In the world of fancy color diamonds, the cutter is a
partner with nature. The number of tones found within a colored diamond may be
infinite and coaxing the optimal color from the rough is a process both
scientific and artistic. It requires visionary cutters who, like Michelangelo,
find the David within the marble. They envision the gem they want; it’s simply a
matter of taking away the extraneous material. But, just as with David, only a
genius can take away exactly the right amount, in exactly the right places, to
produce the diamond masterpieces seen on these pages.
These two extraordinary
examples from within the red spectrum show how truly varied and exquisite
colored diamonds can be. At the same time, such stones pose the ultimate
challenge to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), whose graders must
consider the multitude of varied tones within the stones before issuing color
and clarity grades.
THE EMBER
DIAMOND
For diamantaire Bruno
Scarselli, of New York City’s NBS Diamonds, the magnificent SI1, 1.26-carat
stone he named the Ember Diamond evokes the rich and varied tones of autumn
leaves in Maine. This octagonal stone was certified as fancy reddish orange by
the GIA, which examined it in minute detail. The Ember Diamond is believed to
have come from a rough found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in
Africa, formerly known as the Belgian Congo and more recently as
Zaire.
The Ember Diamond
The November 17, 2010, GIA monograph on the stone,
whose GIA cert is dated May 10, 2010, describes the careful thought that went
into extracting the best color from the rough. “In general, colored diamonds
benefit from a style of cutting that reduces the tight patterning of bright and
dark areas we associate with colorless to near-colorless diamonds,” the GIA
wrote.“That patterning we cherish in colorless stones often masks the color in a
colored diamond. But to eliminate bright areas in dark rough would create an
overall dark stone, one that would likely appear brown, or gray in the case of
cool-hued rough.
In order to preserve the
rich dominant color within the rough, the cutter of the Ember Diamond employed a
variety of techniques. According to GIA, “With the chosen proportions and
interfacet angles, the octagonal shape — similar in symmetry to the round shape
— efficiently collects color in the center of the stone, resulting in a deeply
saturated face-up appeal. Broad, flat facets on the bottom of the stone allow
the color to return to the eye as relatively large planes, thus becoming the
focus for the observer.”
The cutter’s skills produced
an optimal and distinctive visual experience. Only those who understand the
challenges involved in cutting such a stone can truly appreciate the
achievement.
THE SHELLEY
RED
In modern gemology,
designating a diamond as fancy red with no modifiers is a rare event. One such
rarity is the .69-carat VS2 fancy red stone dubbed the Shelley Red by colored
diamond expert Stephen Hofer and owned by Shelley Diamonds. The stone is a
pear-shaped modified brilliant cut that, Hofer notes, “helps to strengthen and
concentrate the apparent red color” seen in the stone face up. Further, he
indicates, this face-up color strength or saturation is found at precisely the
point within the GIA’s three-dimensional box where the pure color red is
situated. This is an extremely rare natural occurrence. This purity of red is
quite unusual for a natural diamond…. When viewed in the face-up direction under
average daylight, i.e., 6500K or D65 illumination, the red color is evident to
the eye, providing visual confirmation of the color measurement.”
The Shelley Red
Hofer goes on to say that the Shelley Red, which
received its GIA cert on February 14, 2011, “has a distinct red hue when
compared against the most saturated red color chip in the Munsell color notation
system, the Munsell 5R 4/14 color chip.”
While the Shelley Red does
display hints of pink, Hofer sees it as having “extraordinary body color with a
lightness that measures near the borderline between the medium and medium-dark
range. The inherent saturation measures just above the borderline between the
weak-moderate and the moderate categories.”
Hofer dissects the interior
of the diamond, noting that“This stone exhibits obvious pink/red graining inside
the crystal…. This complex mosaic of bright and deep, pink and red reflected
colors gives this diamond its unique beauty and singular appearance as a
gemstone.”
Cutting played a prominent
role in achieving the fancy red grade for this diamond.In his December 14, 2011, monograph on the stone, Hofer
writes, “This well-made modified brilliant cut with four pavilion main facets
also distributes the color fairly evenly, giving this gem a high degree of color
symmetry.” He concludes that red diamonds “continue to be regarded as the
‘rarest of all’diamond colors and that they are seldom to be seen in the diamond
trade, possessing extreme natural rarity and each one is considered a true
collector’s item.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - March 2012.
partner with nature. The number of tones found within a colored diamond may be
infinite and coaxing the optimal color from the rough is a process both
scientific and artistic. It requires visionary cutters who, like Michelangelo,
find the David within the marble. They envision the gem they want; it’s simply a
matter of taking away the extraneous material. But, just as with David, only a
genius can take away exactly the right amount, in exactly the right places, to
produce the diamond masterpieces seen on these pages.
These two extraordinary
examples from within the red spectrum show how truly varied and exquisite
colored diamonds can be. At the same time, such stones pose the ultimate
challenge to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), whose graders must
consider the multitude of varied tones within the stones before issuing color
and clarity grades.
THE EMBER
DIAMOND
For diamantaire Bruno
Scarselli, of New York City’s NBS Diamonds, the magnificent SI1, 1.26-carat
stone he named the Ember Diamond evokes the rich and varied tones of autumn
leaves in Maine. This octagonal stone was certified as fancy reddish orange by
the GIA, which examined it in minute detail. The Ember Diamond is believed to
have come from a rough found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in
Africa, formerly known as the Belgian Congo and more recently as
Zaire.
The Ember Diamond
The November 17, 2010, GIA monograph on the stone,
whose GIA cert is dated May 10, 2010, describes the careful thought that went
into extracting the best color from the rough. “In general, colored diamonds
benefit from a style of cutting that reduces the tight patterning of bright and
dark areas we associate with colorless to near-colorless diamonds,” the GIA
wrote.“That patterning we cherish in colorless stones often masks the color in a
colored diamond. But to eliminate bright areas in dark rough would create an
overall dark stone, one that would likely appear brown, or gray in the case of
cool-hued rough.
In order to preserve the
rich dominant color within the rough, the cutter of the Ember Diamond employed a
variety of techniques. According to GIA, “With the chosen proportions and
interfacet angles, the octagonal shape — similar in symmetry to the round shape
— efficiently collects color in the center of the stone, resulting in a deeply
saturated face-up appeal. Broad, flat facets on the bottom of the stone allow
the color to return to the eye as relatively large planes, thus becoming the
focus for the observer.”
The cutter’s skills produced
an optimal and distinctive visual experience. Only those who understand the
challenges involved in cutting such a stone can truly appreciate the
achievement.
THE SHELLEY
RED
In modern gemology,
designating a diamond as fancy red with no modifiers is a rare event. One such
rarity is the .69-carat VS2 fancy red stone dubbed the Shelley Red by colored
diamond expert Stephen Hofer and owned by Shelley Diamonds. The stone is a
pear-shaped modified brilliant cut that, Hofer notes, “helps to strengthen and
concentrate the apparent red color” seen in the stone face up. Further, he
indicates, this face-up color strength or saturation is found at precisely the
point within the GIA’s three-dimensional box where the pure color red is
situated. This is an extremely rare natural occurrence. This purity of red is
quite unusual for a natural diamond…. When viewed in the face-up direction under
average daylight, i.e., 6500K or D65 illumination, the red color is evident to
the eye, providing visual confirmation of the color measurement.”
The Shelley Red
Hofer goes on to say that the Shelley Red, which
received its GIA cert on February 14, 2011, “has a distinct red hue when
compared against the most saturated red color chip in the Munsell color notation
system, the Munsell 5R 4/14 color chip.”
While the Shelley Red does
display hints of pink, Hofer sees it as having “extraordinary body color with a
lightness that measures near the borderline between the medium and medium-dark
range. The inherent saturation measures just above the borderline between the
weak-moderate and the moderate categories.”
Hofer dissects the interior
of the diamond, noting that“This stone exhibits obvious pink/red graining inside
the crystal…. This complex mosaic of bright and deep, pink and red reflected
colors gives this diamond its unique beauty and singular appearance as a
gemstone.”
Cutting played a prominent
role in achieving the fancy red grade for this diamond.In his December 14, 2011, monograph on the stone, Hofer
writes, “This well-made modified brilliant cut with four pavilion main facets
also distributes the color fairly evenly, giving this gem a high degree of color
symmetry.” He concludes that red diamonds “continue to be regarded as the
‘rarest of all’diamond colors and that they are seldom to be seen in the diamond
trade, possessing extreme natural rarity and each one is considered a true
collector’s item.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - March 2012.
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