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Whiteflash are known for their high-quality products, exceptionally cut diamonds and their business practices. Read our review on Whiteflash here.
In this article, we’ll be focusing on Whiteflash’s signature product, their A Cut Above Super Ideal Diamonds.
Why Diamond Cut is Important
If you know the first thing about colorless diamonds, you’ll know that cutting is the most important aspect of these stones.
While diamonds are abundantly found in nature, natural gem-quality diamonds are incredibly rare. They are only found in a few places on Earth and thousands of tons of dirt must be moved in order to recover them. But in their rough state diamonds do not possess the brilliance and fire that make them so mesmerizingly beautiful. Revealing the full potential of their exceptional beauty lies solely in the craftsmanship of the cutter.
To produce a polished diamond with maximum light performance, it must be cut with exacting precision. A faceted diamond is essentially a sculpture of light with architecture in the form of a system of tiny mirrors. The precise alignment of those mirrors in three dimensions is what enables a diamond to collect light and redirect it to our eyes in a brilliant combination of brightness, fire, and sparkle that can grab the attention of an observer from across a room.
Which brings us to the A Cut Above diamond range from Whiteflash.
A Cut Above Diamonds
This range of super ideal diamonds by Whiteflash contains diamonds that are among the best in the world. The crème de la crème, so to speak.
Whiteflash has been pushing the boundaries of cut quality over the last 2 decades and have produced diamonds with light performance at the extreme limits of what is technically possible.
A CUT ABOVE diamonds are meticulously cut and rigorously tested to ensure only the ‘best of the best’ are awarded the A CUT ABOVE brand.
Each one is owned and kept in-house, and is available for immediate delivery exclusively from Whiteflash. And each is posted to the Whiteflash website with a comprehensive set of diagnostics including laboratory report, light performance imaging, and 360 HD video.
A platinum certificate from American Gem Society Laboratories is just the baseline requirement for the A CUT ABOVE brand – an extensive list of additional specifications and qualifications must also be met before the brand is awarded.
The benefit of this is that all the science and vetting has already been done for you guaranteeing that your diamond will have the optimal combination of properties.
Optical Precision and the Benefits of Hearts and Arrows
The Whiteflash A Cut Above range comes in round and princess cuts. Here are the specifications:
A CUT ABOVE® Round
In addition to meeting all required specifications and passing all imaging tests, the A CUT ABOVE® Round must exhibit a perfect pattern of Hearts and Arrows demonstrating that it has been cut to precise three-dimensional symmetry.
Perfect optical symmetry ensures that the diamond is optimally “tuned”, with each tiny facet precisely aligned in relation to all other facets.
This enables the diamond to reflect, refract and return to the eye the maximum quantity and quality of light technically possible.
A CUT ABOVE® Princess
Princess cut diamonds have been one of the most popular ‘fancy shape’ diamonds since their introduction to the market in the 1960s.
With a square shape profile and brilliant style facet arrangement, princess cuts present a wonderful fusion of angularity and brilliance that creates a unique and eye-catching look.
The problem is, most princess cuts are not cut with an emphasis on light performance. Finding a great princess cut is therefore like finding a needle in a haystack.
Most grading labs don’t grade the cut quality of princess cuts. However, the AGS has adapted their sophisticated light performance cut analysis system to grading princess cuts. A CUT ABOVE® Princess requires a triple ideal certificate from AGSL as well as meeting additional Whiteflash criteria in order to be part of the brand.
If you are looking for the best princess cut, Whiteflash has done all the work and has them in stock and available for immediate delivery, for in-store inspection, or for consultation with a Whiteflash gemologist.
A CUT ABOVE® Collection Series
Many shoppers looking for the very best in cut quality are also looking for diamonds of elite color and clarity. For those buyers the A CUT ABOVE® Collection Series is the perfect solution – colorless diamonds (DEF), microscopically clean (IF-VVS), and perfectly cut.
A CUT ABOVE® Melee
Small diamonds are referred to in the diamond trade as diamond melees. Because they are typically used as accent stones rather than feature stones, many people dismiss them as not being very important, especially from a cut-quality perspective.
Whiteflash takes the opposite view – accent stone needs to be cut with precision in order to create the optics necessary for a brilliant piece of fine jewelry. For some designs, they offer A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Melee for the ultimate in dazzling sparkle.
This is probably the only diamond retailer to focus on the cut quality of melee diamonds to this extent.
A Cut Above Diamond Price – Are They Too Expensive?
It goes without saying that the A Cut Above the diamond line is among the best in offering top-quality diamonds. And this of course reflected in the price, as it’s their most expensive line. If you’re looking for a budget diamond, then, needless to say, this probably isn’t the best diamond collection to be looking through.
However, to put this in perspective, you could compare one of these diamonds to any diamond that you find at a big brand store like Tiffany, Cartier, or Harry Winston. The Whiteflash A Cut Above diamond would be equally beautiful (if not of better quality) but with a significantly lower price.
When comparing these exceptional Whiteflash diamonds, you have to compare them to other high-end diamonds as that is the category that they fall in. You might not find them high in price.
A Cut Above – After Sales Policies and Fine Print
- Lifetime Trade Up Guarantee
One of the most popular added-value aspects of dealing with Whiteflash is their 100% Lifetime Trade-Up Benefit. This provides full stored value in any Whiteflash in-house diamond towards another diamond in the future. The flexibility this gives to upgrade to another diamond in the future without any loss is a significant value.
- Elite Expertise in Diamond Light Performance
Diamond analytics is the foundation for understanding the light performance and becoming aware of the full potential a diamond has to maximize eye appeal.
Not only does Whiteflash use these tools for the design and vetting of their diamonds, but they also provide a comprehensive package of diagnostics about each diamond they offer.
In addition to introducing the world to A CUT ABOVE® precision cut diamonds in 2000, Whiteflash has been studying and writing extensively about light performance ever since. In fact, they have authored a full series of articles on diamond grading in collaboration with the AGS Laboratories including detailed articles on color, clarity, and of course cut grading. Included in the series is an in-depth article on the grading of princess cuts, a relatively tricky subject that’s often not well understood.
- ISO 9000 Quality Certification
ISO 9000 is an international certification system for quality management and continual improvement. Whiteflash is the only jewelry retailer we know of that has committed themselves to this rigorous certification process, having first achieved ISO certification in 2013.
They undergo annual audits and have been recertified each year since. Like the precision specifications of their A CUT ABOVE diamonds, Whiteflash as a company strives to deliver the very best and holds themselves to the very highest standards.
- BBB Award Winner since 2004
If you need more reason to have confidence in Whiteflash, they have maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau since 2004 and have been recipients of the most prestigious BBB awards every year since.
Companies are judged based on product quality, customer care, and social responsibility. Whiteflash is among the best when it comes to such criteria.
In Summary…
The Whiteflash A Cut Above diamonds are perfect if you’re looking for exceptional cut quality and want only the best.
If, however, you’re looking for a budget diamond with passable quality, then this isn’t the best place to search.
To learn more about Whiteflash, check out our in-depth review here.
To compare Whiteflash to other online retailers, check out our quick review comparing the pros and cons of the top online retailers here.
