Rose cut diamonds are beautifully unique  diamond cuts with a distinctive vintage feel and an extraordinary appearance reminiscent of older, delicate rings. The rose cut was first introduced in the early to mid 1500s by jewelers experimenting with unique  geometrical diamond shapes. The rose cut is unlike any other diamond cut – it has a completely different  anatomy to its facets and planes. Rose cuts are flat bottomed without the distinctive tapering body; instead, the crown of the gem is elevated in a faceted dome where triangular facets mimic the progressively tighter spiral of a rose. As the between 3 and 24 facets come together they mirror the central focal point of a rose bud and offer a unique perspective of diamond beauty.

Rose Cut Diamond Shapes

The difference between diamond shapes and diamond cuts is particularly prominent in when discussing rose cuts. The term “cut” refers to how the different angles and planes of the gem’s surface come together – in this case, in a progressive rose pattern. The term “shape” on the other hand refers to the overall profile of the entire gem and the outline it presents. Most rose cuts are round, oval, or pear shapes, though some modern jewelers who are attempting to revitalize this older cut are experimenting with more unique shapes.

Problems with Rose Cuts

While rose cut diamonds are distinctive and unusual, their domed array of facets also causes significant problems. The style of the cut seeks to maximize a stone’s carat weight, which in turn can dull its brilliance. In fact, rose cut gems tend to shine from light reflecting off the facets rather than sparkle from light refracting inside the stone. This can be beneficial if a stone has mild interior flaws because they will not be as visible, but at the same time the stone’s color can be distorted because the light is not inside the stone to brighten it. To add more sparkle to rose cuts, some jewelers have backed the stones with a thin layer of reflective gold, silver, or tin foil in order to increase their brilliance without sacrificing the distinctive rose design.

Benefits of Rose Cuts

At the same time, a rose cut diamond can also have several benefits. Because it enhances a stone’s clarity by focusing attention on the surface rather than the interior of the gem, choosing a rose cut can allow a couple to select a less expensive diamond. The unique dome shape of the diamond evokes a sense of mystery and romance, and the cut is very popular for vintage and antique designs because of its retro origins. Couples interested in a unique engagement ring may be intrigued by the inverted shape of a rose cut, and the carefully aligned facets immediately draw the eye to the central stone and focal point of the engagement ring

Finding Rose Cuts

Because rose cuts do not display diamonds in all their optical glory, they can be difficult to find in contemporary rings. The easiest way to find a rose cut ring design is to investigate heirloom rings, estate rings, and antique dealers. A few modern jewelers are revitalizing the style, however, and it can be purchased from some merchants such as the Toltec Trading Company. The cost for a rose cut will vary based on the size and quality of the gem, but generally this hard to find cut is more expensive than popular diamond shapes such as the traditional round diamond, princess cuts, and other popular choices.

Caring for Rose Diamonds

Because most rose cut diamonds are part of very old vintage or antique rings, they must be cared for meticulously to maintain and revitalize their beauty. Rose cuts are generally found in prong, bezel, or flush settings, and care should be taken to protect that setting as well as to safeguard the diamond it holds. Because the dome of the diamond will rise higher than the ring, extra precautions are needed to ensure it is not chipped or damaged along the facet points that are the most delicate parts of any diamond shape.

A rose cut diamond is a distinctively retro design that is enjoying a mild resurgence among couples interested in more unique, classic diamond shapes. The romance and beauty of a rose is captured perfectly in the layered facets of a rose cut, creating an appealing ring with a very unique background..

Lazare Kaplan International, Inc. was founded in 1903 in Antwerp, Belgium. With more than a century of gemology and lapidary expertise, the company has become widely revered for its stunning diamonds and attention to detail. Today, Lazare gems are marketed in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia with great success, and the company continually works to refine diamond cutting techniques for more precise gemstones. In 1957, Lazare Kaplan developed the dimensions for the modern oval shape, and in 2003 they updated the proportions for the classic cushion cut and the square emerald cut. In this way, Lazare diamonds are at the forefront of diamond quality with exquisite proportions and finely balanced cuts.

