HEART Diamond | Heart Cut Diamond

Image courtesy of IGI “Courtesy of International Gemological Institute”

“Heart Cut, Heart Cut Diamond:
Symbol of love, romance & royalty -> nature inspired

JUNGLE HEART 3Prong 1Point Wire - Solitaire, Engagement Ring, Engagement Ring 10
HEART TIGER Diamond Necklace Pendant - Workshop Photo 1

“Love in every facet, radiant and eternal – your Heart Cut diamond, the perfect symbol for timeless feelings

What is a heart cut diamond?

What are the advantages of heart cut diamond?

What are the advantages of a heart cut diamond / heart cut diamond?
What makes the heart cut so unique? What are the advantages of Heart Diamonds?

  • Signs of romance
  • Unique and distinctive symbol of love
  • Rare form
  • Symbol of royalty
    In the late 15th century, the Queen of Scotland sent Queen Elizabeth a stunning gold ring with a heart-shaped diamond. Since then, the heart-shaped diamond has been believed to be the symbol of royalty.
  • Modified version of the round brilliant cut
    → Brilliance and sparkle maximized → Hearts can be very bright and sparkling
    → is often depicted in a simple ring setting to highlight its unique qualities
  • Since they reflect a lot of light , the color of a heart-shaped diamond is more difficult to distinguish than a diamond with a large table, such as an emerald or Asscher cut.

What are the disadvantages of heart cut diamond?

What are the disadvantages of a heart cut, heart cut diamond?
Recommendation: What should you look for when buying a heart cut diamond? What are the disadvantages of heart diamonds?

  • min. 1 carat (smaller ones are conceivable for sidestones etc.)
  • Premium cut → symmetry (both halves of the heart as identical as possible)
  • avoid too big bowtie (black shadows through the middle)
  • fragile tip → more prone to damage (the tip should be well protected in the metal setting)

Stars

Which stars and celebrities have a heart diamond engagement ring?
There are some famous celebrities who adore a heart-shaped diamond ring: Nicki Minaj, Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lindsay Lohan and Carla Bruni.

Some celebrities have opted for a heart diamond engagement ring. Here are some examples:

  1. Lady Gaga: Singer Lady Gaga received an eye-catching heart diamond engagement ring from her fiancé Christian Carino.
  2. Nicki Minaj: Rapper Nicki Minaj received a large heart diamond from her fiancé Kenneth Petty.
  3. Nicole Kidman: Actress Nicole Kidman wore a heart diamond engagement ring when she was engaged to Keith Urban.
  4. Victoria Beckham: Fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham received a heart diamond from her husband David Beckham, which is part of her impressive engagement ring collection.
  5. Gwen Stefani: Singer and fashion designer Gwen Stefani received a striking heart-diamond engagement ring from her partner Blake Shelton.
  6. Lindsay Lohan: Actress and singer Lindsay Lohan also wore a heart diamond engagement ring.
  7. Carla Bruni: Former French First Lady Carla Bruni received a stylish heart-diamond engagement ring from Nicolas Sarkozy.

These stars have celebrated their love with a heart diamond engagement ring, and this unique cut gives the piece of jewelry a special symbolism. These examples show that the heart diamond is popular with various celebrities as a symbol of love.

cut

How are heart diamonds cut? What should be taken into account when cutting Heart diamonds?
Hearts are one of the rarest fancy shapes. Only a highly skilled diamond cutter can get her symmetry and proportions just right. Heart shapes are beautiful pendants, but they have also become increasingly popular as engagement rings in recent years.

Heart cuts create diamonds that are shaped like the traditional symbol of love, an idealized heart.

Heart joint anatomy:

Cleft / columnthe point facing inward at the top of the stone
Lobes / lobesthe two rounded edges, also on the top of the stone
Belly / tummythe center of the diamond
Wingsthe two sides
Pointthe lower tip of the stone
Anatomy of a heart shape

Cut

What should be paid attention to the diamond shape in heart diamonds?
Fancy cuts – like hearts, but also ovals, pear and emeralds – are rated differently than the popular rounds. Round cuts are graded by gemology laboratories using a very detailed, well-established rating system. Fantasy cuts or “fancies” do not do this. The process is much more subjective and ultimately it comes down to the general attractiveness of the stone to the customer rather than how close some measurements get to a standard.

Still, the heart cut is actually a modified round brilliant cut . That means these stones have triangular and kite-shaped facets to maximize the brilliance and sparkle. As a result, hearts can be very bright and sparkling.

price

Are heart shaped diamonds more expensive than round brilliant or other diamond shapes?
Heart cut diamonds usually cost about the same as round diamonds of the same weight. However, they usually cost more than other fancies of the same weight because diamond cutters rarely sharpen them – and sharpening them well can be difficult. Also, larger stones can show the heart shape more clearly. So you will find more hearts in larger carat weights, which increases their price.

