The Star of Africa

Originally 3106.75 carats (rough), this stone is one of the largest diamonds ever to be found. The original was cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones. This is the largest piece produced from the original.

Size: 530.2 carats

Shape/Cut: pear shaped

Millenium Star

This stone is the second largest faceted D-Flawless diamond in the world.

Size: 203.04 carats

Shape/Cut: pear shaped

Current Owner/Location: De Beers

The Koh-e-Noor

Its name means “Mountain of Light” and it’s said to be cursed. Legend says that whoever comes into its possession will one day rule the world. Coincidentally, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth once had ownership of it. However, no man risks wearing it because all men who have had possession of it suffered misfortune or even untimely death.

Size: 108.93 carats

The Allnatt

One of the few diamonds known to weigh over 100 carats and to have such a distinctively strong yellow color.

Size: 101.29 carats

Shape/Cut: cushion cut

Current Owner/Location: SIBA Corporation

The Chloe!

It is named after Georges Marciano’s (founder of Guess? Jeans) daughter Chloe and is the largest top-quality, brilliant-cut white diamond ever to appear at auction.

Size: 84.37

Shape/Cut: brilliant cut

Current Owner/Location: Georges Marciano

The Steinmetz Pink!

Perhaps the finest pink diamond in the world to date. It took approximately 20 months to cut and a team of eight individuals to fashion from the original 100-carat stone.

Size: 59.60 carats

Shape/Cut: oval mixed cut with a step-cut crown and a brilliant cut pavilion

The Sancy...!

This pale yellow stone is remarkable due to its cut with symmetrical facets and lack of a pavilion.

Size: 55.23 carats

Shape/Cut: shield shaped

Current Owner/Location: Apollo Gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris

The Hope Diamond

When exposed to short wave ultra-violet light, this steel blue diamond phosphoresces a red color. It’s also said to be cursed after its history with previous owner Evalyn Walsh McLean. Not only did Evalyn’s first born son die in an automobile accident, but her husband Ned took off with another woman and aimlessly spent their fortune. Although she herself blamed fate, everyone else blamed her misfortune on the stone.

Eternity!

This fancy vivid blue stone, founded in the Buyimai district, originally came from a rough stone that was 777 carats. It is considered a rare diamond because of its color.

Size: 27.64 carats

Shape/Cut: heart-shaped

Red

Rated as the largest Fancy Red by the Gemological Institute of America.

Size: 5.11 carats

Shape/Cut: triangular cut

Current Owner/Location: Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd.

Gems

Stones in the Spotlight

With commodity prices skyrocketing, one of the rarest commodities in the world marketplace is the precious gemstone. These are gathered here in a collection of some of the most famous, rare and valuable gemstones in high demand from around the world.

THE HEART!!!

Koh-e-Noor (Mountain of Light) , in the Brithish Crown!

KOH-E-NOOR (Mountain of Light) Diamond. 105 Carats, one of the largest in the world! Originally from India, passed through the hands of many rulers...and now a part of the British Crown.

Persian Treasures - The Royal Sword

The Royal Sword
Also known as the Shahi Sword, it was a present to Nasseridin Shah from Amin-o'Sultan, his prime minister. Before his assassination, Amin-o'Sultan served in the court of a number of Kings in that capacity. However, he wasn't as well appreciated by the common folk. Through his various posts, which included the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of the Treasury and Customs, he managed to accumulate sufficient wealth to afford such presents.

Though the picture is only of the sword's handle and hilt, the scabbard is entirely encrusted with approximately 3000 jewels of similar quality. According to an inscription which appears on the sword, it was made in 1306 (lunar calendar) by Mirza Ali Nagi. However, the sword was not presented to the King until six years later, around 1894 or 1895 AD.

This sword was worn by Mohammad Reza Shah during his coronation in 1967.

Persian Treasures - Royal Dish Cover

Royal Dish Cover
Since the royal kitchens were far removed from the royal dining room, dish covers were needed to keep the bowls of food warm, and to make sure no one put poison in the King's food. The particular dish cover seen in this picture is only one of the many jewel-studded dish covers in the treasury. They are all shaped the same, with a broad lip that covered the dish, and a dome-shaped center which acted as a handle. The dish cover is made of solid gold. Eight pearls surrounding a diamond decorate the very top of the dish cover. The rest of item is studded with emeralds, spinels, diamonds and rubies.

