Beyond the 4Cs

The ultimate achievement in hardness and brilliance when referring to a diamond. All Hearts On Fire diamonds possess this perfect luster.

American Gem Society (AGS) is an association of independent retailer jewelers and suppliers that is dedicated to proven ethics, knowledge and consumer protection.

Established in 1996, the AGSL is the leading gemological laboratory in the jewelry industry, known for specializing in diamonds and setting the highest standard for cut grading.

In a bar channel setting, individual metal bars separate each gemstone. To lock a gem in place, the metal is molded around it.

In a bezel setting, a metal rim secures a gemstone in place by the girdle. The bezel setting guards the gemstone from damage, yet does not block light from entering the top of the stone and creating brilliance.

Total brightness of light radiated by a diamond with positive contrast effects. The exact proportions of the Hearts On Fire cut maximizes each diamond's brilliance.

Although commonly thought to refer to the size of a diamond, a carat is actually a standard unit of measure that defines the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. Since it is a unit of measure and not size, two diamonds of the same carat weight may appear to be different sizes depending on how the diamond is cut. Some diamonds will have extra weight on the bottom part of the stone and therefore appear smaller. A Hearts On Fire diamond is perfectly cut and will appear larger than many diamonds of a heavier carat weight.

The center stone is the central, dominant stone in a piece of jewelry with multiple stones.

In a channel setting, ridges in the metal create a channel to hold the gemstones in place.

Gemstones are frequently sent to an independent laboratory to be graded against a master set of gemstones according to industry-wide guidelines. Every Hearts On Fire serialized diamond is graded by three separate gemologists at the AGSL - the American Gem Society's diamond grading lab.

A characteristic that makes every diamond unique are tiny traces of other elements or gasses that may have been trapped inside at the time the diamond was formed. These are called inclusions, nature's fingerprints, or a diamond's birthmarks. The clarity scale measures the number, size and location of these within each diamond. The most valuable and rare designation is flawless (FL).

Many diamonds appear colorless, but may actually contain very faint traces of yellow or brown. The less color a diamond has the rarer and more valuable it is. The color scale describes the degree of body color, from D (completely colorless) to Z (dark - but not fancy colored).

The crown is the area of a gemstone above the girdle - including the table, main facets and brilliant facets. Light is projected to the observer through the crown in the form of brilliance, fire, and sparkle.

The culet is the tiny facet at the point of the pavilion, or bottom, of a diamond. The culet is used by cutters to center all faceting of a diamond as well as to protect the point.

Cut refers to the shape, style and finish of a diamond. The quality of the cut determines how well a diamond will reflect and refract light. The more perfectly cut - the more brilliance, fire and sparkle. Every Hearts On Fire is cut to the most stringent guidelines in the world.

All percentage measurements are based on the diameter of the gemstone being 100%. The depth percentage is simply the height of a gemstone, measured from the culet to the table, divided by its diameter.

The flat polished surfaces on a gemstone. These surfaces act as both windows and mirrors in a diamond - allowing light to pass through and/or reflect. A round, brilliant-cut diamond has 58 facets.

The quality of each facet's polish and symmetry, the condition of its girdle, and the overall precision of the cut determine a diamond's finish.

The spectral colors of light reflected and refracted from within a diamond through its crown. Fire is maximized by cutting all 58 facets of a round brilliant diamond to the correct proportions.

Some diamonds glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. This is often very faint blue, but may occur in other colors. Subtle fluorescence that is not visible under normal light conditions does not affect the value of a diamond.

GIA is the leading educational institution in the jewelry industry.

An independent gemological lab recognized as a top authority on grading all types of gemstones.

The girdle is the thin band around the circumference or widest portion of the diamond. This edge is secured in jewelry settings and protects the diamond from damage.

The part of a setting that holds the center stone or solitaire in place.

The carat weight range of a gemstone that can be mounted into a setting's head.

Inclusions are trace minerals, fractures, and other characteristics that make up the unique internal fingerprint of a gemstone. Inclusions are created during the gem's formation within the Earth.

As a leading diamond manufacturer Hearts On Fire has joined with the United Nations, all diamond-producing countries and non-governmental organizations in adopting an international agreement known as the Kimberley Process (KP) to prevent all traffic in conflict diamonds.

Today, over 99% of the world's rough diamonds are documented with Certificates of Origin to ensure that they come from conflict-free sources.

In order to curb any potential for illicit trade in diamonds passing through troubled areas, a System of Warranties (SoW) further ensures that KP diamonds cannot be tampered with during transit. A written statement must accompany diamonds and diamond jewelry, to guarantee they are from legitimate sources.

Hearts On Fire Company is proud to endorse and fully comply with all the requirements of the Kimberley Process (KP) and the System of Warranties (SoW). All invoices issued by our company attest to the legitimate sourcing of all our diamonds.

The absence of cross-graining or included crystals in a diamond. Wood offers a great analogy. Wood has a grain that runs in parallel. It can be “clear,” like the shaft on a pool cue, or “knotted,” like a burled-wood pipe. The burl is much harder to fashion. Diamonds are more complicated – they have 12 grains formed in an octahedron. You can only polish across one at a time to achieve adamantine finish. If the grains are crossed, twisted or knotted, then achieving a superlative polish becomes impossible.

The first two numbers of a diamond's measurement represent its maximum and minimum diameter. The third number represents the depth of the diamond from its culet to its table.

The pavilion is the bottom portion of a diamond, which extends from the girdle to the culet. In a classic round brilliant the pavilion consists of eight main and sixteen brilliant facets.

Polish is the term that describes the external finish of a gemstone. Because diamonds are the hardest substance known, they are capable of taking the highest level of polish known as adamantine. Poorly polished diamonds do not achieve this level of finish. Hearts On Fire have superlative polish because they are cut and analyzed under 100X magnification – 10 times accepted industry standards.

In a prong setting, metal prongs are cut to fit the diamond's girdle, and then pushed securely down over the gem's crown facets.

Proportions are the set of measurements used to describe the various angles and percentages of a finished gem diamond. They define the footprint of the diamond relative to its size. It is well known that very particular proportions create the best visual results in a diamond.

The Proportion Scope® is a 3X magnification device that allows you to see why our diamonds are called Hearts On Fire. When our diamonds are viewed table down, you'll see a perfect ring of eight hearts. When viewed face-up, you'll see a perfect fireburst. These visual phenomena are your proof of the exacting standards of Hearts On Fire — The World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond®.

Round is the shape with the highest degree of symmetry. That is why round diamonds have always been considered top performers. The brilliant cut has 58 facets. This cut makes the best possible use of light to increase brilliance, fire and sparkle.

Commonly called “sparkle” – and known scientifically as dynamic contrast brilliance - scintillation refers to the tiny flashes of light when the diamond, the light source, or the observer moves. Scintillation is affected by the number, size, and position of all facets, as well as the quality of their polish.

A piece of jewelry that is set with only one gemstone is often referred to as a solitaire. The gemstone itself is also often referred to as a solitaire.

Symmetry describes the overall shape of a diamond as well as the alignment, shape and positioning of all its facets. Perfect symmetry greatly enhances a diamond's ability to reflect and refract light.

The table is the largest facet of the diamond, located directly on the top. The table is the window through which we see most of a diamonds magic.

The width of the table divided by the diameter of the diamond gives us the table percentage.