In addition to its commitment to superior quality, Lazare Kaplan is also committed to supporting legitimate diamond mining operations throughout the world. As a devout supporter of the Kimberly Process, the company has high ethical and professional standards to prevent the trafficking of illegal conflict or blood diamonds. Yearly audits and public reports are only two of the tools Lazare Kaplan uses to reassure consumers about the quality and integrity of its diamonds.

The Importance of Cut
Couples investigating diamond engagement rings are inundated with advice about the four Cs of diamond quality: clarity, color, carat, and cut. What many consumers fail to realize, however, is that only one of those characteristics can be affected by the experts and professionals responsible for turning a raw stone into a polished gem: the cut.

Lazare diamonds focus on the ideal cut, using precise calculations to determine the appropriate angles and facet proportions that give diamonds the maximum fire, sparkle, and brilliance. An ideal diamond optimizes the stone’s reflection and refraction through its table, the large, central facet on the top surface of the stone that is most visible. Poorly cut stones allow light to escape through the sides of the stone, and some of the gem’s brilliance is forever lost.

This attention to a precise cut means that Lazare gems are cut for their beauty, not their overall weight. Even the largest stone, infused with shadows because of an imprecise cut, will appear dull, but properly cut stones will be brilliant and attractive no matter what their size.

Lazare Engagement Rings
Simple settings show the gem’s brilliance.Not only are Lazare diamonds available as loose gems for individuals to purchase and set in designs of their choice, but the company has also developed exclusive styles that highlight their gems’ beauty. The most popular designs are simple yet elegant solitaires and three stone rings that focus on the beauty of the gems without excessive embellishments. Prong, channel, and bezel settings are all available.

Other Jewelry with Lazare Diamonds
Couples interested in the beauty and precision of Lazare gems can also find these exquisite stones in a variety of other jewelry pieces, including:

Right Hand Diamond Rings
Diamond Pendants
Diamond Earrings
Wedding and Eternity Rings
Any of these additional designs would make a stunning anniversary gift or accompaniment to a Lazare engagement ring.

Finding Lazare Designs and Stones
Lazare Kaplan does not market their diamonds or jewelry independently; interested consumers must locate an authorized jeweler who carries Lazare designs. The company’s website, LazareDiamonds.com has a comprehensive locator searchable by zip code, and consumers can also search the Lazare inventory for suitable loose gems.

With exquisite attention to detail and precision, Lazare diamonds are exceptional stones with unparalleled brilliance and fire. Whether in engagement rings or other diamond jewelry, these beautiful gems vibrantly symbolize the fires of romance and passion for any relationship.

While traditional colorless diamonds may be the most popular choice for engagement rings and other diamond jewelry, pink diamonds are becoming more sought after as unique and delightful options for creative pieces. While they are still diamonds and are subject to the same characteristics of diamond quality, pink stones have several unusual considerations as well.

What Forms Pink Diamonds

A colorless diamond is comprised of pure carbon, while colored diamonds have a chemical variation that affects how the stones reflect light, resulting in different hues. Other factors, such as radiation present during formation or twists in the crystal structure of the stone can also affect a diamond’s color. While gemologists are certain of what causes certain shades – boron, for example, creates blue stones – they haven’t yet discovered what creates pink shades. Pink is one of the rarest colors of diamonds, and commercial quality stones are only found in the Argyle Mine in Australia, making them even more mysterious and sought after.

Quality of Pink Gems

All diamonds, regardless of their specific color, are judged by their carat weight, cut proportions, purity of clarity, and overall color. While most diamonds with a tinge of color are considered inferior and less valuable, an intense, consistent color is highly valued. That characteristic is one of the most prevalent when judging the quality of pink diamonds.

