Hearts and Arrows – Style

The heart cut is perhaps the most romantic shape for a diamond or any other gemstone. It speaks for itself and does not need additional decor, which is why such stones are usually featured in items such as pendants, engagement rings, and stud earrings.

The “heart” cut usually has 57 facets, of which 6 to 8 are on the pavilion, that is, the lower part under the girdle, and the upper platform has the shape of an octagon. The main difficulty in making this form is the absolute symmetry of the “lobes” of the heart relative to the central line that connects the notch and the tip. At the same time, there are no canonical proportions: the cutter himself calculates the parameters of the future precious heart in each specific case. We asked professional gemologists and cutters to comment on the features of this form.

Vladimir Vladimirtsev, InterGems:

“The heart is one of the most beautiful, but also the most complex fantasy shapes for cutting colored stones. When performing it, it is necessary to combine both a classic cut (applying flat bevels) and use the technique of stone-cutting art (when making a cut in the upper part of the heart). It is imperative to pay attention to proportions – hearts with a 1 to 1 proportion in length and width (plus or minus 10%) look most advantageous. It is also extremely important to maintain smooth lines and symmetry of shapes; angular hearts usually look controversial. In our opinion, the classic heart shape should look round and “appetizing”; you need to find balance so that it does not turn into either a circle or a triangle. And, naturally, in order for the stone to sparkle, the angles of the edges must be clearly aligned, but this also applies to other forms of cutting too.”

Dmitry Samorukov, master of artistic cutting, engineer:

“Any cut is a matter of technology. But when it comes to expensive minerals, the shape is adjusted to the stone itself in order to minimize costs and preserve its mass as much as possible. Hence the different shapes of the “heart”. This cut is distinguished by the so-called undercut – a notch in the upper part. On diamonds, additional edges are made inside the trim; on colored stones, the notch is simpler. We can say that the heart shape is “inconvenient” for cutters: it has a single axis of symmetry, that is, the edges must be placed in pairs, but at the same time it is not a complex cut itself. Any shape is assembled and put together like a puzzle, and for each stone you need to solve the problem of how to put this mosaic together from the faces.”

Yunna Alieva, gemologist at Parure Atelier:

“When cutting raw materials, in 95% of cases, preference is given to the carat weight of the stone rather than proportions. The cutter receives payment for the final weight of the stone, and not for perfect compliance with the cutting laws. This results in emeralds, Paraiba tourmalines, sapphires, spinels and other heart-cut stones being noticeably rarer than more common shapes, and therefore selling at a premium to price.”

Nina Spiridonova