The diameter of the dish cover is 19 cm. and its height is 10 cm. The largest four rubies are 12 cts. each, the largest emerald is 30 cts., and the largest spinel is 25 cts.

Persian Treasures - The Noor-ol-Ain Tiara

The Noor-ol-Ain Tiara

The centerpiece of this tiara is the Noor-ol-Ain diamond, which is one of the largest pink diamonds in the world. The diamond may have been brought from India, along with the Sea of Light diamond. The diamond is set in platinum, and is surrounded by pink, clear and yellow diamonds. The Noor-ol-Ain is a brilliant cut, almost tear shaped diamond of approximately 60 cts.; the other diamonds range from 14 to 19 cts. each.

The tiara was designed by Harry Winston for the occasion of the Empress Farah's wedding to the the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, in 1958.

Persian Treasures - The Crown of the Empress

The Empress's Crown
Once Muhammad Reza Shah placed the Pahlavi crown on his own head during his coronation ceremony in 1967, he placed this crown on the head of his wife, the Empress Farah. Until that date, the wives of Persian monarchs were not crowned, and so it became necessary to design a new crown for the occasion. That honor was bestowed on the French jewellers, Van Cleef & Arpel.

In accordance with tradition, the gems used in this crown were selected from loose gems in the treasury. The crown is made of green velvet, and white gold. It has more than 38 emeralds, 105 pearls, 34 rubies, 2 spinels, and 1,469 diamonds. The total weight of the crown is 1,481 grams. The largest emerald is located in the center of the sunburst on the front of the crown, and weighs approximately 91.32 cts. The two largest spinels are approximately 83 cts., and the largest pearl is approximately 22 mm. long.

Persian Treasures - The Emerald Belt

The Emerald Belt

This belt is woven of gold and can be seen in photographs of Nasseridin Shah Qajar from the second half of the 19th century. The belt band is 119 cm. and was therefore probably made for Nasseridin Shah, or his father, Mohammad Shah. It could not have been built for Fathali Shah, who was known to have a narrow waist. The oval-shaped emerald on the beltbuckle is surrounded by diamonds, and has been estimated to be 5 cm. tall and weigh 175 cts. It may have been previously used as part of another decoration. Not much is known of the history of the gem, but for one reference from the court of Jahangir, the Mughul Emperor of India, dated 1616. It could have been brought to Iran following Nader Shah's conquest of Delhi. The same belt band was used on the occasion of Reza Shah Pahlavi's coronation, but a different band was used on the occasion of the coronation of his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah.

Persian Treasures - Tiara

Emerald and Diamond Tiara
Not much is known about this tiara. Its basic design is of a sunburst, with a 25 ct. pink spinel in the center. Each ray ends in a diamond blossom with a single pearl or emerald. The emeralds have holes in them which are covered with small diamonds. The holes suggest that the emeralds were previously used in other pieces. The largest emerald is 20 cts.

The design of this tiara was more commonly used in aigrettes in the second half of the 19th century, and so the origins of this tiara may be attributed to that time. Height: 7.2 cm.

Persian Treasures - Nader Shah's Shield

Nader Shah's Shield
Nader Shah carried this shield into battle during this campaigns in India. It is assumed that the gems were added to it at a later date in his honor. His bow, which is still in the Golestan palace, bears no adornments other than a layer of varnish.

The shield is supposedly made of rhinoceros hide, and has a diameter of 46 cm. It is covered with spinels, emeralds, diamonds, and rubies. Even the edge of the shield, which is not visible in the picture, is studded with emeralds. The center spinel is one of the largest in the world, weighing 225 cts. The four emeralds surrounding the center spinel cover screw holes that attach straps to the back of the shield, allowing the Shah to securely hold it during battle.

The largest emerald on the shield weighs 140 cts. Most of the diamonds range from 6 to 8 cts.

Persian Treasures - Hat Decoration

Hat Decoration
While this may look like a woman's tiara, it is actually a decoration which Fathali Shah often wore on a tall black wool-skin hat. It can be clearly seen on a number of miniature paintings of Fathali Shah, usually holding two white egret feathers.

