It's still February so there is time for a mention of this special style of diamond cutting. The precision cutting skills of Japanese lapidarists in the 1980's produced loose diamonds which revealed incredibly brilliant facet reflection patterns that gave them their name, hearts and arrows diamonds.

When viewed through a special gemscope from the bottom, these round diamonds will show a pattern of hearts (top). The arrows are seen from above. They are tougher to make out in the second picture below so I have highlighted a couple of them to make it easier to spot them.

It takes skill and twice or three times as long to cut these diamonds. That is why they cost more but they are worth it as the diamond brilliance is superb which is to say, they are extra sparkly. If these diamonds are properly cut, they will show complete hearts and arrows all around i.e. perfect symmetry. There should be no missing, misshapen or misaligned hearts or arrows otherwise they are not true hearts and arrows diamonds as determined by exacting Japanese standards.

They were introduced into the North American market in the 1990's.

References
______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips