It doesn’t always start with glory and perfection. The diamond rough found in mines is only transformed into the most beautiful 1% if it’s cut by the most skilled craftsmen in the world!
Precise faceting and polishing unravel the diamond’s brilliance, fire, and scintillation. And only the best of the best can showcase the full potential of a diamond, plus more!
Whiteflash is well known for their A CUT ABOVE® (ACA) signature line diamonds that comprise of Hearts and Arrows (Round) and Princess Cut Super Ideal Diamonds. If you are somewhat educated on diamonds, you surely know that the most important factor is the diamond cut.
Whiteflash concentrates on exactly that with their ACA series!
How are Diamonds Labeled as A Cut Above?
Whiteflash is the only developer and distributor of A CUT ABOVE Super Ideal Diamonds. Pieces in this line are cut under strict requirements to meet the best angles and proportions, then evaluated with an image package, an eye clean test, and a Sarin report.
Precisely fashioned by master diamond cutters in Antwerp Belgium, A Cut Above is hailed as “best of the best.” To be crowned as such, the diamond must first possess an AGS Triple Zero rating (excellence in light performance, polish, and symmetry).
It must also pass stricter parameters by Whiteflash’s experts. This makes them the most expensive line in the world! If ever diamond grading systems change, A CUT ABOVE is said to stay at the top.
Hitting The “Bull’s Eye” Of AGS Ideal
“The crafting of A CUT ABOVE® diamonds is aimed at the very heart of AGS 0 parameters representing a very narrow subset of the overall GIA Excellent cut grade category.
While a small minority of GIA Triple Ex diamonds are cut to the center, most cutters target the outer area of GIA EX parameters, consciously sacrificing light performance for heavier carat yield.
The result is the most consistently dependable, super ideal diamond in the world featuring Proven Light Performance and Uncompromising Beauty.” – Whiteflash Team
A Cut Above Hearts and Arrows Specifications
Exhibiting supreme light performance, the A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows diamond sits at the peak of cut standards. With every facet illuminated, the gem is said to present a dance of light like no other. An ACA H&A diamond proves to be the best as it falls within the strictest cut grade by AGS.
Just take a look at this comparison:
| AGS Ideal | Whiteflash ACA H&A | |
| Depth % | 58 – 62.3% | 59.5 – 62.0% |
| Table % | 53 – 58 | 53 – 58 |
| Girdle | T – M – ST | T – M – ST |
| Culet | N – P – S – M | N – P – S |
| Polish | Ideal | Ideal |
| Symmetry | Ideal | Ideal |
| Crown Angle | 33.7 – 35.8 | 34.0 – 35.0 |
| Pavilion Angle | 40.15 – 41.2 | 40.6 – 40.9 |
| Star % | N/A | 48 – 55% |
| Lower Half % | N/A | 76 – 80% |
Whiteflash gauges the Hearts and Arrows Pattern in each ACA diamond with this checklist:
- Check for eight equal, uniform and symmetrical hearts that are distinct and separate from the arrowheads above.
- Check to see if the hearts are split and if so, measure length of heart then the length of the split.
- Calculate the % of the length of the split and if it is greater than 8% and there are more than 2 of them the pattern fails.
- Each arrow must be clearly visible with a shaft and an arrowhead.
- The 8 arrow shafts and heads must be straight and in correct position.
- The 8 tips of the arrowheads must meet the girdle.
- There must be uniformity and balance.
A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows Diamonds Review
Now, let’s have a look at three randomly selected A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows diamonds. I have come up with Diamond 1, Diamond 2 and Diamond 3. The exact specifications of the diamonds are as follows:
Let’s compare these to the super ideal proportions suggested by myself:
It is apparent that all diamonds fall within my suggested proportions (which are already very strict) except Diamond 2 as it has a thin to slightly thick faceted girdle. Now, grading labs such as GIA and AGS also give excellent cut grades to diamonds with slight thickness; therefore it is not a big deal.
But in this case, I would prefer either Diamond 1 or 3. Nearly all Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows do have a thin to medium girdle thickness, though.
