FROM: JCKONLINE JCK Las Vegas opened Friday at the Sands Expo & Convention Center/Venetian Hotel Resort Casino.
The show, which runs till June 3 is hosting 3,100 exhibitors and 21,000+ retailers. Opening events included the JCK Welcome Reception and Fashion Show at Caesars Palace in the Augustus Ballroom and a keynote presentation by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons,
The Design Center is featuring Eight New Rising Stars and is among dozens of specialty pavilions including the “VicenzaOro Pavilion at JCK.” Conference sessions were held Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition, the 6th Annual Swiss Watch by JCK also opened Friday in The Venetian Hotel Resort Casino and will run through Tuesday. Swiss Watch by JCK is a collection of the world’s most legendary Swiss watch brands including Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross, Bulgari, Chopard, Corum, Ebel, Franck Muller, Gucci, Hermes, IWC, Maurice Lacroix, Mont Blanc, Omega, Piaget, Rado, Swatch, Longines, Tag Heuer, Tissot, Ulysse Nardin and Zeni
Diamond rough is tightly controlled; in the United States via the Clean Diamonds Act & Census Bureau monitoring, and globally by the United Nations’ Kimberley Process & NGOs. Rough mined anywhere in the world must receive proper certification at the source and follow a process of approval before it can be traded to a legitimate cutting house or purchased on the open market. Here, friends of Brian “The Cutter” Gavin from Guinea visit Whiteflash with diamond rough & the accompanying documentation and seals demonstrating provenance.
Normal rough octahedron like the crystal at center right will often be sawed and polished into modern round brilliant or princess cut diamonds. Other crystals may be better-suited to other shapes. To read more about rough diamonds, global controls and beneficiation see the Whiteflash Conflict-Free Guarantee.
Professionals in the diamond industry hear warnings about “commoditization” at our trade conventions. We hear the warnings from traditionalists, from sellers and suppliers, from revered industry leaders. We hear the warnings from some of the most esteemed icons of our industry. But what does it mean?
It is about the reduction of an emotional experience to a mere set of numbers. That is the concern.
For many years diamond cutters were considered craftsmen and artists, like blacksmiths and carpenters (the best still are). As technology has moved forward, blacksmiths and carpenters have been replaced with automated manufacture. In diamond-cutting, auto-dialits and assembly line production have replaced the gray-haired cutter of old who took the rough through every step from blocking to brillianteering. However, the unalterable difference between ’smithing and diamond fashioning is that producing a diamond will never be like stamping out automobiles or pre-fabricated woodwork where pieces and parts are interchangeable. Our craft is unique.
Every piece of diamond rough took millions of years to form. Every diamond is a different story. Once mined from the earth each piece of rough is individually studied and analyzed. A different plan is developed for each piece to arrive at the shape, size and beauty that will be yielded. No two diamonds are perfectly alike; not in rough form nor polished. They may be comparable, but color, clarity and even cut differ from piece to finished piece. There are subdivisions within each color grade. There are microscopic elements of crystallization within each diamond that do not appear on a plot. There are aspects to the way the diamond was run on the wheel and took a polish that blend together to create its distinctiveness when finally viewed. (more…)
Diamond rough, the raw material from which diamonds are polished, occurs naturally in nature; it’s not made to order. People are surprised to hear that it takes many tons of ore to locate even one piece of rough that will finish as a 1ct diamond. Only a small percentage of the rough found is gem quality, and the vast majority finishes as diamonds far smaller than a carat. That rare rough material that can finish > 2cts is exceedingly hard to find and when it’s found the factory (logically) wants to get as much yield as possible. Manufacturers can save weight if they don’t shoot for precise numbers or the best possible cut precision. This is why a lot of the big diamonds you will see are not of the cut pedigree our company insists on. It’s logical: Why would a commercial manufacturer polish a rough diamond into a near-Tolkowsky AGS0 with true Hearts & Arrows at a finished weight of 3.88 carats when he could stop at a 4.02 ct diamond of average cut quality? He would not. Those pieces of rough are too rare for him NOT to get the 4ct yield, and most buyers are not aware of the difference in cut quality anyway.
