Hearts and Arrows Certification and Scientific and Technical Research
In the early mid 1990s when Hearts and Arrows (aka H&A) began to trickle into America, they were much more high-tech than the grading labs were. When GIA began to encounter H&A diamonds a few things jumped out from the report. The diamonds were extremely round, tables were 55-57%, the girdles were medium or thin to medium and polish and symmetry were excellent. This kind of consistent cutting was unheard of at the time and cut grading did not exist yet in America.
HRD(Hoge Raad voor de Diamand) applies objective criteria and uses an automatic measuring device developed in-house to determine whether a diamond meets the stringent Hearts & Arrows standard.
IGI (International Gemological Institute) is also one of the laboratories that certify Hearts and Arrows.
The WTOCD (Wetenschappelijk technish Onderzoeks Centrum voor Diamand) is one of the most import scientific and technical research center for diamonds. A proprietary software was developed by WTOCD to analyze the images according to the H&A by HRD Antwerp guidelines. Based on measurements of the H&A patterns, an expert system makes an evaluation of the guidelines. The system delivers consistent, objectively measured, H&A grades.
Diamonds with a Hearts and Arrows cut command a price premium in the world's market, reflecting the generally greater time needed to produce them and the greater loss of weight from rough, as well as their generally better overall cut quality. It has also become a popular sales tool in diamond marketing. Although the «Hearts and Arrows» property is indicative of a top-tier cut, it does not always mean the diamond will be the most brilliant, and should be looked at in conjunction with the cut grade. However, a Hearts and Arrows Grading in conjunction with Excellent or Ideal cut grade will give a superb sparkle.
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