Hearts On Fire Review
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Do they really have the world’s most “perfectly” cut diamond?
At some point in time, you would have probably heard of the slogan “The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond” either through mass media advertising or big banner boards.
Just like how Tiffany & Co created the iconic blue box to associate prestige in the minds of consumers, Hearts On Fire has also created a strong branding whereby customers are willing to pay a lot more for their products over other unbranded jewelry.
With their successful branding, they had become one of the more prominent and profitable retail jewelry business in recent times. In this review, I’m going to share my personal opinions and first hand experiences of Hearts On Fire with you.
Hearts on Fire – What’s in the Name?
The first thing that caught my attention when I stumbled upon Hearts on Fire diamonds was the perfect name. Whether you are familiar with the world of diamonds or not, the name invokes positive emotions.
Both words in the company’s name, “hearts” and “fire” give people a positive feeling and are associated with warmth and love. If you know just a bit more about diamonds, you will probably realize that this name is also neatly connected in a few ways.
First, the structure “hearts on…” is a clever play with one of the most well-known optical characteristics found in a standard round brilliant cut, “hearts and arrows”.
Secondly, fire – or dispersion – is also one of the most important characteristics which give a diamond its beautiful sparkle and brilliance. And we didn’t even mention that people usually buy engagement rings when their hearts are on fire!
Is HoF Different From the General Round Brilliant Cuts That We See?
The company wants you to believe their product is unique but it really isn’t. The truth is that HoF diamonds are nothing more than the standard 57 facets round brilliant cut any other vendor can also offer.
When a round diamond is cut to ideal proportions and precise craftsmanship, a phenomenon of hearts and arrows can be seen through the diamond’s crown and pavilion using a special viewer.
Is Hearts On Fire Really a Unique And Exclusive Cut As Claimed?
Well, the real answer is NO. It isn’t. But they try to make you think it is with the use of clever marketing strategies. If you visit the official Hearts On Fire website and spend some time reading through it, you will realize that their “signature” diamond is nothing more than a standard 57 facets round brilliant cut.
I have proof to back this up too. Check out the AGS report for a Hearts On Fire diamond below…
Supposedly “exclusive” cut is none other than a traditional round brilliant cut.
Even the grading labs labeled it as such. Why would HoF try to tell you otherwise?
In a market so abundant and maybe even bloated with round cut diamonds, how does Hearts on Fire try to stand out from the crowd? how does Hearts on Fire try to stand out from the crowd? Well, I had some answers after visiting my local retailer. What was touted to me during a store visit was the use of “superlative” polishing in HoF stones.
“Using super high tech anti-vibration technology on the cutting wheel and a secret formula (that no one else presumably has in the world), they are able to create the world’s most perfectly cut hearts and arrows diamond. The finishing of their stones is graded at 100X magnification. That’s TEN TIMES the industry standard of grading diamonds!”
It’s All Marketing Hype And You Are Expected to Pick Up the Hefty Bill
With clever marketing, HoF tries to package everything in a manner to make you believe there is some secret recipe (stated on their official site) invented by a scientist who slaved away his life in the lab. For the record, creating perfectly cut hearts and arrows diamonds isn’t something new or unique to Hearts On Fire.
In fact, the Japanese pioneered the cut during the 80’s and the person who made H&A gain traction is a man called Brian Gavin. Also, the cutting method that is used to create the hearts and arrows patterning is openly shared in the public domain. If you are interested to find out more, click here.
What about the superlative polish at 100X? Wow! That’s like 10 times better than what other people are doing. Really? Let me ask you some practical questions.
- Do you always carry a portable microscope around when you meet people?
- How many people would examine your diamond ring with a 10X loupe?
The truth is, no human eye can tell the difference between a light ray passing through a facet polished to ideal standards at 10X and another one that is polished to “superlative” standards at 100X.
Trying to stand out from the crowd by focusing on a feature like ‘superlative’ polish doesn’t add aesthetic value to my eyes (as well as towards my ASET/Idealscope’s). It does however, adds a superlative premium to the price tag.
Let’s Put Hearts of Fire Diamonds Through the Litmus Test…
In order to judge the light performance and optics of Hearts On Fire diamonds with objectivity, we made use of the Idealscope and discovered some surprising results. On the next page, find out whether they really hold up as the most well cut diamonds on Earth…
The Idealscope is a handy little tool that reveals how much light is returned by a diamond. The concept behind it is simple; the more light that is returned and reflected by the stone, the better the brilliance and scintillation.
For people who aren’t familiar with this tool, read my tutorial on analyzing the optics of a diamond using the Idealscope. In essence, we want to see lots of reds (indicates light return) and lesser amounts of white (indicates light leakage).
At my local HoF retailer, I had the opportunity to examine more than 10 diamonds of various sizes in both loose and mounted settings.
When viewed through tools like the ASET or Idealscope, the Hearts on Fire diamonds showed a varying level of light performance. Some appeared to have slight leakage under the table facet while some show perfect reds under the scope. So, what does this mean to the consumer? Well, the onus is on you to pick out the cream of the crop yourself.
Here’s My Honest Opinion About Hearts on Fire…
HoF is a line of branded diamonds that is definitely one of the best out there in the market today. Having seen and inspected jewelry at many other big brands like Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Harry Winston, I would say that the level of cut quality exhibited at HoF tops my personal list amongst the international brands.
Yep, I said that. Even though Hearts On Fire diamonds are significantly more expensive (with all the marketing hype and stuff) than unbranded diamonds of similar quality, they still deliver diamonds that have high standards in cut precision.
HoF’s in-house diamond identity document. Note the use of “superlative” terms.
For people who are willing to pay an insane premium for branded diamonds or want to overpay just for the feel good factor, Hearts On Fire is my recommended choice for overpriced jewelry. If you are interested, you can check out their website for a list of retailers near your location.
Just remember to bring along an Idealscope to help you select the diamonds.
For Rational People Who Want to Get More Value For Your Money…
Hearts on Fire diamonds are priced with a high premium.
Did you know that you can get a diamond of similar or better quality at significantly lower prices? The comparisons of different online vendors against Hearts on Fire on the next page will blow you away, literally.
While there is no doubt that Hearts on Fire diamonds are beautiful and have great optical performance, the premium and costs that come attached to them are grossly inflated. And this brings to us the question of whether they are worth it for their price points.
When it all boils down to it, Hearts On Fire diamonds are simply AGS triple ‘0’s ideal cut rounds with good optical symmetry. My personal advice is not to get caught up in the marketing hype seen in the form of television advertisements and mass media marketing campaigns. As a savvy shopper, there are other alternatives where you can purchase a better or comparable super ideal cut diamond at much lower prices.
Let’s Do Comparisons – Plain Solitaire Hearts On Fire Ring
This is a listing extracted from Reeds.com, an authorized dealer of HoF…
For a 0.578 carat diamond with J color and SI1 clarity, the HoF ring commands a hefty price of $4,900 (inclusive of setting). Note: a J colored stone will show up with a slight nuance of yellow in it.
Did You Know That Hearts On Fire Has An Online Store?
Personally, I would stay away from it. Why? If you decide to purchase an engagement ring with a “sensational quality center diamond”, you are not allowed to cherry pick your diamond. Instead, you buy the ring knowing that the diamond is guaranteed to fall with the range of “G-I color” and “VS1-SI1 clarity”.
Read this guideline given on their website to find out more…
Definitely Not a Good Idea to Make a Huge Purchase Like This.
It is basically a roll of the dice where you have no control over your purchase. Obviously, there is a stark difference in value and costs between a G color VS1 diamond against an I color SI1 stone. What do you think you will probably end up with when you purchase the ring?
If you are insistent about buying a Hearts on Fire ring, the best way to go about selecting one is to head to the nearest dealer in your area. This will enable you to inspect diamonds in person and to cherry pick the higher quality ones.
Let’s See What $4,900 Can Get Us Elsewhere
0.838 Carat – H Color – VS2 Brian Gavin Signature Round
From left to right: actual diamond, ASET, Idealscope and hearts patterning imagery.
In case you are wondering why there is a slew of images above, these are data that depict how well a diamond is cut. The ASET and Idealscope images reveal details on the diamond’s light performance and how well it reflects light. In layman’s terms, they tell us the overall brightness/contrast of the diamond and how much the diamond will sparkle.
