Renowned gem cutter Gabi Tolkowsky has created a “triple brilliant” cut featuring 105 facets (47 more than the traditional brilliant cut).
The new design, named the Gabrielle™ diamond in his honor, combines the diamantaire’s art with advanced technology. “The combination of mathematical formulas, the latest computer technology and Gabi’s expertise have created this revolutionary new collection of diamonds,” says Glenn Markman,executive vice president of Suberi Bros., the exclusive marketer of the diamond cut in the U.S. The result, he says, is a diamond that follows the same shape as existing cuts but achieves greater brilliance because of the additional facets.
Tolkowsky’s great-uncle, Marcel Tolkowsky, established the precise parameters for the round brilliant cut. And now two generations later, Tolkowsky has become one of the world’s great experts in diamond cutting.
Tolkowsky has cut some of the most famous diamonds in the world – including the 273.85-ct. Centenary and the 545.65-ct. Golden Jubilee – and also developed the Flower Cuts (Marigold, Sun Flower, Dahlia and Zinnia) for De Beers.
“Each stone’s beauty is personal … the combined achievement of the perfect cut with the individual characteristics of each diamond,” says Tolkowsky.
Suberi has created a line of 14k pendant necklaces, earrings and rings featuring Gabrielle™ diamonds. Suberi Bros., 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010; (800) 223-0100 or (212) 979-9100, fax (212) 979-5331.
Gabi Tolkowsky and his new Gabrielle™ diamond cut.
REDAURUM ACQUIRES NEW U.S. KIMBERLITE
Redaurum Ltd. has acquired exclusive rights to 100% ownership in the Maxwell kimberlite pipe near its Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine in Colorado.
The kimberlite, discovered in 1979 by a Redaurum geologist, has a surface area of about 5.6 acres and during testing yielded diamonds of quality similar to those at Kelsey Lake, the only commercial producing diamond property in North America. (The Kelsey Lake deposit produces 65% gem-quality diamonds with 30% of them greater than 1 carat. The average sale value of the production is $173 per carat.)
The Maxwell site comprises a thin cover of topsoil over a highly weathered kimberlite pipe, says the company. This and its location close to the Kelsey Lake Mine treatment plant make it especially appealing, says Redaurum.
The company will conduct bulk sampling; if successful, it could extend the expected 12-year life of the Kelsey Lake deposits.
Redaurum is an international diamond mining and exploration company that owns and operates Kelsey Lake Mine. It also own mines in South Africa and jointly owns a mine in Zimbabwe.
HEARTS ON FIRE DEBUTS IN U.S.
Di-Star of Boston, Mass, is introducing the Japanese concept of excellent-make diamonds to the U.S. market.
The company offers branded “Hearts on Fire” diamonds and a proportion-measuring unit similar to the Japanese “hearts and arrows” scope, which measures diamonds cut to Tolkowsky proportions – commonly called Ideal Cut.
The Hearts on Fire package – scope and diamonds – is being developed as a branded product to give retailers something unique to offer their customers, says Jack Gredinger, president of Di-Star. “We are providing quality and exclusivity,” he says.
All Di-Star diamonds would receive the top American Gem Society cut grade of “0” or an “excellent-excellent” grade in Japan, he says. “Everything is done to perfection: polish, symmetry, proportion and faceting.” Every diamond is double-checked by a Sarin Diamension machine before being placed in stock. Inventory goods range from 0.3 to 1.25 carats, though larger sizes can be special-ordered. Colors range from E to I; clarity ranges from VS1 to SI2.
Gredinger says retailers in the Hearts on Fire program are given exclusivity in their area and are provided with special sales training materials for their associates. “The message is that customers can see the difference – the Proportionscope will show them how different our diamonds are,” he says. The unit is not related to a similarly named device offered by the Gemological Institute of America.
Di-Star also provides a free trip to Antwerp – where most of these diamonds are cut – as a sales incentives for the top six retailers. In addition, the company offers finished jewelry lines using Ideal Cut diamonds but whose numbers don’t quite meet the Hearts on Fire standards.
CHICAGO TO GET NEW GEM LABORATORY
A new independent gemological laboratory is scheduled to open this fall in the Jeweler’s Center at the Mallers Building, 5 S. Wabash, Chicago, Ill.
The lab hopes to draw customers from among the jewelers and diamond wholesalers in the area, as well as banks, insurance companies and the general public. It will be opened by Tom Tashey, president of the Gem Quality Institute/European Gemological Laboratory, Los Angeles, Cal. “The [new] laboratory will provide independent certifications for gemstones, color, clarity, carat weight and cut,” he says. “This independent certification will be completed by certified gemologists.”
Jay Richman, president of Spectrum Properties and an owner of the Jeweler’s Center, says the lab will be a welcome addition to the city’s jewelry industry. “To have an internationally accepted gemological laboratory located here is a major step forward in recognizing Chicago and the Mallers Building being part of the primary diamond and jewelry industry.
BHP PARTNERS REACH AGREEMENTS
BHP Diamonds Inc. has signed two agreements with its partners in the Northwest Territories Diamonds Project in Canada.
The agreements cover two groups of claims that comprise the project. One agreement establishes ownership of the Core Zone claims (including the Misery pipe), with BHP holding 51%, Dia Met Minerals Ltd. with 29% and researchers Dr. Stewart Blusson and Charles E. Fipke with 10% each.
In the Buffer Zone claims, BHP owns 51%, Blusson 31.2%, Fipke 10% and Dia Met 7.8%.
The agreements also detail financing for the project. BHP Diamonds has guaranteed the first US$500 million required to develop the project and will guarantee the balance necessary to develop it subject to reaching a satisfactory resolution of marketing arrangements. (The project is expected to cost about US$700 million).
The agreements stem from a complaint by 13 Dia Met shareholders who felt Blusson and Fipke should not have received 10% participating interests in a 1990 agreement with Dia Met.
Production at the NWT Diamond Project is expected to begin in the second half of 1998.