Now, here are the diamond’s Ideal Scope images:
All three Ideal Scope images are about as perfect as an Ideal Scope image can get. They should be red to the core without any spots of white that would indicate light leakage. Usual diamonds exhibit some spots of white and only truly exceptional diamonds are virtually all red!
Although, Diamond 3 is the one with the best light performance because it has the most red in the center, while Diamond 1 and 2 have VERY slight spots of white shining through. Admittedly, they all still have perfect light performance, but Diamond 3 is what I would recommend.
(You may also read my article on Idealscope image evaluation if you want to know more precisely how to analyze an Idealscope image.)
Let us now move on to the diamonds’ ASET images:
As you can see, there’s a lot of red/orange color, and this is exactly what you should be looking for in an ASET image. Red symbolizes light return and is the number one color you would have to take note of. Diamonds with white or dark spots indicate light leakage and should strictly be avoided.
In this set, however, all ASET images make a first-class impression. Although, even among the best diamonds, you can still find the very best! This is why I consider shopping at Whiteflash to be so advantageous. The fact that all these images are provided by default makes it easy to make an educated choice on a diamond!
Now, let’s have a look at these images viewed through the Hearts and Arrows viewer:
It is safe to say that there is no flaw whatsoever that I can find in these images. There are no clefs, and the hearts are uniform, equal, and symmetrical. Furthermore, all hearts are distinct and separated from the arrowheads by a crisp and clear gap.
If you want to know more about what to pay attention to, please read my post on Hearts and Arrows.
As a conclusion, it does have to be noted that all the diamonds among the A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows line are super excellent. The Idealscope, ASET, and Hearts and Arrows images further enable customers to choose a true masterpiece among such high caliber diamonds.
Features of an A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows Diamond
Whiteflash offers extensive features and guarantees for their A CUT ABOVE diamonds:
What I like is the standard laser inscription of the grading report number on the diamond girdle. This makes it easier to resell your diamond and adds some additional certainty that the diamond you are holding in your hand is the one that is graded on your grading report.
The fact that all A Cut Above Hearts and Arrows diamonds only exhibit negligible fluorescence is something that is valued by the market because there is strong prejudice against diamonds with fluorescence. The label “negligible fluorescence” by AGS actually means that there is no fluorescence.
Furthermore, the cut standards for A CUT ABOVE diamonds are exceedingly high. In the table below, I am comparing my cut criteria–that’s considered strict– to GIA and ACA’s standards:
| Specs | GIA Excellent | A CUT ABOVE H&A | Your Diamond Teacher |
| Depth % | 58.6-62.9 | 59.5 – 62.0 | 61.0 – 62.5 |
| Table % | 52-62 | 53 – 58 | 53 – 58 |
| Girdle | T-M-ST | T-M-ST | T-M |
| Culet | N-P-S-M | N-P-S | N-P |
| Polish Grade | EX-VG | Ideal | Ideal |
| Symmetry Grade | EX-VG | Ideal | Ideal |
| Crown Angle | 31.5-36.5 | 34 – 35 | 34 – 35 |
| Pavilion Angle | 40.6-41.8 | 40.6 – 40.9 | 40.6 – 41.0 |
| Star % | 45-65 | 48 – 55 | 48 – 55 |
| Lower Half % | 70-85 | 76 – 80 | 76 – 80 |
As you can see, most A CUT ABOVE Hearts and Arrows diamonds’ cut standards are in line with my cut recommendation. Sometimes they are even slightly stricter than my parameters i.e. the pavilion angle! All in all, I would say that A CUT ABOVE diamonds possess world-class quality, and are incomparable to anything out there.
Final Thoughts
With A Cut Above Hearts and Arrows, we are proven that top brands who claim to be the best are not always solely bedazzled by empty promises and false titles. Whiteflash’s A Cut Above signature line isn’t all jazz. These diamonds deserve to be on top – above all others.
The A CUT ABOVE series doesn’t only cater to Hearts and Arrows Diamonds. There’s also A CUT ABOVE Princess for some of the highest quality princess cut diamonds on the planet!
Read Next: Whiteflash A Cut Above® Princess Cut Review
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to write me a mail. Or comment down below; I usually answer within 24 hours! 🙂