Fortunately, at Whiteflash, fifth generation diamantaire Brian “The Cutter” Gavin is committed to the world’s best visual balance in his diamonds, regardless of size. Even our larger rough is planned for ‘A Cut Above’ quality, making the extremely rare large diamonds we produce even more rarified. In fact, we boast the largest ‘A Cut Above’ Superideal Hearts & Arrows diamond, a 7.5 ct beauty that is the only one of its kind (click to see).
We offer the very best prices for the level of consumer protection we insist on. It is a question of products, services and support:
Products. Diamonds that share a certain class & category are not necessarily equal. Even those listed with identical specs may be dramatically different. For example, a store will sell two 1ct GIA-graded F SI1 EX EX EX diamonds for much different prices if stone A is a spot-on eye-clean Tolkowsky with impeccable H&A and stone B is borderline steep/deep (still EX) with poor optical symmetry (not judged) and noticeable black pique under the table (still SI1). Only personal inspection and analysis reveals these things. This is why diamonds that seem identical on a list are priced on a stone-by-stone basis; according to nuances of pedigree and sale-ability.
When a single diamond is offered by multiple sellers, there are differences in services and support:
Services. A one-man internet seller will ask less to drop-ship you a stone he never sees from a third-party supplier than a large company with support staff will charge to bring it in, do gemological analysis and provide a full benefits package with it. Remember, there is no such a thing as “free shipping” or “free lifetime resizing.” Companies can spread these costs across overall markup for client convenience, but they do cost. Factor in what the seller offers beyond just flipping the diamond: Is this someone who is encumbering shipping & insurance expenses for bringing items in? Are photos taken? Reports run? Is someone hired to document and post information, live or online? (more…)
The pavilion of a diamond is like a cone of mirrors. This means they will reflect a perfect picture of what’s seen from inside, including the interior of the girdle. At certain angles the girdle reflection can look like a break or new inclusion inside a stone. It’s not - it’s merely the diamond’s internal mirrors doing their job.
The girdle reflection may appear as a white, dark or ‘feathery’ line of varying thickness depending on lighting, angles and girdle particulars. It is a natural feature of diamond reflectivity.
Appraisers can use this reflectivity to analyze bezel-set diamonds (normally the girdle is not visible) by spotting the girdle reflection through the table at a severe angle. The only time girdle reflection is a negative is when the diamond is so shallow that you see its girdle reflection through the table directly face-up (photo at right). This reflection is called a “fish eye” and is caused because the shallow pavilion allows the reflection to be seen closer towards the center of the stone, instead of being tucked away under the bezel area facets.
It depends on what you’re looking for. Well-cut diamonds look wonderful in many places but a diamond shows different performance qualities depending on the lighting, how it’s held, your surroundings and even the clothes you’re wearing. First, let’s define diamond performance qualities:
Brightness is the overall return of light from the diamond.
Fire is where the diamond breaks white light into spectral colors.
Scintillation is white & colored sparkle associated with movement.
Contrast is the pattern of light and dark areas (which shifts with sparkle during movement).
To see brightness, view the diamond under diffused fluorescent lights, holding it very still in a position where your head and body block a minimum of light. A well-cut diamond will have great brightness. As you move closer to the diamond and block more light with your head you will see its contrast pattern become more apparent (areas of light and dark which compliment each other). Diffused lighting does not produce fire or scintillation so it’s good for judging color and clarity; visible inclusions that may be masked by performance are seen here. If you’re analyzing color be sure to keep a white wall in front of you and wear a neutral colored shirt (white, grey or black) since a diamond picks up and reflects the colors around it. This is also a good environment in which to “loupe” the diamond and examine it under magnification. (more…)
A United States patent was recently granted for the Holloway Cut Adviser. The tool has helped thousands of consumers make diamond-filtering choices when browsing online. Though its operation is simple its conclusions - like diamonds - are not black or white. Garry Holloway, creator of the HCA and ideal-scope, discusses the HCA in a casual sit-down with Brian Gavin (Brian The Cutter) from Whiteflash in three brief videos.
