BRANDED SPECIAL CUT DIAMONDS
As you may have noticed already, the vast majority of branded diamonds are non-standard cuts, which I am not a fan of. A few extra facets are put into the stone to make it more unique. This makes the diamonds new enough to make them patentable. However, this new creation is nothing compared to the marketing blitz behind it. These “special cut” diamonds don’t sell out on their own by just being unique or pretty; they sell because of the way companies advertise and market them. To effectively do this, they intelligently craft campaigns that are hard for a person to resist.
Special Cut” Marketing Campaigns
Branded diamond companies appeal to your emotional brain and your rational brain. You can, therefore, see the “special cut” sign right next to a diamond trying to appeal to how there is nothing like it in the world. They will say that it is a better value (rational) and also better quality (emotional). Diamond companies want you to believe how special the product is. Above all, they want you to believe how much they wanted to create a better diamond for you.
Branded Vs. Wholesale Diamonds
The “special cut” marketing campaign is just a way to mask every branded diamond company’s secret motive: to sell diamonds at a higher profit margin. The true wholesale prices of diamonds are almost the same from vendor to vendor.
Wholesale Minimum
As a consequence, regarding what has stated above, buying wholesale diamonds and reselling them just the way they are doesn’t really give them much of an edge. As a result, companies put in their own “special cuts” to put them at a higher value than the wholesale minimum. Eventually, this gave birth to branded companies.
Substandard Cuts
While tricking the consumers of the diamonds’ value is kind of discouraging, the problem with some branded companies is on how they perform the cuts. They result in almost a substandard, poorly cut diamonds. So it is safe to say that while such cuts make them unique, the regular ideal cut diamonds remain to be a better choice.
And if you are still here and looking for the part about Hearts on Fire Band, then there is no need to wait. The question remains: What does this long introduction have to do with Hearts on Fire?
BUT WHAT ABOUT HEARTS ON FIRE?
You may have known already that Hearts on Fire is arguably one of the most well known branded diamond companies to date. A little different from what is written above, the Hearts of Fire diamond is very simple. It is a well-cut round stone without any extra facets. Therefore, nothing about it is unique. And if you are wondering now what everything has to do with it, then continue reading below:
Cut Selection
When GIA gives an “Excellent” cut grade on a diamond, it helps to know that there are two sides of the word: the higher kind of Excellent and the lower kind. This might not be noticeable for most people. However, there are some who still claim to have seen the difference between them. And in terms of the Hearts on Fire diamonds, they are only the best when it comes to the cut.
The only thing that has it going for Hearts on Fire diamonds is on their tagline: “The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond.” Unfortunately, this only holds true for their regular round cut diamond. Aside from it, there is nothing else. Even with its “perfectly” cut aspect, it is sad to see so little selection available in color and in clarity.
THE TEST
Recently, I tried to Hearts on Fire experience myself. I entered Michael C Fina, their exclusive store in New York, pretending I was about to propose. My goal was to buy a single carat Hearts on Fire diamond and compare it with the best I could find online.
THE PRODUCT
I won’t dwell on the buying experience since this is a Heats on Fire Diamonds review. But I will say it was as to be expected from a high-end jewelry store.
Hearts on Fire Jewelry Store is great, but you are limited in selection compared to an online company.
Cut Over Color and Clarity
I purchased a 1.02ct “G/H VS/SI” mounted in a platinum band for $15,990 before tax. The total amounted to $17,200. Believe me if you think it’s odd I paid over $17,000 for a diamond when they didn’t even know its color or clarity, you’re not alone.
Split Grades
For a premium product such as Hearts on Fire, they are unfortunately given split grades. These are usually seen on IGI certificates of mounted goods at low-end national chain retailers. Furthermore, their diamonds aren’t certified by a 3rd part objective source such as GIA or ADS.
Why it Matters
What all of this comes down to is the issue of value. The charge for products like Hearts on Fire is rather high for a standard product that is given a spilt grade. An example of this can be seen in the difference in price between a G VS1 and an H SI2. It is enormous (looking on James Allen right now, a 1ct round G VS1 is about $10,000 while a 1ct round H SI2 is about $6000).
WORTH THE PREMIUM?
To look into this subject more clearly, it is a must to give the Hearts on Fire diamonds a fair comparison. Upon carefully examining and looking through diamonds online, we have come to compare it to a 1.02ct H SI1 AGS certified Triple Zero from Brian Gavin Diamonds. Below are the results:
The Comparison
But before any of that, we have to look at the facts. The H SI1 from Brian Gavin Diamonds was chosen because it was the closest approximation to the color and clarity of the Hearts on Fire diamond.
Equally Brilliant
Now on to the comparison. Compared to other diamonds like the one from Brian Gavin Diamonds, there isn’t much of a difference. Even with the different setting of the two, it is clear to see that both are equally brilliant diamonds.
Unequally Priced
However, even with the same amount of brilliance, what puts the Hearts on Fire diamonds at a disadvantage is its unequal and undeserved price. The diamond from Brian Gavin Diamonds costs $8,446 by credit card, or $8,193 if paid by wire transfer. This is comparatively cheaper than that of Hearts on Fire which costs at around $15,100; after the tax. What makes it more expensive is unavailability online. Hearts on Fire can only be sold from an actual, physical store, which puts it at a much higher price with the sales tax you will have to pay.
Not Worth the Premium
Overall, the difference in price plays a significant role. While it costs a much higher price, there is really nothing that distinguishes the quality of Hearts on Fire to other diamonds. Basically, buying a Hearts on Fire diamonds will give you nothing more than a regular cut, which you can find anywhere else, at the cost of a couple more bucks.