Next, any jeweler who claims to be selling hearts and arrows diamonds must always show you the “evidence” to back up their claim. In this case, the online vendor, Brian Gavin, has made it really easy for consumers to assess the information. If you are in the physical store, always request to see the diamond through a viewer and inspect the symmetry of the hearts and arrows patterning carefully.
Here’s the Shocking Revelation of the Price: $4,614.
Comparing it with the Hearts on Fire diamond, the Brian Gavin diamond is better by 2 color grades and 1 clarity grade. Besides that, this Brian Gavin diamond is significantly larger with a weight of 0.838 carats. In all aspects of the 4Cs, the HoF diamond simply pales in comparison to the value it presents.
Now, if you were to add in a simple solitaire setting, the total cost of the diamond ring purchased at Brian Gavin would be:
$4,614 + $325 = $4,939
That’s almost the same price you had to pay for a 0.578 carat Hearts On Fire ring at Reeds! If you asked me, the disparity in prices and quality is HUGE! Why would you want to fork out $4,900 for a smaller, lower quality Hearts On Fire diamond when you can get something significantly cheaper and better at Brian Gavin?
It’s Not a Fluke! Let’s Compare Another Diamond From a Different Vendor
For the next comparison, we are visiting JamesAllen.com. At the point of writing this review, there isn’t any J colored diamond with SI1 clarity that has a carat weight close to 0.58 for us to do an apple to apple comparison. Instead, we found a slightly larger stone that weighs 0.72 carats for this analysis.
0.72 Carat – J Color – SI1 James Allen TrueHearts Signature
Great looking Idealscope image and hearts patterning of the diamond
At a price point of $2,480 for the loose diamond, it is obvious that there is a stark difference in pricing compared to the Hearts on Fire stone. Mind you, this diamond is way larger and even after adding a simple 18k white gold solitaire setting that costs $400, the total is still $2,000 cheaper than the HoF ring!
That’s Close to a 100% Price Difference!
Why pay the extra premium for something that isn’t necessarily better?
You can easily do the math to verify it yourself. In fact, if I were to purchase a similar True Hearts diamond that has a carat weight of 0.58, the total cost (inclusive of setting) would be less than half the price for the HoF ring at Reeds.
Which Is Better And Worth Your Money?
At the end of the day, there are no right or wrong answers as to where you want to purchase your diamond. You are the paying customer and you can choose how to spend your money. For people who love the branding and are totally averse to online purchases, heading to an authorized retailer who sells Hearts On Fire diamonds is a great option if you can afford the ridiculous premium.
I hope this review has given you useful insights. I wish you the best of luck with your diamond ring and if you have questions, feel free to get in touch via email or leave a comment below!
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28 Comments
I REALLY REALLY LOVE HEARTS ON FIRE DIAMOND RINGS. The branding is really cool and dreamy. I recently bought a Hearts on Fire necklace which I absolutely adore and have no complaints about. Thank you for this adorable post about the hearts and arrows patterns! It is really intriguing.
Ever since Chow Tai Fook bought over HoF, https://www.chowtaifook.com/en/, have you seen an increase in complaints or a compromise in the quality of cut? Did the hearts on fire rings improve or become worse in quality after the takeover?
As far as I know, Chow Tai Fook is still using the same cutters and technology to create the HoF diamonds. Nothing much as changed and the stones are still cut to very high standards. In my opinion, the acquisition is a smart business move to tap into the branding that had already been built up.
I respectfully disagree. Hearts on Fire ARE perfectly cut, not averaged. The F.T.C. took on this claim 20 years ago and HOF prevailed. This is not just a catch phrase! The hearts on fire resale value are also higher than other brands of jewelry sold in the market.
First, allow me to thank you for the time and effort you have put into beyond4cs.com. I am approaching my first diamond purchase and have learned a lot from your thoughtful and rigorously researched articles. I will be sure to encourage friends to consult your site before making their next diamond purchases.
