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Diamonds have been the center of attraction for their immense beauty, yet their existence is a mystery to many. From raw carbon to this radiating gem, diamond uncovers many possibilities. It takes hours of undeterred work to perfect a diamond where the majority of time is consumed in the cutting process. The cut and shape of a diamond directly affect its refractive index. Diamond should be ideally cut in a way to allow more light to refract from the surface, thus creating that dazzling effect. One such cut that has caught the maximum attention is the “hearts and arrows” effect.

Before the answer of this question arrives, you must know what a ‘diamond cut’ actually means. Basically, it is shaping the diamond by making facets (faces) on the diamond’s surface to let more light enter the stone at certain angles, so it maximizes the internal reflections, imparting that characteristic shine.

One such cut, known as the brilliant cut, creates a total of 57 facets in the crown (top), Pavillion (bottom), and the girdle (middle) of a diamond. This gives the diamond a shape that is easily recognized around the world as it is one of the most popular ways of cutting a diamond.

However, in the 1980s, the Japanese discovered three major factors that contributed to a whole new perspective of looking at brilliant-cut diamonds. These were:

1. When a diamond is cut to the ideal proportions described by the inventor of the Brilliant Cut, Marcel Tolkowsky in his book, Diamond Design,

2. When it is cut with a perfect physical and optical symmetry.

3. When the diamond is cut to really specific brilliantine proportions.

The resulting effect was the appearance of 8 symmetrical arrows from the top of the diamond and of 8 symmetrical hearts from the bottom of the diamond. This ‘effect’ of perfectly symmetrical and proportionate brilliant-cut diamonds was given the name ‘hearts and arrows diamonds.’

The keyword here is ‘effect’ because while they do look immensely beautiful, the diamond itself is not a different product. The hearts and arrows are merely the effects of cutting the diamond to near perfection proportions penned down by the inventor of the brilliant-cut himself. While the effect was merely observed in the 80s, hearts & arrows diamonds, have been existing all along with brilliant-cut.

Now that it has been mentioned that Hearts and Arrows diamonds are not different from other diamonds in any manner, it can be said that hearts and arrows do not cause a diamond to be brilliant. It is the effect of a nearly perfect brilliant-cut that brings them into existence.

But taking advantage of an ill-informed clientele, several manufacturers in the world began to develop unconventional methods of cutting diamonds, acquired proprietary rights of their technique, and began marketing the final product as hearts and arrows diamonds. With the use of proprietary techniques, their prices rose as the customers would not be able to find the same product anywhere else.