Two additional videos, each appx 4 minutes in length: (more…)
Rings that are worn next to each other are going to touch each other. We’ve made thousands of matching sets and it’s critical to design them so that the girdles of the diamonds don’t cause damage to neighboring rings during “normal wear.” This is a key term. Depending on a person’s lifestyle it’s possible for rings to be brought together in unintended ways which can cause damage beyond the manufacturer’s control - especially if the wearer flexes and grips with pressure, has skinny fingers or wears the rings near the knuckle. Exercising or sporting activities like biking, tennis or raquetball, can bring rings together in harmful ways as can working with tools or gardening. Fine jewelry is not intended for such wear, just as fine automobiles aren’t intended for off-road driving. Even during normal and formal wear some contact is to be expected between metal bands. Precious metals are soft and the insides of the bands will scratch each other. Over time these abrasions accumulate. Having your fine jewelry re-polished (platinum) or re-plated (white gold) every year or so is reasonable to restore them.
Here is an account from a Wisconsin jeweler. It is a nice description by a first-timer seeing an Antwerp facility. Our own cutting partner has a more in-depth operation, with commercial cutting as well as refined ops on the fine-make floor where ‘A Cut Above’ and many Expert Selection diamonds are produced, but the basics - including the hand-planning and human element - are the same.
From Daily Times - Paul Bradow, of Bradow Jewelers in Watertown, recently saw firsthand how a diamond is cut when he visited a factory in Antwerp, Belgium. “I was very surprised at how much of the diamond cutting is still done by people and using their hands with tools,” Bradow said. “I figured all cutting was automated or done with lasers.” Bradow visited the Diamond Cutting Factory of Krochmal and Lieber in Antwerp, Belgium, while on a buying trip with a group of other individual jewelry business owners. His group was able to get a rare tour around the facility and watch as workers cut diamonds. “There is no way you can get into these diamond cutting facilities unless you are invited or part of a buying group,” Bradow said. “Antwerp is the world’s largest diamond cutting city. Eight in 10 of all rough diamonds are handled in Antwerp.” About 10 people work at Krochmal and Lieber. The first step in cutting a diamond includes analyzing it. A rough diamond is divided into two pieces to find its best shape by using a copper wheel coated in diamond dust and oil. (more…)
Unfortunately such apples exist in every profession. Among the honest jewelers are some who will create anxiety about a purchase in hopes of gaining new business, especially when they find out the purchase was made on the internet. The tactics can range from subtle to extreme:
Attacking a diamond of top quality may sound absurd but it’s not unheard-of: “This diamond is not real because it has too much fire” usually leads to speculation that the gem is Moissanite (which has higher dispersion than diamond). “Real diamonds are too hard to be cut so precisely,” when referring to a H&A diamond are often followed by the claim that it is CZ or other simulant. Such attacks are often put to rest when the consumer demonstrates his/her knowledge of the subject or mentions the AGS or GIA report. Still, a few clients have had jewelers go so far as to offer an “official test” - diamond testers are notorious - where they “confirm” the diamond a fake. Strangely, this always happens during our 10-day return period. In every instance, when asked to put the claim in writing, the jeweler suddenly decides that perhaps it is a diamond after all and the criticism turns into praise (psst – they knew it all along).
Insinuating fraud is another tactic. Recently one of our clients was selling a used piece. Her jeweler insisted it was white gold, not the platinum we sold her. We checked our records, assured her it was platinum and asked her to the claim in writing. (more…)
100% platinum is called ‘fine platinum’ in the jewelry trade. When cast it has a Vickers hardness of 52, which is too low for common jewelry applications. It will easily dimple, resist polish and is extremely scratchable (like lead). The 5% metal by weight that’s alloyed with platinum to create Pt950 is what makes it hard enough to be usable in jewelry while keeping the density and malleability for which platinum is treasured. There is a 999 Platinum alloy (99.9% platinum) advertised as much harder than 100% cast platinum. This is because it is not cast: Some specialty alloys, Pt-Gold and Pt-Tungsten among them, can be heat treated or aged to have twice the normal hardness but in reality they behave more like steel than precious metal alloys. We can expect new alloys regularly; there are hundreds on the market and twists are being developed all the time. This is similar to specialty diamond cuts with extra facets – marketers love to try new things. Like specialty cuts, many specialty alloys will come and go. Those which are worthy and stand the test of time will stay.