As the subject heading of my email suggests, I am preparing to buy an engagement ring with which to propose to my girlfriend. Working together, she and I have advanced fairly far in the window shopping/research phase. My sense is that it’s the right time to make a purchase and I wanted to be sure to take advantage of your generous offer of free advisement before moving forward.
My primary questions have to do with the compatability/visual balance between the Blue Nile setting my girlfriend prefers and the James Allen diamonds I’m considering, as well as the relative quality and value of the stones in question. Of course, I would also be grateful for advice you might be able to offer regarding any red flags in our current approach, or opportunities for increased quality increases and savings that we might be overlooking. Having selected a setting, our aim at this stage is simply to select the highest quality diamond of an appropriate size/shape possible within our remaining budget.
After visits to Cartier, Tiffany & Co., et al., and inventory searches on several of the major ring sites, my girlfriend appears to have settled on this setting from Blue Nile. It was a favorite from the beginning because she’s fond of the vintage milgrain look and because the setting is unlike anything she’s seen at the name brand shops or on the fingers of any of her girlfriends.
After reading up on Blue Nile and its competitors, I have decided to purchase the setting there but to have it shipped to another company from which I’ll buy the diamond. I appreciate James Allen’s platform and philosophy, so have concentrated my search there. I should mention that I haven’t contacted them regarding placing one of their diamonds in a setting bought and shipped from another company. I’m assuming they’ll be more than happy to sell me a diamond in whatever setting, but who knows?
As our budget is between $4,000 and $4,500 the setting in platinum ($1,350) leaves around $3,150 for the diamond – though I’m willing to increase the diamond budget by a few hundred dollars.
I am following the general wisdom that, while size matters, cut is king. Having said that, my girlfriend understandably wants a diamond that isn’t dwarfed by its setting. We’re looking for harmony between the setting and the stone, but a problem I’m currently facing is that this isn’t easy to determine with Blue Nile’s limited and somewhat dubious viewing functions.
Before getting to the question of size balance, however, I wanted to share links to the diamonds I’m considering, each part of James Allen’s True Hearts collection and each at or above 0.7 carats. When shopping for diamonds at Cartier, et al., my girlfriend commented that 0.7 to 0.8 carats looks and feels right. I was drawn to the following options because they all have what I understand to to be the best cut I can hope for within my budget, fulfill the carat preferences my girlfriend has mentioned and have “value” clarity and color scores that, while not amazing, shouldn’t have any impact on the the diamond’s appearance to the naked eye.
Here they are: Diamond 1, Diamond 2, Diamond 3, Diamond 4 and Diamond 5. Forgive me: I was planning on sending links for only three, but two diamonds have been added within my search perameters since I checked yesterday. I figured I would just go ahead and include these for your consideration.
At this point in the shopping process, what little knowledge I have begins to run dry. One diamond is obviously a touch heavier than the others (I’m sure that those .03 carats won’t be noticeable, though they might mean something to my girlfriend), but they’re all True Hearts cuts with identical color and clarity scores. My personal “hearts and arrows” vision isn’t great – they all look pretty “hearty” and “arrowy” to me.
Digging a little deeper into the stats, I can see that a couple of the diamonds (numbers 3 and 4) have parameters that fall slightly outside of what I understand to be the norm for super ideal cuts, while others are missing parameters (number 5 has no pavilion specs, for example). There are also girdle variations which appear to be impacting the slight difference in price (thin-medium is what I’ve been told corresponds to super ideal cuts). Finally, I get the feeling from what I’ve read that diamonds sent to AGS for testing are of a higher quality than those sent to GIA, so there’s that too…
As I mentioned above, I would be grateful for any thoughts you have regarding the size of the diamonds I’m looking at and how they might harmonize/balance with the setting. And of course I’m eager to hear any advice on which of these diamonds might be the best choice, and why. Finally, if I’m going about this in the wrong way, any guidance on a different approach would be very much appreciated.
Thank you very kindly in advance for your assistance. I look forward to your reply.
All best wishes,
The setting you chose looks fantastic! Great taste!
When it comes to buying diamonds, I actually recommend getting the diamond and setting from the same vendor to minimize hassle and to make a vendor solely responsible for the entire jewelry piece.
If you were to buy from James Allen, this would be the top choice for cut quality.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2583309
You will have to buy the diamond and have them ship it to BlueNile and not the other way round.
