What are Hearts & Arrows diamonds?

In the 1980s Japanese cutters were the first to produce diamonds cut so exactly that facet reflections overlapped, creating kaleidoscopic patterns when seen through reflecting viewers. The techniques spread to other cutting houses and evolved. Hearts & Arrows diamonds reached the US in the mid 1990s. Top quality H&A diamonds are valued for their uniqueness and quality as the ultimate in cutting precision. They are sometimes called superideals (Hearts & Arrows Diamonds see examples).

A Hearts & Arrows viewer is a reflecting optical symmetry tool. Looking through it you will see arrows radiating outward in the crown of a H&A diamond. Turn the diamond over and a circle of hearts appears in the pavilion. The arrows pattern may also be seen in light return viewers and some actual photography, but the H&A Viewer is the only tool that reveals hearts patterning. All facets must be precisely aligned to appear correctly. If any part of the diamond is even slightly asymmetric the patterns will be uneven or distorted.

US labs have no grading standards for optical symmetry, so examples of true H&A patterning are rare. H&A diamonds may have symmetrical cut, but not all are cut to ideal parameters and not all have optimum light return. As their popularity grows more factories attempt to produce them and standards have declined. If we regard the most acute level of optical symmetry as true hearts & arrows then examples of phony hearts & arrows are much more commonplace.

Whiteflash presented a grading system for optical symmetry at the International Diamond Cut Conference in Moscow in 2004. It was hoped that laboratories and peers would unite to maintain higher standards for manufacture of H&A as they have in Japan where the standard was set. Though laboratories do not offer a grade for Hearts & Arrows, Whiteflash does, and we are the only company to safeguard buyers with a guarantee of optical symmetry meeting the IDCC presentation criteria.

What are Whiteflash ACA branded Hearts & Arrows diamonds?

Whiteflash ACA is the leading H&A diamond sold exclusively on the Internet, and remains the only H&A diamond with a guarantee of true optical symmetry. 

This is a level of cut precision far beyond ideal. After meeting proven AGS ideal parameters Whiteflash ACA is taken much further. Each is faithfully brillianteered so that all 57 facets line up perfectly with their opposites. It requires significantly more time, rough material and personal attention than other cuts. In every Whiteflash ACA the most minor facets are crafted to specific proportions. When all of these tiny mirrors are precisely brought into their most effective position the result is a brilliant superideal diamond where every facet is in sharp, focused alignment with the others. The crisp, true hearts and arrows patterning, and optimum light return through all lighting conditions is Whiteflash's design for best Visual Balance.

Many diamonds are beautiful and all diamonds sparkle well in bright jewelry store lights. This is because the sheer volume of light returned to the eye overpowers any fine-tuning of the cut. Whiteflash ACA diamonds go further. In diffuse office lighting and soft conditions like candlelight the crisply aligned mirrors in each Whiteflash ACA optimize even subtle or distant light so that it has life and performance where other diamonds do not. With these diamonds you will see broad flashes from across a restaurant in candlelight. It’s a logical result of every mirror inside the diamond working in harmony, and the crisp, true optical symmetry that is Whiteflash's signature. This level of fine-tuning is a marriage of old-world knowledge with new-world technology for maximum performance in a diamond.

Whiteflash ACA diamonds are designed by Whiteflash and carefully cut by our Antwerp sightholder. Each Whiteflash ACA passes a set of rigorous tests for craftsmanship and light performance beyond the AGS ideal grade, and each is protected by our guarantee of top optical symmetry. Fewer than one diamond in a million have hearts and arrows patterning and Whiteflash ACA stand with the most elite. They have been described as the most visually balanced diamonds in the world (more here).

What are Expert Selection diamonds?

Many Expert Selection diamonds come from our Antwerp sightholder. Others come from different sources. Whiteflash hand-selects each one to appear in our Houston inventory for a balance of distinctive beauty and pricing. Some ES diamonds may not be graded ideal in cut, but they are an ideal value. The purpose of ES is 'best value for the money.' Whiteflash has carefully chosen each diamond for beauty and quality to fit every budget.

Our line of Expert Selection diamonds primarily consists of exceptionally valued princess cut and round brilliants. Some did not conform to the strict standards imposed on our Whiteflash ACA superideals, but may closely resemble Whiteflash ACA in appearance. Those that missed by a very small margin are a great value. Most Expert Selection rounds have been cut to AGS ideal parameters, representing a small percentage of the best cut diamonds on the planet.

What is the virtual diamond database that many sellers use?

Clarification: Every Whiteflash ACA and 'Expert Selection' diamond is located at Whiteflash, living in our vault. We sourced these diamonds ourselves and they are exclusive to us.

Another option we offer is access to the 'virtual' diamond database that many sellers use. We use information provided by known suppliers to list these diamonds.  At Whiteflash we don’t believe in selling a diamond without seeing it ourselves first:  If you are considering a diamond from the virtual list we will insist on bringing it here for complete inspection and analysis.  We will sell it to you only after our own experts ensure that it meets advertised criteria and our strict quality standards.

Diamond Details

When a diamond in our search engine indicates "Item Available - Ready to ship," it's a Whiteflash ACA or 'Expert Selection' diamond located at Whiteflash.  A diamond indicating "Call for Availability" is located with one of our suppliers; quickly available to us.  "New Item - Call for Arrival Date" indicates a diamond just cut and polished which is still in transit from the lab we sent it to for grading (see below).

Why are some of your in-house diamonds missing their grading reports?

When we receive a shipment of diamonds they are carefully evaluated by Whiteflash before being sent to the labs for grading. We post information when preliminary results come in but sometimes when this information goes up we are waiting for the diamond to be inscribed and the grading report to be printed.