Color Intensity

Pink stones are available in a range of hues, from a very light salmon to an intense, vibrant magenta. The deeper the color, the more valuable the stone and hence, the higher its price. The majority of pink stones are lighter shades, but because of their inherent rarity they still command a high price, up to ten times the cost of a similar quality colorless stone.

Flaws

All diamonds, regardless of their color, are subject to the same types of flaws and inclusions. Normally any flaw will decrease the value of a gem, but because of pink diamonds’ rarity, jewelers may manipulate the flaw to create a unique design – a starburst, for example – rather than discard the stone as unworkable. Ideally, however, the stone should be flawless to keep from detracting from the distinctiveness of its unusual color.

Pink Diamonds in Engagement Rings

Ever since Jennifer Lopez was given a pink engagement ring, these stones have been immensely sought after for engagement jewelry. Pink diamond engagement rings can be found in a number of styles, settings, and designs, or if a couple is fortunate enough to procure a loose gem, most jewelers would welcome the opportunity to create a custom ring with the unusual shade.

To preserve the stone’s color, most colored diamond rings are set in white gold or platinum rather than yellow gold, which may cast a yellowish hue onto the stone. In the case of pink diamonds, simple settings perhaps accented by smaller colorless diamonds or coordinating gemstones are the most prevalent designs.

Alternative Stones

Because pink stones are far more expensive than most couples’ budgets, alternative gems are a wise choice to create a distinctive look at a lower cost. Rubies, pink tourmaline, and pink sapphires are the most popular choices, though synthetic pink stones are also available. Other options include using the pink gems as accent stones rather than the central diamond, perhaps in a distinctive pave setting or other unusual setting that will still draw the eye toward the exquisite gems.

Pink diamonds are a rare but beautiful option for couples interested in unique diamond jewelry, including engagement rings. Though they are expensive, the sophistication and rarity of the gems has made them increasingly popular in today’s jewelry market..

While blood diamonds may at first sound like a vibrant red shade of colored diamonds, they are actually diamonds that pay for illegitimate, militaristic operations by blood. These diamonds fund wars, oppression, rebellion, and other hostile acts in a number of countries, primarily in Africa.

Where Blood Diamonds are Mined

In the late 1990s, nearly 4 percent of the world’s diamond supply consisted of conflict stones that were illegally traded to support rebel uprisings. Today, less than 1 percent of the world’s diamond trade is conflict-based, and the majority of those stones come from central and western Africa, specifically the Republic of Congo, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast. Other countries that have traded in conflict stones in the past include Angola and Sierra Leone.

It is no surprise that blood diamonds originate from Africa: many African nations have been war-torn for decades, even generations, and the continent is the single richest source of diamonds in the world, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world’s total supply. But most conflict stones are not mined and processed by rebels. Instead, they may hijack shipments of stones, incorporate illegal stones into already processed shipments, or otherwise covertly infiltrate the diamond supply with stones to pay for weapons and guerrilla warfare.

Funding Oppression instead of Advancement

Diamonds help fund beneficial programs in many societies, including African nations. For example, diamonds help provide healthcare benefits, steady employment, educational facilities, health research to combat HIV/AIDS, infrastructure development, and more. When those stones are diverted to conflict sources, however, they begin to fund weapons, guerrilla training, bribes, and other illegal tactics for an elite few rather than supporting progress for an entire population.

Stopping Blood Diamonds

Since mid-2000, the United Nations has been dedicated to eliminating the trade of blood stones in order to quell violence. Today, 69 nations are involved in the Kimberley Process, a system of certification and verification that protects the legitimate diamond trade and sanctions conflict diamonds.

The Kimberley Process

The Kimberley Process monitors diamonds at every step of their development to ensure their legitimacy. The basic steps of the Process include:

Mining: After stones are mined, they are transported under guard to a government office. This step is when many blood diamonds are hijacked.
 69 nations are part of the Kimberley Process to eliminate conflict stones.Export: Once at the government office, the origination source of the stones is verified to be conflict-free, and the gems are sealed and stored in tamper-resistant containers with unique serial numbers and certificates.
Import: As the stones arrive at their destination, their authenticity is again verified. Unsealed containers or stones without proper paperwork are rejected or impounded, helping eliminate the problem of conflict traders adding stones to already verified shipments.
Manufacturing: As a legitimate diamond is cut, polished, and set into jewelry, it is verified at each step as authentic and conflict-free. Companies involved in this system of verifications are required to audit the process and keep records for a minimum of five years.
Retail Sales: Jewelers are required to verify that the stones they use are conflict-free, though they are not required to provide documentation of that warranty to consumers. However, consumers have the right to question jewelers about the authenticity of the stones they wish to purchase.
Under the Kimberley Process and its associated System of Warranties, only the 69 registered nations may import or export stones. Uncertified shipments are not permitted to trade among participating countries, and nations not abiding by these regulations can have criminal charges brought against them.

While there is still any trade in blood diamonds, the United Nations is committed to improving the Kimberley Process and eradicating all conflict trade. In late 2006, more than 60 recommendations are to be reviewed by the General Assembly to help improve the Process and tighten the trade of conflict diamonds even further.

Avoiding Blood and Conflict Diamonds

Consumers who wish to avoid conflict stones can take several steps to be sure their diamonds are conflict-free.

Always ask the jeweler to verify the stone’s authenticity, and ask to see the diamond’s certification and origination credentials.
Avoid loose diamonds sold in bulk without appropriate verifications, particularly if the stones appear to be significantly cheaper than market value.
When considering online rings or stones, continue to ask for verification of the stone’s origination.

Diamonds are indisputably valuable, but blood diamonds have a far higher cost than any price tag: by funding wars, oppression, and rebellion, a single conflict stone may provide the means to take multiple lives. This is certainly not the association that most couples desire when they buy an engagement ring, but by seeking authentication of their stone they can easily avoid the negative effects of supporting conflict.

Knowing how diamonds are formed gives couples an appreciation of the rarity and exclusivity of this traditional bridal gem. The newest diamonds on the planet are an astonishing 45 million years old, and the longevity of their beauty is the perfect symbol of a lifelong relationship.

 Basic Process of how Diamonds are formed

 Diamonds are the crystalline form of elemental carbon, formed between 75-120 miles beneath the earth’s crust under specific conditions of pressure, chemistry, and temperature. Once the crystal structure has formed and hardened, it may take thousands of years for the circulation of the earth’s mantle to bring the stones to the surface where they can be mined.

 Most diamonds are formed by the melting of the earth’s crust – the rocks submerge into the mantle, where the carbon atoms are liquefied. Eventually, the temperature drops and the crystal structure of diamonds forms. Geologic events (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.) then forces the rocks to the surface in a number of ways, such as alluvial deposits (in riverbeds) or kimberlite pipes (primary diamond mines).

 Diamond Composition 

 Diamonds are pure carbon.Diamond is pure carbon, and the word “diamond” comes from the Greek “adamas” meaning indestructible. Diamond is among the hardest substances on the planet, and it is the only gem to be purely composed of a single element. The hardness of the stones is due to the crystal structure of diamond formation: an isometric (cubic) arrangement that resists fracture under the tremendous pressure of the earth’s crust.

 Fancy Colored Diamonds 

Ideally, a flawless, colorless diamond is composed solely of carbon atoms, but that is a very rare occurrence. How diamonds are formed – in the turbulent stew of minerals beneath the earth’s surface – leads to impurities such as trace amounts of other elements. When nitrogen is introduced into a diamond’s crystal structure, the stone takes on a yellow, orange, or brown tint. Boron will create a blue or purple shade, while other trace elements may generate a rainbow of hues. If the color is pale or barely discernable, the diamond’s value is typically lower, but if the color is strong, consistent, and vibrant, the stones are highly sought after as fancy colored diamonds.

