No charm can ever beat the tenderness of heart-cut diamonds – Feel it now!
Posted by Hari Krishna
June 9, 2021
What do you think a heart-cut diamond symbolizes – Timeless love?
Well, the eye-catching heart-cut diamonds used to be the symbol of royalty and friendship before it was a sign of true love.
Yes. In the 15th & 16th century it was common among royalty to give each other heart-cut diamonds.
Even in the 15th century, Mary Queen of Scots had gifted a heart-cut diamond ring to Queen Elizabeth as a sign of friendship.
However, the modern heart diamond cut, technically known as – triangular with rounded corners, became popular in the mid-20th century as True love takes time.
The eye-catching brilliance makes stunning heart-cut diamonds one of the most popular fancy diamond cuts, and that has not changed in over 600 years.
Even today, when more than two-thirds of all diamonds available in the market are brilliant round diamonds, the heart-cut diamonds are a unique, rare, and special choice for true diamond lovers.
With advancements in diamond-cutting and polishing technology over time, gem-cutters can now craft perfectly cut heart-shaped diamonds but only with their immense skill set and experience.
Wondering why? Let us take you to the journey of rough diamond turning into shimmering heart-cut diamonds:
Although it looks very different and hard to believe, the heart diamond cut derives from the popular round brilliant diamond cut.
Just like round brilliant cut diamonds, a heart-shaped diamond typically has 56 to 58 facets that bring unparalleled brilliance to the diamonds.
Heart-cut diamonds also have triangular and kite-shaped facets like brilliant round diamonds. As a result, heart-cut diamonds have maximum scintillation than any other fancy diamond cut.
Before going further with understanding the cut characteristics of heart-cut diamonds, let’s get familiar with the aesthetic features of the cut.
If we start with the heart diamond cutting process, we must tell you that to create a rounded head and a pointed end of the perfect heart shape, a perfectly symmetrical stone is required.
Hence, the cutting process for heart diamonds begins with a pear-cut diamond, which is then elaborated into a heart shape by cutting the cleft and rounding out the sides.
However, the curved halves of the heart should match perfectly, and the cleft should be sharp and distinct, the wings should be symmetrical, ending in a neat apex point.
Since this process requires incredible precision, only the most skilled gem-cutters can achieve the perfectly shimmering heart-cut diamonds.
If we go by ideal cutting standards for heart-cut diamonds, then here they are:
For heart-cut diamonds, the length is the distance between the point to the top-most part of the cleft end, and the width is the distance between the two lobes.
The ideal length to width ratio for heart-cut diamonds is 1.00, meaning their length & width should be equal.
However, the L/W ratio, anywhere between 0.95-1.02, is acceptable for heart-cut diamonds.
But heart-cut diamonds with an L/W ratio of less than 0.90 or below will look chubby & wide, and those with an L/W ratio of 1.10 or above will look elongated & overly thin.
Like other diamond cuts, the top-most flat facet in the heart-cut diamonds is a table, and its size is expressed as a percentage of diamond width.
Ideally, for an excellent cut, the table size of the heart-cut diamonds should be between 53 to 63 percent.
Besides, the depth of heart-cut diamonds is the distance from top to bottom, expressed as a percentage of its width.
For brilliant heart-cut diamonds, the ideal depth percentage is between 58 to 62 percent.
One of the most crucial factors contributing to the visual appearance of the heart-cut diamonds is the symmetry of the cut.
To examine the cut symmetry, you can draw an imaginary vertical line in the middle from the cleft to the point. The two halves on either side of the imaginary line must be identical.
Also,
The heart-cut should have well-defined cleft and point facets.
If the cleft is not deep enough, the heart-cut diamond will look more pear-cut diamond.
Also, the point of the heart-cut diamond should be distinct enough (but not too sharp) so that it does not appear rounded.
The heart-cut diamond should have well-shaped symmetrical lobes (not too rounded or too pointy), with no diverse facets or variations in lobe size.
Ideally, the wings (sides) of the diamond should be slightly rounded but not overly bulge.
On a par with some fancy diamond cuts, like ovals and marquises, heart-cut diamonds show a bow-tie effect (dark patches running through the middle of the diamond).
This bow tie effect occurs when the reflected waves of visible light entering through the diamond table can not properly reach the viewers. To some degree, all heart-cut diamonds show this bow tie.
However, the gem-cutters put too much effort to minimize the bow tie in the heart-cut diamonds by cutting them to ideal or close-to-ideal cut proportions and the right overall shape.
Especially in heart-cut diamonds, you should go with a 1+ carat size range, or your heart-cut diamond will look more like a pear-cut diamond, especially after setting it into jewellery.
Apart from this, one more thing to consider is that the point of the heart diamond is well-protected in the jewellery setting because it is the most vulnerable to damage if it strikes a hard surface.
For smaller heart diamonds, a bezel or three-prong setting will better preserve the heart shape outline of the diamond into the jewellery.
For large-sized heart diamonds, any jewellery setting goes well. A four-prong/six-prong jewellery setting will help maximize the brilliance of the heart-cut diamond.
A solitaire bezel setting will provide more protection to the heart diamond but sometimes make your diamond look less brilliant than it is.
A classic halo setting will not only add extra elegance and sparkle to your diamond but also make your heart-cut diamond appear bigger than its actual size.
A three-stone setting will also help the center stone appear larger and help emphasize your heart-cut diamond.
Every human heart lights by the fire of HK Heart-cut Diamonds!
Ever the romantic choice, this rare and symbolic heart diamond cut is the ideal way to be in love and style all at once!
Check out our latest inventory of heart-cut diamonds in all sizes and colors only on the HK.CO:
