When you buy jewelry, you will rarely sell a round cut diamond. Instead, you will buy a round-cut stone called a "diamond" - an additional definition refers to the cut invented in 1919 by Marcel Tolkowsky, who changed the game of light in diamonds and the way they were sold. But a century later we see the emergence of a generation of new fences.
The modern round cut "diamond" Tolkowski became revolutionary. It uses 58 faces to achieve the fullest possible reflection of light, and it provides shine and sparkling of the stone - giving birth to a rainbow color game and ice flicker - which is not the case with old fences. By the middle of the century, most new diamond jewelry went to this style of making faces, according to the Gemological Institute of America.
The round cut diamond remained essentially unsurpassed until the beginning of this century, when the price wars that began with the advent of diamantaires trading only on the Internet and offering the lowest prices, caused the emergence of innovations. Jewelers from the retail segment in stores with high overheads could not compete for prices based solely on carat weight, purity and color, and therefore the diamond manufacturers decided to add the latest characteristic of 4C-cut. They invented branded premium-class stones that shone brighter with additional facets.
"The new millennium has brought a lot of branded diamonds," recalls Willie Hamilton, CEO of the Company of Master Jewelers, a network of independent jewelry retailers. One reason for this abundance, according to one industry leader, was the desire to celebrate the new millennium with the longevity that the diamond represents.
The organization of Mr. Hamilton joined the trend by creating Mastercut, a brand of jewelry exclusively for the group that claims to give brilliants the ability to glare 30 percent brighter by increasing the number of facets in the diamond cut to 89. "The average cost of a diamond engagement The ring in the UK is still below £ 1,500, which means that diamond manufacturers are constantly complaining about the drop in profits, "he says. "When such a decline occurs, diamond manufacturers are forced to start looking for ways to increase value added, rather than trying to cut costs ... This can be done through special fences and branded diamonds, but this requires a significant investment."
Many of the brands that offer modified round cut diamonds have since disappeared from the real market segment, prompting the question, was not this just a promotional move. "In my opinion, the only additional facets are a marketing trick, and it should be treated with suspicion," says Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds. - The truth is that the additional facets do not in themselves guarantee an additional play of light in the stone. More important is the correct location of each face. The fact that larger faces do less, dividing them and increasing their number, often leads to a decrease in the brilliance of the diamond, and not to its strengthening. "
De Beers Diamond Jewelers, a division of the retail trade of the diamond mining corporation, which was established as a joint venture with LVMH, offered a patented cut when it began work in 2001 - an octagonal square diamond, but the concept could not get into fashion, and Mr. Coxon On this occasion says: "Our experience shows that buyers can look at new cuts with pleasure, but they usually buy stones with perfectly built classic cuts that shine more brightly at any angle and in any light Tion. "
Other cuts of the new millennium have stood the test of time. Like De Beers, Tiffany & Co and Garrard preferred to design special fantasy cuts by the year 2000 (a fancy cut is the one that differs from the round cut diamond), and not just to modify round cuts. Lucida's square facet, which has the trademark of Tiffany, was launched in 1999 and is still the cornerstone of its wedding ring offerings, as does Garland's Eternal facet. This is a border pattern with 81 sides for a larger play of light, which was developed by Gabi Tolkowsky, grandchild of Marcel Tolkowski's nephew and can be used in a number of fences, such as the "marquise" or "heart", as well as in round Forms of faceting.
The latest innovations are concentrated on fantasy cuts, but this is more expensive than making small changes to the modern round cut diamond. "It was difficult," admits Jonathan Kendall, director of global production for Forevermark, the retail brand of De Beers, which this year launched a collection of diamonds for the modified fantasy black-box fences. "We invested tremendous resources in the development of these fences. We have 60 or 70 scientists in Maidenhead working on diamond projects - very few people in the industry have such an opportunity. "
Although the process of developing the Black Label collection requires the participation of scientists, this does not mean that the result will be related to the number of faces or percentages of an additional game of light in diamonds. "Many people talk about the indicators of light, graphics and means of measurement, but the reality is that consumers want to have visually the most beautiful diamond," says Mr. Kendall.
The collection of the Black Label now has five forms of cut - "kushon", "heart", "square", "oval" and "circle", and Mr. Kendall hints that there may be more. Although the price of brilliant cut diamonds from the Black Label collection is 30 percent higher than the diamonds of its standard fantasy fences-in part because of the increase in the amount of stone that goes into waste-soft launches for sale this year were well received in the United States , Japan, China and Great Britain. The most popular was the "oval" cut, the first batch of which was sold in four months from the launch, and retailers are waiting for new drains. "I'm not really surprised," says Mr. Kendall. "The industry desperately needs innovation both in jewelry design and in diamond cuts."
Still, for some jewelers - and their customers - the issue of price and quality compliance fades into the background in front of beauty. Nirav Modi, who opened a store on Bond Street this year, has developed his patented cut. "I think it will arouse great interest," says founder and creative director Nirav Modi. "When you can offer something new, something great, then the customers are interested in it."
Although his cuts "Jasmine" and "Mughal", inspired by the floral theme, are the most popular, Mr. Modi is most proud of his facet "Endless", in which Diamonds are so "curved" that their series can curve around a finger, creating a continuous diamond ring without a visible metal frame. "It's incredibly difficult to do - there are no diamonds of this shape, so the yield of diamonds is very low, 85% of the diamond goes into waste," says Mr. Modi, who has been dreaming of such a cut for 20 years. And, of course, the creation created for the sake of the beloved cause - the first "endless" ring - was a gift for Mr. Modi's wife.
https://www.ft.com/content/bdbedf82-895a-11e6-8cb7-e7ada1d123b1
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