Here is a great example of what a diamond “sees” when our guys are taking a photo. You can clearly see the dark lens of the camera reflecting in the ring. When it’s a precisely cut diamond the reflection of the camera lens is what casues the symmetrical ”arrows” seen in our still photos. Here is another article on why there are dark arrows in diamond photos.
A table reflection is literally the reflection of the table seen in the pavilion of the diamond in some lighting conditions. Diamond cutters have used this phenomenon since before scanners ever existed to judge pavilion depth.
One reason Brian is very strict with his range for ACA is because the table reflection gets larger as table size and/or pavilion angle increase. Click the graphic to see comparisons. The diamonds on the left are near the center of the ACA range. The diamonds on the right have tables and pavilion depth too great.
It’s also important to know that asymmetry ‘bloats’ the appearance of the table reflection. The diamond simulations in those graphics assume perfect optical symmetry. Commercially cut stones show much larger, uneven reflections.
Thanks to the miracle of photoshop you can. Check out these size-reference images, created so people could get an idea of size relative to the average hand (click on each thumbnails to see). “Hand”-y, no?
For the cut techies, if you’re wondering what the guys at the simulant companies have come up with lately, here is an example. It is one of their better efforts. It still can’t compare to a natural diamond (and doesn’t come close to ‘A Cut Above’) but they have gotten better at this in the last few decades.
The cut is a bit spready and check the darkness in the 40X image. There is a huge table reflection and darkness even in the star facets. You want contrast in a gem, but this is way too dark. It’s worse in the ideal-scope and ASET photos. Compare them with our ACA below.
A real woman deserves real diamonds. Give a CZ to a fake woman.
“Replacement value” for a piece of jewelry isn’t a fixed price. An appraised valuation is simply a snapshot of what that professional estimates the piece to be worth at ‘X’ time in ‘Y’ market. A piece of jewelry will be priced differently at a strip mall in East LA than it will at a ski shop in Aspen.
We operate in a competitive market with low markups on the internet. If our clients were to purchase similar quality goods from a B&M boutique they would cost considerably more. With over 95% of jewelry still being purchased in retail stores the appraisers doing our verification letters assign values relative to that majority market. Along with our invoice (which reflects the lower internet markup) our clients have some flexibility when securing insurance: Not all insurance carriers allow the consumer to work with their jeweler of choice, so providing the letter of verification with higher price point allows them to replace the item virtually anywhere in case of catastrophe. (more…)
You have no doubt seen this on many of our ‘A Cut Above’ reports:
If you have wondered how the final American Gem Society Lab grade is determined, the cut grade has three factors and the lowest determines final grade.
Light Performance is a cumulative grade (added up). It is the sum of all deductions for Brightness, Contrast, Dispersion & Leakage. If the total deductions are < 0.50 the LP grade is 0. If 0.50-1.49 the LP grade is 1. If 1.50-2.49 the LP grade is 2 and so on.
Proportion Factors is part cumulative (girdle thickness, culet size) and part net-lowering (durability, weight ratio, tilt). If the girdle and culet both have deductions of 1 the PF grade is 2. If there are no cumulative deductions but weight ratio and tilt both have deductions of 1 the PF grade is 1 (b/c those are net-lowering deductions). If there are no deductions the PF grade is 0.
Finish (polish & symmetry) is net-lowering. Polish can be 0 and symmetry can be 2, which would result in a finish grade of 2. Polish and symmetry can both be 2, which would also result in a 2. If the polish grade is 5 and the symmetry grade is 0 the finish grade is a 5. (more…)
If you have someone ask you why diamonds may appear dark in sunlight sometimes the photos below may be helpful. The pictured stones are research CZs from Moscow State Univeristy.
The top photo was taken in low-lighting.
The bottom photo was taking in bright lighting (yes you read that right).
Why is this? Our eyes react to bright light the same way the iris of the camera does. Go from a dark building into a sunny street and your eyes take a moment to adjust because the pupils are closing to allow less light in overall.
Note that the round, which returns a higher volume of light, is brighter in low light (when the iris is accepting all light) and darker in bright light (when it’s filtering the brightest spots) than the squares. Interesting, no? Photos courtesy of Sergey Sivovolenko, MSU & Octonus.
Earlier today Mark showed me some random blogs with anti-diamond comments, primarily relating to conflict diamonds and CZ/simulant options. These will always be hot topics that can quickly be dispelled with a little reality - especially the conflict diamond issue. Be sure to link people to our conflict-free guarantee - and more importantly, send people interested in being proactive to the Dreams of Africa site and the CRJP, so they will realize the most effective solutions come from those committed to beneficiation within our trade.
As for all the yakking about synthetics, CZ is much heavier than diamond, so if a gal holds a CZ ring and a same-size diamond ring in her hand the weight difference is a dead giveaway. Also, CZ is only singly refractive and the read-thru test is well-known by crafty women: Place a CZ or a diamond on newsprint…you can read through the CZ, not through the diamond. As Brian once told me, “A real woman deserves a real diamond. Get a CZ for someone fake…”
By the way, I used to participate in those conversations before I ever knew anything about them - making noise about the crazy prices, the humanity, the DeBeers mafia, etc… Once I got hooked on a girl I just shut up and did my diamond shopping.
Logically, the most important components are the diamonds, setting and clasp. We recommend the highest cut quality for maximum dazzle (and friend-envy!) The standard tennis bracelet color and clarity will be F-G, VS quality. Decide on total carat weight, whether that’s 3, 4, 10, etc. A very common size is 3 ctw. The setting can either be minimal, which exaggerates the diamonds (3 prong setting) or it can be more substantitve and integral to the piece, (like the X-prong or half-bezel style). There are many options.
3-Prong, 3 ctw
It’s important that the clasp be well made and secure. Lobster clasps are pretty common. A box clasp is wider, flat and has a lock on it, and we recommend this one since it gives the appearance of a continual line of diamonds. What’s visually appropriate can depend on diamond mm width. Alloy is personal preference as usual. Platinum is notably heavier on the wrist.
It’s mental gridlock. People buying their first diamond can get this, especially OCD types who research every last detail of a purchase (hmmmm, I don’t know ANYONE like that!). We left-brained people habitually crunch numbers and as the enormity of a purchase get close we can get into a frenzy of worry about one tick of a pavilion or crown angle. We’ve all seen it! Please sympathize with it because when light performance is so consistent the only (apparent) variations are in…yep…the numbers! Worse, though you’re already at infinitesimal levels the more layers you peel the more reveal. Where does it stop!? You guys know I’m a hopeless cut-geek are quick to roll your eyes when I yak about DiamCalc and azimuth shift, but believe it or not I’m the one telling newbies NOT to stress over nano-specs at times. Don’t get me wrong. Absolutely talk about the numbers! Strict tolerances in the cut ‘bullseye’ is what’s best about our products. Remember it’s also ok to communicate how much, or little, any variation actually means. If you don’t someone can read faaar too much into a minor aspect that’s not even perceivable. (more…)
The optimum angle range is 40.6-40.9, with Tolkowsky’s 40.75 as the centerpoint. Unfortunately more and more factories are cutting 41+ pavilion angles on round brilliants. As a diamond cutter my grandfather and father taught me the only reason to go over 40.9 is to either darken the stone or hold more weight. It is a fact. The choice is not about labs or beauty it is about dollars and cents and does not serve the consumer.
Blocking the pavilion at 41 instead of 40.75 can eliminate +/- 1% of waste in sawable octahedron. In a 100,000 carat production that’s 1000 cts or more! This is $4,500,000.00 additional profit at an avg wholesale price of $4500/ct. It is no wonder so many manufacturers are on record saying 41 is fine… I disagree because it is a perilous threshold for color entrapment. Sorry my friends, but this is something the labs and theorists do not pay heed to. Go much steeper or shallower than 40.75 and you increase the intensity of color in a stone. It’s unavoidable. I’ve seen it since the days when my grandfather was teaching me. Once you’re over 40.9 in sizes over half a carat this effect kicks into place and the stone darkens further as you increase the angle. Table reflection becomes bigger as pavilion angle increases and can exaggerate the effect. Crowns may be adjusted to maximize entrapment but the pavilion is what is key - which is why fancy-colored stones are cut deep or shallow to intensify their color.