 Other colored diamonds result not from mineral inclusions, but from subtle changes to the diamond’s crystal structure. If nuclear rays are present during formation (very rarely), green diamonds may form. Other colors such as red or pink are the result of slight discrepancies in the crystal structure that change the way the stone absorbs and reflects light.

 Flaw Formation

 Very few diamonds are formed flawless. A variety of flaws appear in most stones, from simple chips or scratches created as the stones migrate to the surface to interior disruptions in the crystal structure caused by variations during the actual formation. As much as 60 percent of a raw diamond may be cut away to remove flaws when crafting a jewelry quality stone.

 How Diamonds are Formed: from Carbon to Jewellery

 Only about one fourth of mined diamonds are considered of fine enough quality to become jewellery. Other stones are used as abrasives or for industrial equipment, particularly for cutting and polishing other diamonds. The countries that produce the majority of diamonds for today’s jewellery industry include Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Canada, though many other nations have minor diamond deposits as well. Savvy consumers, in fact, will insist on seeing their stone’s certificate to authenticate where it originated and be sure it is not a conflict diamond.

Once the stone is mined, it must be cut and polished into a final shape. There are certified jewellery labs throughout the world to perform these delicate services, and the finished stones are then sold to jewellery manufacturers to be mounted in a variety of settings for different types of jewellery. From the time the stone is mined to when it is placed on a bride-to-be’s finger during a proposal, the process may take several months.

A small diamond company has uncovered a huge 235-carat gem - the size of an hen’s egg - in South Africa only a few weeks after launching its operations, the firm said on Friday.

Nare Diamonds Ltd said it uncovered the rough gem on Wednesday after resuming mining in March at the Schmidtsdrift mine, 80 km northwest of the country’s historic diamond centre of Kimberley.

The mine was shut down three years ago by another firm that went bankrupt, a spokesman said. During the mine’s previous operations, the average size of stones was 1.14 carats.

“The large-sized gemstone is octahedron in shape and of very good quality according to a third party assessor,” the statement to the London stock exchange said.

It is hard to set a value for the diamond because typical valuation measures fall away when diamonds reach a certain size, the spokesman said.

London-listed Lonrho Africa Ltd, which recently bought a 17% stake in unlisted Nare, issued the statement. Its shares shot up 7.5% to 28-3/4 pence.

The world’s biggest diamond group De Beers found a 316.7 carat diamond at its South African Venetia mine in January, the largest-ever find at Venetia.

The largest-ever gem, the Cullinan, weighed in at 3 106 carats when De Beers discovered it in 1905, but other massive diamonds have ranged around 600-900 carats.

In 1986, De Beers discovered the 755.5-carat Golden Jubilee, which is now the world’s largest polished diamond at just over 545 carats.

A spokesman for Nare said the discovery does not necessarily mean the mine holds other sizeable gems since it is from an alluvial deposit - a former river bed where diamonds were swept from a smattering of other eroded deposits.

Nare, which has three other diamond projects, is planning to list on the London stock exchange around the middle of the year.

Carbonados, or black diamonds, have long been a mystery. They’re the oldest, toughest and rarest diamonds around. Now, some researchers have a theory about its origin, and it’s out of this world, literally.

Stephen Haggerty, Ph.D., a geoscientist at Florida International University in Miami, has been studying black diamonds for more than a decade. Dr. Haggerty says, “I feel I have an obsession about them, and I do, it’s a challenge.” It’s a challenge because researchers are still trying to figure out where the black diamonds came from. Traditional diamonds are formed deep in the earth and came to the surface through two volcano eruptions that happened 100 million and one billion years ago. Carbonados are older than 3.8 billion years. “They clearly did not form in the same way that conventional diamonds formed,” Dr. Haggerty says.

Most diamonds can be found all over the world, but carbonados are only found in Brazil and Africa. Dr. Haggerty believes black diamonds came to earth during an asteroid event that struck when the two countries were still one continent. “Maybe it is a maverick, or a fringe idea, but no one has come up with an alternative,” Dr. Haggerty says.

Carbonados have hydrogen in them, suggesting the diamonds formed in an environment, like a star. When examined under infrared radiation, researchers found a spectrum similar to a type of diamond that exists in space. Dr. Haggerty says, “This is the closest we can match this to.” It may take some time for all scientists to accept the idea, but one thing’s for sure — carbonados are the most mysterious diamonds around.

A lot of people think that the most essential characteristics of a diamond are the four Cs: color, carat weight, clearness, and cut. Correct savoir-faire shoppers, on the other hand, distinguish that low-grade diamonds can have deprived magnitudes or insufficient angles that detract from the stone’s exquisiteness and subordinate its price no matter how it measures up to the four mandatory Cs. By knowing the structure of a diamond and how it has an effect on value, you can obtain far better than a regular quality stone.

Flamboyant Diamonds

The most fundamental technique to buff up a gemstone, whether it is a diamond, aquamarine, peridot, or other semiprecious stone is to topple it – rounding and polishing the stone while leaving the universal rough shape together. By using abrasives and water to naturally cure the stone, tumbling simulates the natural process that forms smooth pebbles in rivers and streams. Stones finished in this fashion are called “baroque,” meaning “irregular,” and are often used for unique jewelry such as pendants and brooches.

The majority of gemstones, however, are meticulously cut and polished with exacting angles, proportions, and dimensions. The anatomy of a diamond or other gemstone is made up of these precise cuts, and the stone’s quality depends on accuracy with each cut.

What Comprises Anatomy of a Diamond?

Different Diamond Shapes have slightly different requirements for ideal proportions based on how light is reflected within the stone to maximize its brilliance. By understanding basic definitions, however, you can demonstrate to your jeweler that you are more than a casual observer or impulse buyer, and they will be more willing to explain the intricate details of each stone you examine.

Central Diamond Anatomy

The table, or top of the diamond, is the largest facet on the stone. On a round stone, it will be octagonal, and it should be perfectly centered. The table size will vary depending on the shape and color of the stone in order to provide the most sparkle with reflected light.

Crown

The stone’s crown is the narrow upper area, above the girdle. In many settings, this part of the stone will be above the prongs or metal holding the stone in place, and it will be most visible. Because of this, it is the most prone to scratches.

Girdle

The girdle is a narrow band, parallel to the stone’s table, and is the widest part of the gem. Girdle thickness is critical to the diamond’s strength and must be sufficient to prevent accidental chips and cracks. At the same time, a girdle that is too thick will add worthless carat weight to the stone and increase the price tag, even though the stone’s brilliance will be diminished. By being familiar with the anatomy of a diamond, you can avoid this type of poor cut and unnecessary expense.
Pavilion

The stone’s pavilion is the area below the girdle that typically comprises the longest part of the stone except for emerald or other rectangular shapes. In many settings, the pavilion is obscured, but the prong or tiffany setting reveals the pavilion and increases the diamond’s brilliance by allowing light to enter at different parts of the stone.

Culet

The cutlet is the tiny facet at the bottom of the pavilion, parallel to the table, and is often used to even out the facets of the diamond and give it a more symmetrical appearance. Ideally, a stone will have no cutlet, but that perfection is rarely achieved. A large cutlet will often appear as a dark spot or hole through the stone when viewed through the table.

Facets

The stone’s facets are the smooth, polished planes that make up its surface. In a typical round shape, there are 58 facets, though fancy shapes and signature cuts often have a greater number. The fewer facets a stone has, the less reflection and brilliance it will exhibit, though a totally smooth stone without facets has its own unique appeal.

Finding Exceptional Quality through the Anatomy of a Diamond

By understanding the anatomy of a diamond, you can assure that any stone you purchase is of exceptional quality and avoid common cutting flaws, such as a thicker girdle. Another consideration is the angle of the girdle between the crown and the pavilion: this affects the reflection and appearance of the stone. Every stone shape and cut requires different proportions for the best appearance: if you have already decided on a shape before shopping for your engagement ring, be sure to investigate the specific dimensions that are ideal for that shape. By being an educated shopper, you can easily purchase a quality stone that will not only wow your fiancé, but will be a brilliant investment for many years.

The uncomplicated however stylish lines of marquise diamond engagement rings  create them one of the very fashionable preferences for nuptial sets in addition to other intonated jewels and solitaires. This particular marquise shape is supposed to have originated in the early eighteenth century in France. It is also rumored that King Louis the fourteenth innovated a new shape in order to impersonate her hot and inviting smile. This in turn resulted into a shape that is oval and then has pointed ends. The name also was derived from the name of his mistress “Marquise De Pompador”.

In the present day, the marquise shape is a huge attraction amongst the newly wed couples and is also the best choice for all those masses who do not wish to be associated with the typical round shape. For the reason that it has an elongated shape, it is also called the navette diamond. These diamonds possess a particular illusive effect. Just because the mass of the stone is accumulated on the top it often appears to be bigger than the actual size when studded in the gold wedding bands. This is an alluring effect for all those couples who have a tight budget towards their wedding.

The diamond Jubilee of De Beers Consolidated Mines passed off quietly in 1948, the massive post-WWII growth and expansion of the diamond industry had barely begun, while several important sources of diamonds, including the Premier Mine, were still closed, while others remained to be discovered. Forty years later the annual output of diamonds exceeded 100 million carats and sales of rough diamonds reached around $5 billion.

On March 11th, 1988, the centenary celebrations of De Beers took place in Kimberly and a banquet was held to close the Kimberly Mine (aka the “Big Hole”). An audience of four hundred people, including representatives of several national governments of diamond-producing countries and dignitaries from various sections of the industry, listened to the welcoming speech of the chairman, Julian Oglivie Thompson, totally unprepared for his final sentence: “We have recovered at the Premier Mine a diamond of 599 carats which is perfect in color - indeed it is one of the largest top-color diamonds ever found. Naturally it will be called the Centenary Diamond.”

The Centenary, appearing to be lit by multi-colored lights.

No more fitting way of celebrating 100 years of achievement by De Beers could have been devise than the discovery of such a diamond and nowhere was it more likely to have been recovered than at the Premier Mine. Over the years this extraordinary mine has produced several outstanding diamonds of the most superb color, which have been cut into famous gems: The Cullinan in 1905; the Niarchos in 1954; the Taylor-Burton in 1966 and the Premier Rose in 1978. Now that the second millennium has ended, it is interesting to reflect that only nineteen gem-quality diamonds larger than the Centenary rough have been found during its course. The Premier Mine itself has produced nearly three hundred stones weighing more than 100 carats, and a quarter of the world’s diamonds weighing more than 400 carats.

The Centenary was found on July 17th, 1986 by the electric X-ray recovery system at the Premier Mine. Only a handful of people knew about it and all were sworn to silence. In its rough form it resembled an irregular matchbox with angular planes, a prominent elongated “horn” jutting out at one corner and a deep concave on the largest flat surface. The shape of the stone expressed problems in cutting with no apparent solution.

The man chosen to evaluate the Centenary was Gabi Tolkowsky, famed in the diamond industry as one of the most accomplished cutters in the world. His family had long been in the diamond trade and it was his great-uncle, Marcel Tolkowsky, diamond expert and mathmetician, who published a book in 1919 titled “Diamond Design”, which for the first time set out exact ways of cutting the modern round brilliant cut. Gabi Tolkowsky himself was the creator of five new diamond cuts, revealed in 1988, which concentrate on maximizing brilliance, color or yield - or a combination of all three from off-color rough diamonds previously thought difficult to cut profitably into conventional round or fancy shapes. Named for flowers, the cuts are largely based on unorthodox angle dimensions. The overall proportions as well as the use of more facets around the pavilion increase brilliance and improve visual impact when viewed face-up.