The gem stones on this item consist of spinels, rubies, and diamonds, mounted on gold with a silver frame. Total height: 13.5 cm. The largest diamond is 10 cts., the largest spinel is 50 cts.

Persian Treasures - Empress Farah Deeba's Tiara

Farah Deeba's favorite Tiara

This tiara was also designed by Harry Winston, the New York jeweller, for the occasion of the marriage of Empress Farah Deeba and Reza Shah Pahlevi in 1958. It was considered to be Farah's favorite tiara, since she was often seen wearing it on formal occasions, such as her on visit to the United States and Canada in 1965. The lower band containing diamonds which is shaped like a heart, is built of platinum. There are two rows of yellow, pink and clear diamonds on top of it. There are seven large emeralds framed by diamonds on very top of the tiara. The gems used in this tiara are a combination of the old and new. The brilliant-cut diamonds were probably re-cut in the 19th century from loose Indian diamonds which were in the treasury. The emeralds are probably from South America, though they were cut sometime before Nader Shah's campaign in India. The diamonds surrounding the emeralds are probably from South Africa. The largest emerald, located in the center of the top row, is 65 cts. and the smallest ones on the ends of the row are 10 cts. each. The two largest diamonds are approximately 15 cts. each.

Persian Treasures - The Kiani Crown

Kiani Crown

The Kiani Crown was used during the Qajar dynasty. Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, had his own crown designed but the Kiani crown was present during his coronation. The crown itself is made of red velvet which has thousands of gems set onto it. Fathali Shah is often shown in paintings wearing a similar crown - it is not known whether there were a number of crowns in use at the time which looked similar, or whether the artists simply portrayed the same crown in different ways. The Kiani crown has about 1800 pearls sown onto it, each from 7 to 9 mm. in diameter. There are approximately 300 emeralds set on the crown, the largest of which is about 80 cts. There are also about 1800 rubies and spinels on the crown, the largest of which is 120 cts. The largest diamond is 23 cts. The total height of the crown is 32 cm. without the aigrette, and the total width is 19.5 cm.

Persian Treasures - The Pahlavi Crown

The Pahlavi Crown

This crown was used by Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, in his coronation on 25 April 1926. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, also used the crown in his coronation on 26 Oct. 1967. The crown was designed and built by a group of Iranian jewellers, under the supervision of Haj Serajeddin, the famous jeweller who had been in the employ of the Amir of Bokhara and had later emigrated from the Soviet Union to Iran. The stones were selected from loose stones in the treasury. The crown made of red velvet, gold, and silver. It has a total height of 29.8 cm. and has a width of 19.8 cm. It weighs 2,080 grams. The are 3,380 diamonds employed on the crown, totalling 1,144 cts. The largest is a brilliant-cut yellow diamond of 60 cts. which is located in the center of the front jewel sunburst. There are also 369 perfectly-matching natural pearls in three rows on the crown. Of the 5 emeralds, totalling 200 cts., the largest is approximately 100 cts. The largest sapphire is 20 cts. The design of the crown incorporates a motif of the Sassanid dynasty, which ruled over the Persian Empire from the 3rd through the 7th centuries AD.

Persian Treasures - Jewel Studded Globe

Jewel-Studded Globe

The most magnificent globe in existence, it has a total height of 110 cm. and a diameter of 45 cm. and is covered with over 51 thousand gemstones. The seas and oceans are shown with emeralds. Land masses are mostly displayed in rubies and spinels. Iran, Britain, France, and parts of South Asia are shown in diamonds. The base is constructed of wood, covered with a layer of gold. Approximately 35 kilograms of pure gold is used in the globe. According to legend, Nasseridin Shah (1848-1896) ordered the construction of the globe to help keep track of the loose gemstones in the treasury. The largest ruby used in the globe is approximately 75 ct. The largest spinel is approximately 110 cts. The largest emerald is approximately 175 cts., the largest sapphire is approximately 34 cts, and the largest diamond is approximately 15 cts.

Persian Treasures - Darya e Noor (Sea of Light)

Diamond of Darya-e Noor (Sea of Light) One of the few largest diamonds in the world;it weighs 186 cts.

Cullinan 1

One of the largest diamonds in the world (530 carats).

