The Development of the Hearts &
The creation of the first Hearts & Arrows diamond was due to chance. In the 1980s, the Japanese diamond cutter Takanori Tamura noticed that a pattern of arrows and hearts could be created if certain cutting parameters were observed.
Building on this knowledge, a diamond cut was developed in Japanese laboratories that was closely based on the ideal proportions from Marcel Tolkowsky's treatise Diamond Design (1919). Particular attention was paid to the perfect symmetry and the proportions required for the Hearts & Arrows pattern; for example, the table facet must be smaller than in a traditional brilliant cut.
The name Hearts & Arrows was introduced and patented by Kinsaku Yamashita in 1988.
In the early 1990s, the popularity of the Hearts & Arrows cut began to spread across Japan.
The Hearts &
To see the distinctive Hearts & Arrows motif clearly, you need a Firescope (also known as a Cupid Cut Loupe). This is a special reflector developed by Kazumi Okuda in the 1970s that allows you to see a kaleidoscopic pattern that shows the direction and intensity of the light reflected from the diamond.
Even though they are usually not visible to the naked eye, Hearts & Arrows diamonds are characterized by their above-average brilliance and fiery sparkle thanks to the extremely precise cut.
A rare and precious cut
Hearts & Arrows diamonds are limited in quantity and more expensive than comparable diamonds in other cuts. This is because creating a Hearts & Arrows cut takes approximately four times as long as creating a brilliant cut. After all, the facets must be placed very precisely; even the smallest deviations would destroy the regular pattern. Another factor is that the weight loss is particularly significant compared to rough diamonds .