Gabi Tolkowsky examines the Centenary with a jeweler’s loupe.
A good photo to show you how massive this diamond is.

When he first saw the Centenary, Tolkowsky was astounded by its exceptional purity. “Usually you have to look into a diamond to appreciate its color, but this just expressed itself from its surface. That is very rare,” Tolkowsky said. He knew the protruding “horn” would have to be removed as well as other “asperities,” as he called them, which interfered with the stone’s basic shape. At the same time, Tolkowsky realized that the diamond would be difficult to polish because its shape did not offer an obvious approach. Usually a diamond will suggest two or three shapes to its cutter but the Centenary was more generous - if more baffling - by providing several possibilities. In the end Tolkowsky submitted his appraisal, saying that the diamond must be kept intact to produce one singe large modern-cut diamond.

He was asked to cut the Centenary, and late in 1988 Tolkowsky, two master cutters - Geoff Woolett and Jim Nash - together with a handpicked group of engineers, electricians and security guards set to work in a specially designed underground room in the De Beers Diamond Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was crucial that the room, like the special tools needed for faceting, should be stable and strong; nothing must rattle, everything must be tight, there should be no mechanical vibration or variation in temperature around the cutting table.

For one whole year while the right tools and technical conditions were created, the Centenary remained unaltered and untouched. Tolkowsky examined the stone until he knew every fissure and crevice of it. Using the most sophisticated electronic instruments he gazed deep into the crystal structure. “From the moment I knew I was going to cut it,” he said, “I became another man. A strange man. I was looking at the stone in the day, and the stone was looking at me at night.”

Picture

A picture of the Centenary in the hand of some unknown hand model. Another good photo to show scale.

The first step before the diamond could be faceted was the elimination of large cracks from the edge of the stone running a considerable depth inside it. He decided not to saw or cut with a laser because both methods would heat or vibrate the diamond. Instead, he turned to the time-honored method of kerfing by hand. It took Tolkowsky 154 days to remove about 50 carats which otherwise would have been polished to dust. At the end was a roughly-shaped rounded crystal about the size of a bantam’s egg, weighing about 520 carats. After that was an endless process of drawing and measuring as possible shape designs began to emerge. In all, thirteen different designs were presented to the De Beers board, with the strong recommendation they should chose a modified heart shape. Once this recommendation had been accepted, the final process of faceting the Centenary began in March, 1990. By January, 1991 it was nearing completion.

When cutting was completed the Centenary weighed 273.85 carats, measured 39.90 × 50.50 × 24.55 mm, and had 247 facets - 164 on the stone and 83 around its girdle. Never before had such a high number of facets been polished onto a diamond. In addition, two flawless pear shapes weighing 1.47 and 1.14 carats were cut from the rough. Amoung top-color diamonds the Centenary is surpassed only by the Cullinan II, which were cut from the Cullinan crystal before modern symmetrical cuts were fully developed in the 1920’s, making the Centenary the largest modern fancy cut diamond in the world and the only one to combine the oldest methods - such as kerfing - with the most sophisticated modern technology in cutting. The Cullinan diamonds are actually near-colorless, but qualify as white diamonds. The GIA color grading letters D, E and F qualify as colorless, and the Centenary is the best of the three - a ‘D’. This spectacular gem, which has become the ultimate example of those qualities was shown to the world for the first time in May, 1991. Mr. Nicholas Oppenheimer, then Deputy Chairman of De Beers rightly declared “Who can put a price on such a stone?” confirming that it was insured for around $100 million.

Whether the Centenary Diamond has since been sold is a mystery. The De Beers Group’s policy is not to dislose such information so that the anonymity of its clients is protected. Some day the Centenary will probably resurface, perhaps at auction, or in a museum display housing some country’s crown jewels.

Source: Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour, The Nature of Diamonds by George E. Harlow, and the De Beers website.