating undeniable brilliance.
It’s said that less than one-tenth of the world’s stones can become a HOF diamond. During the sales spiel, a great deal of attention is paid to the cut and the sparkle of diamonds, which is a wonderful distraction for buyers looking for just that, but not for us who are informed diamond lovers. We could not get a single specific, just ranges.
The in-store experience is certainly worth it if there’s one available locally, just don’t expect much more information than what’s available online.
The diamonds in your ring should come fully equipped with all the certifications, images and specifics to make an informed purchasing decision. Explore our extensive inventory of over 1 million loose diamonds for sale with all the specifications you need and choose the diamond that meets your needs.
3. What diamond and jewelry products does Hearts on Fire offer?
Obviously, the specialized cuts and clever tag-line of all branded diamonds are meant to maximize profits. Compared to a typical chain jewelry store that opts for substandard stones, a branded diamond does offer a higher level of quality.
Hearts of Fire’s high-end jewlery offerings include:
A limited selection isn’t always a big thing, it suggests the brand is focused on getting the fundamentals right. However, when it comes to finding the perfect ring for your loved one, there can never be too many options.
4. What sets Hearts on Fire apart from others?
Complimentary Engraving: You can add a personal touch to any piece of Hearts on Fire jewelry, from names to important dates, you can tailor it to your loved one. You can even choose the font.
Education and Resources: Hearts on Fire features a helpful diamond guide, well-written and easy to understand, with exactly what you needed to know. Gorgeous pictures add to the experience.
You can also check out two insightful blogs; The GOF Girl and Secrets of Life. Readers of the first can learn about the world of diamonds through a combination of fun and information. As for the latter, it’s been written by the founder, Glenn Rothman, all about his success story.
Great Warranties and Guarantees: Although they do not offer to buy back diamonds, they do offer a generous trade-up policy.
5. What does Hearts on Fire packaging look like?
When it comes to the packaging, you’d expect something truly outstanding from a company like Hearts on Fire with the premium you pay on the diamonds themselves. It’s hard to imagine anything but rich, crimson leather boxes, adorned with gold gilding – something to compete with Cartier.
Unfortunately, Hearts on Fire’s packaging and branding are more like those of chain jewelers. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s nothing memorable. With a namesake that conjures passion and flames of love, the blue color feels unusual.
A single, iconic color is all Tiffany & Co. needs. If Hearts on Fire hopes to compete with the giants at the top of the diamond market, it needs to work a bit harder.
Whiteflash, Blue Nile and James Allen carry substantial inventories of quality diamonds, complete with high-res imaging and videos and diamond certificates, all accessible online. Consumer education is a significant part of their business practices, and their commitment to transparency is exceptional.
6. Are you the ideal Hearts On Fire customer?
All things considered, a Hearts on Fire diamond is extremely hard to justify.
We wrote this Hearts on Fire review to serve as a guide, but if you fall in love with a particular ring in store, then, by all means, buy it, but make sure you know you could find a stone of the same quality or even better for less elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you have the money to spend on a high-quality stone and you want the best diamond for your dollar, this may not be the company for you. As with any brand, be prepared for the price if you want to hop aboard the bandwagon.
There’s no doubt that Hearts on Fire are a reputable company with a great website and a good shopping experience. By cutting through the marketing ploys, trademarked terms and promises, you find diamonds that are quite expensive and lack the distinction of the others available on the market.
If the sparkle captures your soul and you’re simply set on owning “The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond”, we won’t do much more to sway you. Few can resist the icy appeal, and sometimes it does come down to owning a branded piece.
With PriceScope, you can research diamonds extensively before you buy one. Having our resource at your fingertips is the first step to becoming a more informed and confident buyer.
For a true understanding of the huge range of diamonds available online, we recommend looking at our vast selection of loose diamonds, which promises the best cut quality and all the details you need to make a decision.
Get fast answers to any question: Ask our community of unbiased independent helpers or use our diamond search to find your ideal diamond.
The information in this review is current, to the best of our knowledge, as of May, 2022.
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