With hearts, don’t sacrifice the carat or cut to save money. If you’re on a tight budget and really want a heart shape, there are other areas where you can compromise.

The purchase of those grown in the laboratory Lab heart diamonds is a way to save money. Because Lab Diamond Crystals can be made in more regular shapes than natural crystals, diamond cutters waste less raw material cutting them. Lab diamond raw material is also “cleaner” without the flaws that have to be cut out of natural raw material. The more rough diamonds the cutters can “convert” into salable, finished stones, the less they cost the consumer.

Bowtie

For more information on this, read “Bowtie effect (black shadow)” Shapes / shapes and Ovals -Shape.

Some unusual cuts, such as ovals and marquise, show what is known as a “bowtie” or a dark area that runs through the center of the stone. This occurs when the light enters the diamond through the panel, the large horizontal facet at the top of the diamond, but is not reflected back to the viewer.

Do heart diamonds have a bowtie?
To a certain extent, all heart cut diamonds also show this bowtie effect and shadows around the edges.

Some customers even appreciate the look of bows in ovals. However, bows in hearts don’t quite have the same charm. They divert attention from the heart shape itself. Usually diamond cutters try to minimize the grinding effect by making sure that each facet reflects as much light as possible back towards the viewer.

When buying hearts, you should look at the stones you are considering from multiple angles, including video. Get a good sense of what the fly looks like before making a decision.

The bowtie effect is best seen when you look at the diamond from above, through the board.

Symmetry

Is symmetry important in heart diamonds? Are there any bad heart shapes?
Yes, the outer shape, the symmetry is important in heart diamonds. For example, there are asymmetrical point (assymetrical Point), high shoulders (high Shoulders), undefined Cleft (undefined Cleft) and other flaws.

Pay attention to symmetry in the outer shape of the heart diamond.
Since hearts don’t get cut grades from certification companies, it is important that you decide if you like the shape of a particular stone. Put simply, does it look good to you?

Many factors contribute to the visual appeal of the heart shape, but symmetry plays a particularly important role. To assess the symmetry of a heart cut diamond, draw an imaginary line through the center of the stone, from the crevice to the tip. If the sides of the diamond look like mirror images, then it is symmetrical.

Since the heart shape itself is likely what attracts most consumers to this cut, check out the following areas carefully:

Gap and point

How should the cleavage and the point be in heart diamonds?
The heart should have a well-defined column and apex. If the crevice isn’t deep enough, your diamond will look more pear-shaped.

If the point isn’t pronounced, your heart will look too rounded. This does not mean that the point has to be “pointed”. You might even prefer a slightly rounded look. However, the tip should still clearly divide the diamond into two distinct halves.

Lobes and wings

What kind of lobes and wings should a heart diamond have?
Make sure the lobes are well shaped, not too round or too pointed. Otherwise, your diamond will not have a beautiful heart shape.

Slightly pointed lobes can give a moth-like appearance.

If the lobes or wings are uneven, the whole stone will look crooked.

Length-to-width ratio

What length width ratio should a heart cut diamond have?
The length of the heart divided by its width (L / W) is how thick or thin your stone appears when viewed from above.

For a heart cut diamond, the L / W should be as close to 1.00 as possible. The traditional L / W range for hearts is between 0.90 and 1.10. Stones outside this area can look too wide or too narrow. (Stones with an L / W under 1.00 look wider. Stones with an L / W over 1.00 look thinner). Of course, you have to judge for yourself which type of heart shape suits you best.

How do you measure a heart cut diamond?

For diamonds, the length of the heart cut is usually measured as the distance from the tip to the top of the gap. Width is usually measured as the distance between the widest part of the lobes.

Note, however, that sometimes, treat “Length” as the longest measurement, regardless of whether it is actual length or width. As a result, all heart L / W values will be 1.00 or higher.

Since a heart cut is actually a modified round brilliant cut, it should reflect as much light as possible back to the viewer.

A heart that is ground too deep or too shallow will not reflect the light back to the viewer. Instead, it will cast the light down or to the side. This makes the stone look dull.

Remember, however, that fancies are not classified according to the same exacting cut standards as round stones. Assess the stone’s performance for yourself.

Carat -> Minimum 1 carat for hearts

Choose a heart that weighs at least one carat. With something smaller, you will probably find it difficult to see the crevice. As a result, heart shapes generally look less defined with smaller weights.

Color

What should be the minimum color of heart diamonds?
Stones with high degrees of color, from colorless (D, E & F) to almost colorless (G, H, I & J), look whitest in platinum and white gold settings. However, carefully test any I or J colored hearts against white metal to see how each stone looks.

Stones with medium color grades (K to M) actually look whiter in a yellow gold setting than in a white gold setting. (A white gold setting will only accentuate its yellow hues). Stones of higher color grades may look white in yellow gold if the setting uses white metal prongs.

