|
The
Defination of Ideal Cut Diamond
Before all
this technical, 'scientific stuff in the form of grading reports came
along, diamonds were purchased by wholesalers and sold to their
clients, the jewellers, on the basis of their beauty and ability to
seduce the customer.
The parameters
used by us all, in those days, some 30 years ago were sparkle or
life, brilliance or scintillation as it can also be put. But also the
'spread' or 'face-up' or if you like the 'show' factor.
Our jewellery
clients wanted primarily and justifiably a diamond which would both
sparkle and face up very well when set in an item of jewellery, they
also paid more for this more 'attractive' and more easily saleable stone.
Around 65
years ago a certain Mr Tolkowski, being in the business, wanted to
see, as a mathematician, if it was possible to establish a scientific
basis for the most perfect cut, based on the diamond's ability to
refract light.
Certain
parameters were established and are today the basis of what we,
diamond cutters have known for over 100 years. they were as follows:
Table
diameter: 53 to 66%
Crown height :
11 to 16%
Pavillion
depth: 42 to 45%
There is a
difference from what the human eye is able to perceive and what
certain specialised scientific instruments are able to determine.
In Tolkowski's
time some 65 years ago, using the instruments he had developed, he
determined that the perfect parameters were between those as set at above.
These were
based on human observation, using scientific means to prove the point
and at the time Tolkowski was praised by the industry for his work in
this field.
As time went
on, equipment developed and it was then possible to determine, to a
more precise level a more precise degree of scientific correctness
for the diamond crystal's light refractive capabilities.
This presented
to us, diamond cutters, no real interest as we did not firstly have
the precise technical polishing equipment and most importantly, the
market did not require it either as all was well and customers satisfied.
Again time
went on and our technical tools developed, mostly to help us cut more
quickly and efficiently.
Diamond
laboratories opened in Europe in 1974, may I say at this point, that
we opened the very first European laboratory in Europe,
'Diamexpertise' and at one time even employed Mr Margel, President
and founder of the internationally re known laboratory EGL, as our
director, he later left in 1976 and started up, very successfully,
the EGL laboratory operation, he was and is still a good friend of mine.
Also 1976 saw
the birth of the HRD and IGI laboratories.
To get on with
the facts, from these days onwards the 'investment' diamond business
started to take off. Many individuals, not in our industry, started
to gravitate towards it seeing profit as they too, being able to
'read' a diamond report could start selling diamonds to the public as
'investments' and not necessarily only for jewellery purposes.
The demand,
through slick marketing and advertising, grew and grew and at a time,
in 1982/83 went to silly heights and then crashed.
Many lost
enormous amounts of money, and today prices still reflect those of
after this crash plus maybe an added 20 to 25%, by the way at their
height prices were 300% higher than they are on average today on
better quality goods.
1987 brought
about the far eastern market climb and during those post crash years
there was a type of glut of unsaleable diamonds waiting for a buyer,
the Japanese wholesalers, at least the clever ones did not wish
cheaper stones to be brought in by competitors so had to do
something, they decided to up the parameters and through marketing
and advertising let it be known that special, 'better', more perfect
cut stones, were available.
This
'perfection' thing appealed to the growing Japanese diamond consumer
who could not get enough of it and prices following demand, grew....
the problem was SUPPLY.
That's where
we came in, indeed we were approached by a top Japanese wholesale
dealer with whom we entered an exclusive manufacturing partnership in
order to cut these very exclusive diamonds.
For years we
had a near monopoly on their manufacture and the world's biggest
workforce exclusively cutting to these high parameters so we know
what we are talking about.
This demand
was artificially created in order to control the Japanese market, not
through a beautifully cut diamond but through a perfectly, over
precisely cut diamond offering nothing else to the consumer than
perfect light refractive capability only perceptible by using highly
sophisticated equipment and sold with a certificate mirroring these
facts to anyone who could read.
In 1994/95 the
Japanese market started to fall, many of these diamonds did not find
buyers and were being expensively stocked in the hope of a return to
better times, unfortunately until today the market is still flat.
Then in
1995/96 came the Internet, the perfect solution was available, lists
or virtual stocks of diamonds could be offered to the public, who
could read what they were buying, all that was needed was for the
public to do their research to get information in order to make an
informed choice amongst the diamonds on these 'lists'.
No easier task
for the internet putting the answers online, over informing the
public so they would think that they were getting something better
when in fact they would be purchasing something that the jewellers,
who have always been purchasing diamonds but not the so called
'ideal' ones, did not really want. Their idea of the 'ideal' cut, is
the cut which offers BOTH excellent light refraction and perfect
'spread' to the consumer and can be 'visually' appreciated, in an
item of jewellery by the customer. They have been purchasing this cut
for the past 70 odd years, diamonds cut 'intelligently' saving weight
when necessary thus reducing the price and offering perfect 'sparkle'
and 'spread' as well, this to the benefit of all concerned especially
the consumer.
This is why
'online' dealers have been talking up the value of an over precisely
cut diamond and have financially profited from it.
Today
misinformed clients online, perhaps similar to yourselves are asking
for these stones, we can supply them no problem but I feel that as
one of the first true diamond cutting companies to have a presence
online, some nine and half years ago, that we must inform properly,
hence the reason we spend so much time corresponding with our customers.
Hopefully you
will have learned something from this explanation of the facts as we
see them and will apply these facts to a better judgement of the
situation and make an informed decision of what is required, after
all your diamond ring is an important purchase so you deserve real
value for money. |
