The heart is the most explicit and popular symbol of love.
A heart shaped diamond engagement ring may be one of the most desirable models for a very romantic person.
The heart shape is a brilliant cut, very similar to the pear shape, only it has a cleft at the top. It usually has 57 facets; the cleft between the lobes must be well defined and the two halves must be symmetrically shaped.
When buying a heart shaped diamond engagement ring, look for a well-defined outline, a symmetrical appearance, where the lobes (top arches) are of even height and breadth, and for an overall shape pleasing to the eye. Asymmetrically shaped stones might be mistaken for a pear shape with a small dimple and are heavily discounted in price and beauty.
When choosing a color grade, consider that even faint color may be slightly visible at the corners.
The ideal length-to-width ratio should be 0.98-1.02.
The ideal depth is between 58-65.4% and the table 52-64%.
However, there are many beautiful heart shaped diamonds that fall outside of these depth and table specifications.
Blue Heart diamond
A famous heart-shaped diamond is the Blue Heart.
Sometime between 1909 and 1910, the firm of Atanik Ekyanan of Neuilly, Paris cut this heart shape. It is not very certain whether the stone came from Africa or India.
From that date to 1964, when it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, it had a long “journey”:
- In 1910 it was purchased by Cartier and in 1964 further sold to the Argentinian Mrs. Unzue. (Its setting was then a lily-of-the-valley corsage).
- In 1953 it was bought by Van Cleef & Arpels and set in a pendant to a necklace. The necklace was sold to an European family for $300,000.
- In 1959 Harry Winston acquired the gem and it was sold mounted in a ring for Marjorie Merriweather Post.
- Finally Mrs. Post donated the Blue Heart to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C where it remained until today.
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