You need to test a single stone in a rose gold setting to see what it looks like. Usually the colors D through F look ugly in rose gold. Colors from G to M can either appear whiter or take on a deeper color. White spikes can help stones with higher color grades appear whiter in rose gold, while pink spikes can help stones with lower colors appear whiter in rose gold.

Clarity

What should be the minimum clarity of a Pear Diamond?
For a heart diamond, choose an eye-clean stone.

A diamond does not have to be classified as flawless to be beautiful. Finally, gemologists rate these diamonds under 10x magnification. “Eye-clean” means that it has no defects that are visible to the naked eye. You may have to do some research, but you can even go as low as SI1 and still find an eye-clean diamond.

Larger diamonds tend to show inclusions more easily. So if you buy hearts weighing one carat or more, you will probably find stones with visible inclusions => for over 1 carat choose a slightly better clarity (VS2 or better)

However, there are ways to hide flaws in heart grinding.

First, brilliant cuts can easily hide flaws due to the many reflections on their facets. Fortunately, hearts are brilliantly cut. Second, imperfections on the outer edges of a diamond can be hidden by the setting. A well-placed serrated or beveled setting can hide obvious flaws.

The most important thing is to avoid stones with large, numerous, or dark inclusions under the slab. Smaller or light inclusions in this area will be more difficult to see if you look at the diamond from a normal viewing distance, about six inches from your eyes.

Fancy color diamond hearts

Are heart diamonds suitable for Fancy Color Diamonds?
Fancy color diamonds, like pink or blue, have a different rating system and cost far more than their colorless counterparts. (Just to be clear, a fancy-shaped diamond can be fancy color or white. These are just two different uses of the term “fancy”).

Lady Gaga’s pink heart cut diamond engagement ring caused a stir in 2015.

Achieve even with its very light but natural color Heart cut diamonds in pink come at a very high price .

For a colorless heart-cut diamond, you can find stones with color grades up to H that still appear white. Note, however, that stones larger than one carat willshow more color . The bigger the heart, the higher the degree of color that you should consider. As a type of brilliant cut, hearts display brilliance rather than color, so they hide color better than some other fancy shapes. However, round diamonds still hide the color better than hearts.

Version

What must be taken into account when setting jewelry with heart diamonds?
Whichever version you choose, make sure that the tip of the heart is well protected. This is the area most at risk if it hits a hard surface. Although diamonds are known to be scratch resistant, they can still break or chip if hit hard enough. Unprotected areas can also get caught on clothing or other objects.

A V-shaped prong provides great protection for the tip.

Of course, a bezel setting offers the most protection, but you see less of the diamond and it lets much less light penetrate into the diamond. On the other hand, it can also help to hide inclusions on the edges of the stone and overall the diamond looks larger thanks to the fine bezel ring. In addition, the sparkle and fire come from the diamond quality and good cut and not from the light.

Ideal Mass Heart

What are the perfect dimensions for a heart cut diamond? What ideal mass, what ideal proportions should a heart diamond have in terms of depth and table? What is the ideal length ratio for a heart-shaped diamond cut?

  • Depth 56 and 66%
  • Table 56 and 62%
  • Length-to-Width Ratio
    • 0.90 to 1.10 (if measurement tip – gap)
    • over 1 (if “length” is the longest dimension)
  • Minimum 1 carat
  • Premium cut → symmetry (both halves of the heart as identical as possible)
  • avoid too big bowtie (black shadows through the middle)
  • fragile tip → more prone to damage (the tip should be well protected in the metal setting)

Budget tips Heart

How can I save money on a heart cut diamond?
Like most brilliant cuts, you should get an eye-clean diamond with purity grades SI1 and SI2. H-color heart-shaped diamonds still appear white and offer you a discount compared to higher color grades. If you’re looking for significant savings on a heart, a tradeoff on color is a good choice. That assumes, of course, that you stick with white or colorless diamonds, which are most commonly used for engagement rings.

history

When was the heart cut diamond invented? Are heart diamond old diamond cuts?
The origins of the heart diamond date back to the 15th century, when the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, developed the concept of the heart-shaped diamond together with Nicodemo Tranchedini di Pontremoli. The exact date for the invention of the heart diamond in 1463 goes back to the collaboration between the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, and Nicodemo Tranchedini di Pontremoli.

This unique diamond shape was created as a modified version of the round brilliant cut.

The heart diamond was given a particularly historic touch in the 16th century, when Mary Queen of Scots presented Queen Elizabeth of England with a heart-shaped diamond. This gesture symbolized not only goodwill, but also friendship. The heart shape was considered an extremely sophisticated cut, which further cemented its reputation as the royal cut.

Over the centuries, the unique beauty of the heart diamond and its royal associations have meant that heart-shaped diamonds have found their place in the engagement rings of both royal and non-royal personalities.