From Blue Nile, I tailored a search for you and this would be a diamond I would recommend;
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08292155
I’ve taken your advice to go ahead and purchase both the setting and ring from Blue Nile. I’ve found a diamond that I think will work, but just wanted to get your take on it. Here it is:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08332603
I could stretch the diamond budget another $500, so if you’re able to see anything a touch bigger on Blue Nile (without compromising the quality, of course), I’d be grateful for your insight.
Thank you very kindly,
Great find. This is a well cut diamond and is eyeclean.
The light performance of this diamond is superb as well. I did a search and don’t see any other diamond that offers better value than the stone above.
Is hearts on fire worth it? Well, if you value the brand name and a peace of mind during shopping, it would be. Conveniently, the AGS report for the HoF diamond in this post is not available on their site, so I can’t rely on that. Otherwise, well thought out and honest review! Thanks!
Hi Paul, thanks for your insightful and educational newsletters. I really enjoy hearing from you. My fiance and I recently bought a hearts on fire diamond ring in Canada for my engagement ring and had it set in a beautiful solitaire setting with two surprise diamonds. I am so happy with my HOF purchase! I had been reading about diamonds for about a year, including your newsletter and I had a good understanding of what to look for. I viewed the loose diamond under a loupe and I could easily see the hearts and arrows patterns, all perfectly cut! It was graded SI1 and I had a bit of difficulty accepting that grading, but when I saw the inclusions – two of them – I think that that diamond would have been graded VS2 by another manufacturer. My diamond is 1.121 ct but it looks bigger, like 1.25 ct. I was told by the vendor (in a brick and mortar store!) that this is due to the way it’s cut. He may be right, because it measures 7mm. I remember you saying that a perfectly cut 1 ct diamond measures 6.5mm. The price I paid was a bit more than I would have paid for a similar diamond at Whiteflash, and about the same (or a bit less!) than a comparable diamond at Brian Gavin. And although the colour was H, it perfectly matches the diamonds on my wedding band which are G colour and which I got from Whiteflash. So I truly believe I got a superior diamond, and it was worth paying a bit more. I am so relieved to hear you say positive things about HOF :)
Yep. Hearts on Fire is the only branded diamond that I would say consistently offer well cut diamonds. They are at a premium pricing but at least you know you get the good stuff there unlike many other brands.
Hearts on Fire didn’t get their name as the world’s most perfectly cut diamond for no reason. You point out that hearts on fire are just traditional round brilliants but isn’t it the cutting that makes it unique and different? So shouldn’t we be looking at the fact that the cutting is a zero (ideal)? This is kinda misleading.
The cutting style isn’t unique. You could argue that Hearts on Fire polishes their diamonds to better proportions and precision compared to many other brands like Tiffany or Cartier. I’ll give you that and I actually agree. If you are going to pay a huge premium for a diamond, it better be cut well. HoF passes my standards to be truly well cut in general.
Having said that, there are plenty of other vendors who polish diamonds to better (or at least on par) precision and performance.
https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/whiteflash/
https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/high-performance-diamonds/
https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/brian-gavin-diamonds/
The big difference here is that they don’t cost close to twice as much. So, tell me, what’s so unique and different?
My name is Andrew and I firstly wanted to thank you for your blog which has been a real fountain of knowledge for what to look out for in a real quality diamond.
I have recently come across 2 diamonds which I wanted to get your opinion on for an engagement ring.
https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5215273
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4027999.htm
I’ve also attached the ideascope image for the James Allen diamond
The James Allen diamond attracts me because it is bigger at a better price point. However I am not sure about the light performance (though to my eye the ideascope images look similar). The other thing with the James Allen diamond is that there is noticeable “black spots” just off centre. I’m sure it is probably not noticeable at the actual size though. Do you agree?
Alternatively please let me know if you think the Whiteflash diamond presents a better value proposition than the James Allen or if both diamonds are overpriced or not worth it?
Thank you so much for your help Paul. I cant tell you how much your blog has educated me in moving past the 4 Cs!
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5215273 has strong light return. The idealscope shows that. In terms of optical symmetry (hearts and arrows), the JA diamond does have some inconsistencies but that’s not something the naked eyes can pick up readily.
Here’s the thing, the WF diamond here: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4027999.htm is perfectly cut. It is a more pricey but you pay a little more for higher cut quality. I can see the point in getting a larger diamond here but the visual differences may not be too big.
If size is your priority, go for the first diamond above. If you need the best of the best, go for the second diamond. Both are priced very competitively and you’ll never get these type of quality diamonds at such prices in physical stores.
Read this to find out more about diamonds being eyeclean and looking at them under magnification: https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/resize-technique/
Both diamonds are definitely eyeclean. So, clarity is never an issue here. It’s your preferences now.
I personally would also let the choice of setting design decide whom to work with.
Unfortunately you’re incorrect, the cut is unique to any other diamond company. The way diamonds are cut is truly a science and many company’s just think that having an accurately shaped pavilion is going to make it look better. The hearts and arrows show the accuracy of how the diamonds are cut, if it isn’t in those two shapes the diamond wont shine as brilliantly. Proven by GIA and Leo diamond which is what makes the ideal cut diamond, it states that there is no better way to make a diamond show its true beauty other than through those shapes. As far as pricing of hearts of fire diamond rings goes, I don’t know about you but I rather have the best of the best and pay a little more: than pay less for a diamond that’s not as nice.
Well, by you classifying LEO diamonds with Hearts on Fire together simply shows that you have a poor understanding of cutting styles and cut quality. First of all, the Leo has a unique facetting structure. I’ll give you that but that doesn’t mean it translates into better cut quality. There is exceptionally poor consistency among the Leo diamonds.
Hearts on Fire on the other hand, is just a generic 57 facets round brilliant cut diamond. The difference is that Hearts on Fire prioritizes light performance and their proportions of the diamonds are carefully planned. They are nice diamonds but for the same kind of cut quality and performance, there are other vendors that offer diamonds with identical standards at half the prices.
Thanks for these insights Paul! I am looking to buy an anniversary ring and I went to a local jeweler. They brought out the fire and ice diamond and whether it was a marketing play or some other tactic, the F&I diamond looked more brilliant than the others
The Fire and Ice diamonds are decently well cut diamonds: https://www.fireandicediamonds.com/the-diamond/
One thing to note is that they come at an extremely high premium. If you are looking for a super ideal cut diamond, there are many other vendors who cut to better precision compared to the F&I and don’t cost you an arm and leg. https://beyond4cs.com/best-place-to-buy-engagement-ring/
Hello, first off thank you so much for this informative review. There is so much information out there and this helped me a lot. I have recently visited some jewelers with my soon be fiancee. We went to Tiffany’s as well as local HoF dealers I have been trying to source diamonds and I’m comparing prices. Our budget is around $9K but we are flexible up to $13K spending less would help with the wedding costs .I just want her to have what she wants size wise we are looking for 1.18-1.3 karat rounds, the band would be a simple solid 18karat yellow gold no pave or halo.
Our main concern first and for most is having some sort of paper work showing non-conflict I understand this is near impossible to guarantee 100% some something close to that amount.
I understand chemistry well and gold is a more malleable/less dense metal than platinum. She is dead set on yellow. is there anything that could make the setting strong perhaps platinum dipped in gold? My concern lies around the idea of the stone becoming loose since she wants a very thin band size and her ring size is 3.5 to begin with.
I have heard that having the yellow gold as a setting would allow us to be more flexible on the color grade of the diamond is this true?
Any insight or leads would be appreciated.
Cheers,
-Michael
If you want a stronger yellow gold metal, buy a 14k gold instead of 18k gold. The presence of more alloying metals will make the metal setting stronger. And you are right about being more flexible in color when it comes to yellow gold setting. Even if you place a D colorless diamond in the setting, it will still look yellow.
Thank you for responding Mr. Gian I appreciate the insight. So just a few more questions. As far as color how much would we be able to sacrifice with the yellow gold setting before its actually noticeable? F? G?
Also could you explain how the girdle, depth%, and table% affect the diamond. Do these values affect anything important like sparkle? If so what would be ideal or less ideal?