Lab grading is simply not useful in this situation. Nothing but live analysis will show color entrapment. Not theses, not photos, not videos, nothing but human eyes. Even at our two best labs, the AGS ray-trace does not pick up color entrapment and GIA includes combos at the steep end of EX that retain weight, entrap color and produce poor looking stones with small spread (no one will deny this). This has allowed manufacturers to push limits at the expense of beauty. (more…)
Not if the diamond was graded VS2 or above by a top lab. A feather is a natural characteristic. It is a tiny fissure inside the diamond, often caused by a crystal that expanded millions of years ago when it formed. It can be any space between two parallel planes in the diamond. Feathers in SI clarities are very common. Most will never be an issue but a diamond’s feathers should be considered on a case by case basis. If they doesn’t break the surface or run for a long way they likely pose no problem; remember that a diamond will never be exposed to the extremes of pressure and friction it endured during the cutting process in everyday wear… On the other hand an open feather can pose a durability risk, depending on its size and position. Some are prongable but with others it may not be advisable depending on size and position. If there is a question examination by a knowledgable expert can provide a definite answer. While on the subject, questions about feathers often come hand-in-hand with questions about chipping. Something we’re in the habit of reminding people is that diamonds have natural cleavage planes. A knock the wrong way, especially at the girdle, may cause any diamond to chip/incur damage - feather or not. This is why having a good insurance policy is important for even the most flawless diamond.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization. Any errors are the authors' responsibility. In fact, let's blame that kid in the sandbox. I heard he got caught with a lighter once.
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Diamond rough, the raw material from which diamonds are polished, occurs naturally in nature; it’s not made to order. People are surprised to hear that it takes many tons of ore to locate even one piece of rough that will finish as a 1ct diamond. Only a small percentage of the rough found is gem quality, and the vast majority finishes as diamonds far smaller than a carat. That rare rough material that can finish > 2cts is exceedingly hard to find and when it’s found the factory (logically) wants to get as much yield as possible. Manufacturers can save weight if they don’t shoot for precise numbers or the best possible cut precision. This is why a lot of the big diamonds you will see are not of the cut pedigree our company insists on. It’s logical: Why would a commercial manufacturer polish a rough diamond into a near-Tolkowsky AGS0 with true Hearts & Arrows at a finished weight of 3.88 carats when he could stop at a 4.02 ct diamond of average cut quality? He would not. Those pieces of rough are too rare for him NOT to get the 4ct yield, and most buyers are not aware of the difference in cut quality anyway.
We offer the very best prices for the level of consumer protection we insist on. It is a question of products, services and support:
Appraisers can use this reflectivity to analyze bezel-set diamonds (normally the girdle is not visible) by spotting the girdle reflection through the table at a severe angle. The only time girdle reflection is a negative is when the diamond is so shallow that you see its girdle reflection through the table directly face-up (photo at right). This reflection is called a “fish eye” and is caused because the shallow pavilion allows the reflection to be seen closer towards the center of the stone, instead of being tucked away under the bezel area facets.
To see brightness, view the diamond under diffused fluorescent lights, holding it very still in a position where your head and body block a minimum of light. A well-cut diamond will have great brightness. As you move closer to the diamond and block more light with your head you will see its contrast pattern become more apparent (areas of light and dark which compliment each other). Diffused lighting does not produce fire or scintillation so it’s good for judging color and clarity; visible inclusions that may be masked by performance are seen here. If you’re analyzing color be sure to keep a white wall in front of you and wear a neutral colored shirt (white, grey or black) since a diamond picks up and reflects the colors around it. This is also a good environment in which to “loupe” the diamond and examine it under magnification. 
From 
Unfortunately such apples exist in every profession. Among the honest jewelers are some who will create anxiety about a purchase in hopes of gaining new business, especially when they find out the purchase was made on the internet. The tactics can range from subtle to extreme:
