The Steinmetz Pink

Steinmetz Diamonds yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to help diversify the diamond industry in Botswana with a range of initiatives, aimed at positioning Botswana as an internationally competitive diamond center.

During an official opening ceremony of its factory in the capital Gaborone with President Festus Mogae, the Geneva-based diversified diamond group said its factory was specially designed to cut labor intensive smaller sizes, as well as large and ‘Special’ stones that require more specialist labor.

The modern factory premises, located in a newly built Diamond Technology Park in which Steinmetz is an investor, will also offer employment opportunities in sawing, preparing as well as research and development in diamond cutting technologies. It said it would use the Forevermark hall mark for all the diamonds it manufactures in Botswana to provide assurance to consumers that the diamonds were ethically mined.

The Steinmetz Sunshine Fund welfare programs, which already run in South Africa and Namibia, would be expanded in Botswana with programs to raise the awareness for HIV and raise the overall quality of life for its workers, it said.

“Steinmetz Diamond Group is sharing our vision of 2016 by transferring skills and adding value to the lives of many of our people. Botswana is developing as a diamond centre,” President Festus Mogae said.

The opening of the Steinmetz factory, set against a full firework display over Gaborone, comes just months before the world’s biggest diamond producer begins selling its diamonds in Gaborone for the first time in partnership with De Beers.

A new building for the new DTC Botswana partnership is expected to open in weeks and will include sorting, sales and marketing. Aggregation of the diamonds De Beers sells will move from its London headquarters to Botswana next year.

The Steinmetz Pink is probably the finest pink diamond in the world presently. It was first unveiled in Monaco in May, 2003, and briefly worn around the neck of supermodel Helena Christensen, the gem was discovered in southern Africa and is the largest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond known in the world. Pink diamonds are extremely rare and usually found in much, much smaller sizes. The Steinmetz Pink weighs 59.60 carats and has been graded as Internally Flawless, an extremely rare and coveted clarity grade. Given its extraordinary importance, the Steinmetz Group took approximately 20 months to cut the diamond. A team of eight people worked on fashioning the gem from the 100-carat rough stone. Fifty models were worked on before the cutting even began. One wrong move and the priceless diamond would have shattered. The gem’s facet pattern is very unique: it is an oval mixed cut with a step-cut crown and a brilliant cut pavilion.

“Every Stone a Picture”

These diamonds have more personality and timelessness than their modern cut counterparts of today.

While being cut with less than exacting proportions, these diamonds have a beauty and magic of their own which give them a desirable, distinct beauty just as the bygone era in which they were fashioned and represent. This cutting style began to disappear around the turn of the last century.

And how true it is when louping these gem babies, their primitive unsophisticated cuts, different length to width ratios, small table and deep pavillions are unpredictable and mesmerizing when compared to the sharp clean symmetrical lines of modern cut diamonds today.

There is something very romantic about these lumpy irregular shaped diamonds, these predecessors to the modern cushion cuts and round brilliants.

Their lively scintillation and fire sometimes with unusual internal inclusions are hypnotic, each diamond unique and individual with an unparalleled soft looking romantic glow that many find appealing.Often seen in antique and art deco jewellery pieces, there is a demand for these old mine cut diamonds either for replacement of lost diamonds or re created antique styles of jewellery which are making a renaissance amongst those creative jewellers who have clients with a common passion.

” Old European Cut Diamonds and Old Mine Cuts tend to “mask” their true body color especially when mounted in a piece of jewelry for the following reasons: They were hand faceted with less than concise proportions and consequently do not reflect light as brilliantly as does their modern faceted counterpart: “The Modern Round Brilliant.” This attribute allows for a diamond of lesser color to appear more colorless when mounted in jewelry.

Diamonds are classified into two fundamental groups based on the relative presence or absence of nitrogen incorporated into the crystal structure, as determined by the infrared spectrum.

Type I diamonds contain appreciable concentrations of nitrogen, whereas

Type II diamonds are chemically very pure and do not reveal infrared absorption characteristics related to nitrogen.

A further separation of these two groups includes:

Type Ia (nitrogen atoms present in pairs or groups)

Type Ib (isolated nitrogen atoms)

Type IIa (no measurable traces of nitrogen) and

Type IIb (traces of boron).

“Golconda” is a historic term which refers to diamonds exhibiting an antique cutting style as well as a superior quality. They are very rarely encountered in the gem trade today. In addition, they have properties typical of type IIa natural diamonds (a chemically very pure type of natural diamond). They display the best colour and degree of transparency among all diamonds.

The Golconda diamond mines are located in south central India in what today is the state of Hyderabad. This region was the first known source for rough diamonds from approxiamtely the 4th century B.C. until 1730 when diamonds were discovered in Brazil.

The defining characteristics of Golconda diamonds and what sets them apart and in a class by themselves are their incredible transparency, “whiteness”, and purity.

Both the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the world reknowned Gubelin Gem Lab characterize diamonds displaying the finest white color and transparency as type IIa, signifying that they are free from nitogen and are therefore chemically pure and colorless.

The term “Golconda” has come to define diamonds of the finest white color and transparency.

Golconda’s are extremely expensive. Collectors go mad for Golconda type diamonds.

Type IIa ” D ” colour diamonds have fetched over twice the normal market value of similar Type I ” D ” colour diamonds.

Golconda diamonds are very, very rare in today’s market and if you do come across one it will usually be at a Christie’s or Sotheby’s auction.

2002 - On May 15, Christie’s is offering the 75.51 carat D-IF Golconda “Briolette of India,” which is estimated to bring $6-$7 million (or up to $93,000 per carat), as the signature piece of its Geneva sale.

2006 - Christie’s Asia in Hong Kong : April 20, A pear-shaped D colour, IF “Golconda” diamond of 13.53 cts US$1,238,640, (US$91,000 per ct.)

Diamonds were discovered in India during the 4th century B.C., and India was one of the first countries to mine the gem. India’s diamonds were prized for their size and beauty for hundreds of years. “Indian” diamonds were mined in numerous locations that included Borneo (Landak), Golconda, Hindostan, and Raolconda. The majority of India and Borneo’s diamond deposits were alluvial as opposed to kimberlite.

India’s most prized diamonds are known as the “diamonds of Golconda,” and the most famous Golconda stones include the Hope Diamond, Koh-i-Noor Diamond, Orlov Diamond, and Sanc Diamond. The Darya-i-Nur (Sea of Light) was a rare blue-diamond weighed 186 carats, which was owned by the Nadir Shah of Persia after it was plundered from the last ‘Great Mughal Emperor,’ Aurangzeb’s heirs in the ’sack of Delhi’ in 1739.

Millions of years of erosion caused by rainfall and snow-melt, unearthed the diamonds from their kimberlite source, and washed them downstream to their final resting place in the alluvial river gravels of the ‘Golconda’ region.

Golconda (golkunda) was a region located between the lower reaches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers, in the present-day state of Andhra Pradesh, central India (map above). Today, the exact source of the ‘lost mines of Golconda’ are unknown, and the India’s only remaining diamond source is the Majhgawan pipe near Panna .(see:” Mining in India Today” below).

Diamonds are inextricably woven into the cultural fabric and mysticism of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Tibetan Lamaism. The ‘dorjes’ is an ancient Buddhist talisman shaped like a pyramidal four-faceted diamond representing the sacred mountain of Mount Meru at the ‘center of the universe.’

No doubt, many a young lad was drawn to India and the Far East, by tales of adventure and riches beyond one’s wildest dreams. The tales of Sinbad and the ‘Arabian Nights’, were derived from an 8th century Sassanid Persian book called Hazar Afsanah or “Thousand Myths.”

In the ‘Second Voyage of Sinbad,’ he was transported by a giant bird (roc), to a land where the floor of the valley is “carpeted with diamonds.” Merchants harvest the diamonds by throwing chunks of meat into the valley, where the birds carry them back to their nest, ladened with diamonds. Sinbad straps one of the pieces of meat to his back, and returns to Baghdad with a fortune in diamonds.

Most of the diamonds entering Europe originated in India. In the later half of the 14th century, the diamond trade route extended from India to Bruges, Paris and eventually to the diamond bourses of Antwerp, Belgium. After Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias’ 1488 discovery of the ‘Cape of Good Hope’ on Africa’s southern most tip, fellow Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to the India and Orient by sailing around the Cape in 1498. This provided Europeans with an easier route to the Indian diamond trade, avoiding the costly and dangerous ‘Silk Road’ caravan routes.

Along India’s Malabar Coast, the state of ‘Goa’ grew into a Portuguese trading center, and a diamond-trading route was established from Goa to Lisbon, Portugal and on to Antwerp. In 1510, the Portuguese established a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (Old Goa), after Portuguese admiral, Afonso de Albuquerque defeated the ruling Bijapur kings. The city of ‘Vasco,’ named after Vasco-da-Gama, is the state of Goa’s largest city.

Jean Baptiste Tavernier’s “The Six Voyages” (Les Six Voyages) written in 1679 documented his extensive travels throughout India and the Far-East, in order to to expand the trade in gems, jewellery, and other valuable commodities. In ‘The Six Voyages’, Tavernier meticulously illustrated many notable Indian diamond cuts.

India was the only major producer of diamonds until the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1866. Shortly thereafter the De Beers Diamond Company was founded by Cecil Rhodes.

India is no longer a source for rough diamonds. Although most all of India’s diamond mines were depleted centuries ago, there is one active diamond mine at Panna in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (above picture). The mine is owned by the National Mineral Development Corporation.

De Beers India is currently prospecting in the Madhya Pradesh region as well as in the sothern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The De Beers mining operation will be a joint venture with Hindustan Diamond, be based in Mumbai.

The term ‘Golconda’ is still used (or misused) today as an indicator of very high quality diamonds. To justify the ‘Golconda’ name, diamonds must have a level of transparency and quality found only in rare, chemically pure type-IIa natural diamonds. The term ‘Golconda’ is also used as a generic term to describe higher quality diamonds with an antique cut.

There are websites that piggy back on the hearts on fire brand name recognition every day.

My question is why?

The Hearts on Fire Diamonds are very nice and extremely expensive.

They are possibly the most recognizable diamond brand no small thanks (due) to their uber marketing to the tune of millions of dollars a year.

Customers who buy into this brand are paying for this marketing.

The reality is that there are similar or better cut diamonds available today for less money, plain and simple.

With a little bit of homework on the internet you will find websites that offer Super-Ideal Cut Diamonds which are crafted to achieve greater precision and brilliancy than the typical ideal cut Hearts on Fire Diamond, and for substantially less money.

Most importantly, some websites will actually give you real hard data, and scientific information to quantify your diamonds cut precision and beauty, not just the romantic fluff and marketing spit out by Hearts on Fire’s website.

In short, the Hearts on Fire Diamonds are definitely nice.

Are they the best diamonds that money can buy to the exclusion of all others? Certainly not.

Are they pricey? Hmm… not unless taking out a mortgage to buy a loose diamond is no big deal for you.

Are they worth the premium? You decide.

Do they offer any real information to actually back up their claim of selling “the world’s most perfectly cut diamond”? NO.

My personal opinion (others may disagree) is; “Buy the diamond, not the Brand”.

The reality is that Hearts on Fire has built a very successful business model selling their diamonds through carefully selected and authorized store-based jewelers across the Country.

The jewelry stores love their flagship diamond brand because of the mandated pricing structure which allows them to make a whopping profit on every diamond they sell.

The customers who buy into the brand (and don’t realize or mind the hugely inflated price tag) are also happy with “The world’s most perfectly cut diamond” because assuredly the diamond is quite beautiful.

What is interesting to note however, is the fact that Hearts on Fire branded diamonds are not sold or marketed on the Internet.

In fact, Hearts on Fire diamonds could never survive on the Internet, where diamonds of even better cut quality and beauty are sold every day for a fraction of the price

The customers who buy Hearts on Fire diamonds in the stores, would probably never buy a diamond on the net…period. They enjoy and are willing to pay for the beauty, brilliancy and consistency of The Hearts On Fire Diamonds.

Conversely, the customers who research buying diamonds on-line and wind up with an ideal cut, hearts & arrows diamond purchased on the net at a fraction of the Hearts on Fire diamond prices, will probably never walk back into a local jewelry store again……

Source: Diamond Vues

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“A reflection of one’s Beauty & Spirit”

In October of 2005, an American jeweller and his wife travelled to the diamond centre of the world - Antwerp, Belgium.

They were on a quest. They were seeking diamond-cutters capable of realizing a diamond they thought to be unique and captivating. The main criteria of this design was to capture the beauty and spirit of their daughter…Grace.

After having spoken to several of the best diamond-cutters in the world, they, at last found one company who was ready to meet the challenge. Many months and several improvements later, the new diamond was perfected into a stunning gem, so beautiful, yet so innocent and pristine in it’s classic shape. The jeweller and his wife named it after their own daughter and the city whose master-craftsmen made this dream and vision a reality - Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond

What makes the Grace of Antwerp Diamond unique?