I would say you can go all the way down to I or J and it still won’t matter in a yellow gold setting. If we are talking about round brilliant cut diamonds, the proportions actually affect light performance because of the way light refracts. It’s very much like a science experiment with mirrors.
These links should help:
https://beyond4cs.com/grading/depth-and-table-values/
https://beyond4cs.com/shapes/round/ideal-proportions/
Hearts on Fire Jewlery is not a high end brand name Jewlery manufacturer, in fact it losses its value faster than any other “high end brand”.
Do your research look at all high end Jewlery names: ie Cartier, David Yurman, Graff, Tiffany & company. The companies Jewlery retain their value & In some cases increase in value. Over the past 12 years I spent well over $100k on HOF Jewlery & I can’t even get the company to offer decent customer service I was looking for the paperwork and original packaging but after 2 moves it got misplaced that’s too bad for you because HOF isn’t helping you & they are rude, give you the run around for a customer that spent well over $100k for HOF Jewlery. Never again will I buy, recommend, praise the Jewlery I’m done with them I spent over $100k what about people that buy their Jewlery & spend $1k
How are they treated? The problem is that actually think that matter in everyday life when in fact the sell items none of us need but we want them so they aren’t needed at all. They don’t help people, they don’t save lives they are a materialistic company which means they are totally not needed & in most cases useless!
Well, when normal consumers like you buy diamond jewelry with the mindset that they are going to retain or appreciate in value, they are in for a world of pain when they try to sell their jewelry. This happens across the board with Tiffany, Cartier or any other brand. I don’t know what’s your story but it seems like you were the one who misplaced the paperwork and original packaging. What are you expecting HoF to do? Provide the certification for you again when you lost the original copy? There’s only one piece of that. They might have a soft copy of it in their system depending on how long ago your purchase was.
Very interesting detailed explanation! I used to work in jewelry and actually used to sell HOF years ago. My take After working with their pieces right along side other brands as well as generics, antiques, and a wide spectrum of round brilliant cut diamonds is that they are Indeed beautiful, bright diamonds, but they aren’t the only beautiful bright diamonds. While I wouldn’t personally spend the extra money for the single Large HOF diamond (unless I had loads of extra to spend), I think their other jewelry pieces are sometimes actually worth it. What I think often goes unmentioned about HOF is that every single diamond down to a certain very small size is cut perfectly and analyzed for optimal light performance — not just the main big center diamond. When it came time to buy my own diamond studs, Just 1ctw, I compared many many pairs I came across for months and couldn’t deny the superior beauty of the HOF’s so I bought them. Likewise, their fashion jewelry pendants, bracelets, and rings absolutely put many other brands to shame; not necessarily with the design, but definitively in the beauty, brightness, and sparkle of the diamonds. Often I think people overlook the melee diamonds and the small diamonds that make up the popular designs for earrings and pendants, And even tennis bracelets; people even refer to these diamonds as “chips” when in fact it makes a big difference when those diamonds are given the same attention and precision as a round brilliant solitaire. I felt like the difference was pretty obvious when comparing various pieces side by side. You can easily find one carat diamonds that are well cut, beautiful, and competitively priced. But what about the small diamonds in hoop earrings, floral cluster necklaces, and pave diamond bands? This is where I saw an obvious, consistent difference in HOF jewelry.
I got an engagement ring with a 1.121 ct HoF diamond, H colour, SI1 clarity, for which I paid $8,935. It is absolutely beautiful and well cut. Before I bought it I was able to see it through a 10x magnification loupe, and I could clearly see the hearts and arrows patterns. In my opinion (not very expert!) it was perfectly cut. So based on Paul’s article, I did a comparison of similar diamonds at White Flash, Brian Gavin and James Allen. Here’s what I found. At White Flash, a 1.128 H SI1 for $8,197. At Brian Gavin a 1.128 H VS2 for $8,699. At James Allen a 1.120 H SI1 for $5,830 (and the clarity is not as good as mine!) So maybe I overpaid, but it wasn’t by much! I am very happy with my ring!
Thanks for leaving a comment. May I know where you purchased the Hearts on Fire ring from? The premium seems small compared to what I can get it for brand new at authorized retailers.