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond has 81 facets. A round brilliant cut diamond has only 57 facets, and a princess cut diamond has only 62 - 70 facets.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond is polished by hand, in Antwerp, by master cutters of one of the most prestigious diamond-cutting factories in the world.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond is custom cut and polished to exacting parameters, that is why each Grace of Antwerp should be considered as a work of art in its own right.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond is elegantly rounded which means that it can be set in a vast range of jewels and mountings.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond has corners that allow for easier setting than a princess or radiant cut diamond.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond cut allows for the corners (”tips”) to be more durable than a conventional fancy-cut.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond has a larger “spread” to give the diamond a larger look than a conventional fancy-cut.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond is a uniquely cut diamond which has elements of both a princess cut and a cushion cut.

The Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond displays a significantly greater fire and brilliance than other diamonds.

Grace of Antwerp™ Diamond is an exclusive boutique cut diamond that is available from Diamond Imports.

Pending available rough we are able to cut to order from 0.25ct and up in limited quantities.

Prices are based on round brilliants, IGI Antwerp graded and officially certified and laser inscribed by the Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia, the official CIBJO diamond grading laboratory for Australia.

Trade Enquiries Welcome

Grace of Antwerp™ Diamonds

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The Princess Cut Diamond is a brilliant style diamond shape with sharp, uncut corners. It is typically cut square although there are sometimes princess cut diamonds that have a rectangular shape.

The princess cut is the most important new cut or shape for diamonds since the invention or perfection of the modern brilliant cut over 60 years ago. The princess cut diamond is effectively a square version of the round brilliant cut, and is known technically as a square modified brilliant cut.

The princess cut was originally created by Israel Itzkowitz in 1979 at Ambar Diamonds in Los Angeles. After three years of optical research the princess cut was developed. It was a square diamond from the girdle up that had faceting similar to that of a round brilliant cut diamond from the girdle down. This accounts for the fire and brilliance seen in princess cut diamonds.

Princess cut diamonds are the most popular non-round diamond. They have a beautiful brilliance and a modern square shape that accentuates a diamond’s fire rather than its luster. Princess cut diamonds have become a favourite diamond choice for engagement rings.

The princess cut diamond is usually less expensive than a round brilliant cut diamond of the same carat weight because a diamond cutter usually does not need to shave off as much diamond weight from the rough diamond. This ability to retain more crystal weight makes this shape popular amongst diamond cutters and therefore less expensive than round brilliant cut diamonds.

The princess cut diamond is normally close to a square with a + or - 10% deviation, but it may come in more elongated versions. Try to avoid extremely thin girdles which are prone to chipping when being set. For a princess cut diamond that is square, a length to width ratio between 1:0 - 1:10 is best, if you prefer a more rectangular shape then a length to width ratio above 1:11 is best.

Princess Cut Diamonds

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Cushion cut diamonds can also sometimes referred to as “pillow-cut” diamonds. Modern cushion cuts are based on the antique cushion cuts, which are a combination of a round and square outline with a softened square or “pillow” shape.

Some of the most famous diamonds in the world are cushion cut diamonds. These include the Hope Diamond, the Cullinan II and the Tiffany Yellow.

Cushion cut diamonds have rounded corners and larger facets to increase their brilliance. These larger facets highlight the diamond’s clarity, so if you choose a Cushion cut diamond with a SI clarity grade, be sure to review the clarity plot on the diamond certificate.

Cushion cut diamonds can vary in the degree of rectangular shape that they have. For cushion cut diamonds that have an almost square look but elegant and classical charm a length to width ratio of 1.1 - 1.2 is best.

Pictured above is the Graff Cushion Cut Diamond, a D colour, Internally Flawless diamond that weighs 11.89 carats - now that is romantic!

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Matching pairs of diamonds are used for earrings or shoulder stones.

Apart from round brilliant cut diamonds other fancy shape diamonds make an interesting choice when you are designing a custom piece of jewellery. Matching diamond pairs are used to enhance the centre diamond in rings, earrings and other unique pieces of jewellery.

A fancy shape diamond is a diamond that is any shape other than round brilliant cut. There are many different fancy shape diamonds:

Princess Cut
Emerald Cut
Square Emerald Cut also known as Asscher Cut
Radiant Cut
Baguette Cut
Tapered Baguette
Carre ( pronounced car-ray)
Baguillion
Trilliant Cut
Oval Shape
Marquise Cut (or Navette)
Pear Shape (or Tear Drop)
Heart Shape
Grace Cut
Old Mine Cut
Cushion Cut
Kite Shape
Single Cut or Swiss Cut
Half Moon
Leaf Cut
Shield Cut
Trapezoid or Barion Cut
Cadi Cut
Bullet Shape
Tapered Bullet

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