Topaz

What it takes to be Ideal CutIdeal cut diamonds come from raw diamonds that have been cut to specific standards.
When seeing a title such as "ideal cut" one may wonder as to why all diamonds are not cut to become ideal cut diamonds. There are numerous reasons for this, including the properties of the natural raw diamond, monetary reasons and aesthetics.

Zircon (Imitation)

For one thing, most raw diamonds cannot be cut for use as jewelry-quality diamonds, much less be cut to ideal cut ratios. Out of the few raw diamonds found that can be utilized for jewelry, only a small percentage of these have the physical properties to be cut to the ideal cut round brilliant proportions. This is not to say that they are the most rare of diamonds, as they are not, but simply to note that due to such variables as naturally occurring inclusions (flaws within the diamond's crystalline structure, such as spots of other minerals, and cleavage lines) it is impractical, if not impossible, to cut all jewelry quality raw diamonds into ideal cut round brilliant diamonds.

Zircon

Another reason for not using the ideal cut round shape for all diamonds is simply that the ideal cut is not ideal for all people and all occasions. The ideal cut emphasizes particular aspects of the diamond, such as the brilliance and fire. However, these characteristics are primarily brought out in bright, modern lighting. The more romantic lighting of candlelight and gaslight is more complementary to older diamond cuts, such as the rose cut, and the step cuts, such as the emerald cut. While round diamonds, ideal cut or not, enjoy a high level of popularity diamonds themselves are as unique as the people who own them. Even though the round ideal cut is a popular choice, it is by no means the standard.
In short, not all diamonds are ideal cut diamonds because not all can be, not all are monetarily able to be, and not everyone wants them.

Blue Zircon

There are also monetary reasons for not choosing ideal cut diamonds. When an experienced diamond
cutter is examining a raw stone of jewelry quality, the cutter looks for the flaws, but also for
the cleavage points. It is at these cleavage points in the raw stone that the cuts must be made,
or the entire diamond could shatter. An experienced cutter can assess what diamond shapes can be
brought out of a raw diamond, and has to take into consideration points such as which shapes are
being asked for by the owner of the diamond, as well as which shapes are the most feasible to cut
and sell. While ideal cut rounds are popular, they can often waste an enormous quantity of the
raw diamond in the cutting process if the cleavage points do not accommodate the round ideal cut
shape. Even when round brilliants can be brought out of the raw diamond, the ideal cut can not
only require more time, but it could also reduce the carat weight of the finished diamond, thus
reducing its value.

Red-Blood Ruby!

The world leader of diamond production is still South Africa. For the
past century and a half, South Africa has been the world leader in
producing and transporting diamonds. It is through South Africa's mass
production, distribution and shrewd business decisions that they remain
the world's diamond leader. It is in South Africa that the diamond
industry's leader, DeBeers is located. Through their ownership of the
primary and largest diamond mines in the world, DeBeers is able to
control much of the diamond industry. However, diamond deposits in
Russia's Siberia region and the newly discovered deposits in
Australia's Northern and Western Territories are closing the historic
diamond production gap.

Ruby Ring

South America is also still producing diamonds in large quantities,
almost 300 years since they were first discovered there by western
interests. Brazil and Venezuela are the two major diamond producing
nations in this area. Newly available technology has allowed more
diamond deposits to be mapped, giving this area the ability to remain
strong in diamond production.

Emerald-Cut Alexandrite (simulated)

Canadian diamonds gained a strong foothold in the diamond trade when
the politics met up with geology. As large diamond deposits were found
in the Canadian Northwest Territories in the 1990s it was concurrently
discovered that the nations of Sierre Leone, Angola and The Republic of
Congo were using their diamond sales to fund civil war. The branding of
such diamonds as "conflict diamonds" gave the new Canadian mines the
ethical upper-hand, and so helped to bring Canadian diamonds to the
forefront of diamond production. The Canadian diamond mining industry
has strict regulations in place, documenting all of the diamonds
produced from their mines. In this way these diamonds are assured of
being Canadian diamonds, including having a polar bear mark inscribed
on the diamonds in order to brand them.

Aquamarines (simulated)

Today diamond mines are found throughout the world. The current leading
nations in diamond production are still found in Africa, but other
nations are beginning to produce diamonds in the volume in which
African nations have been operating for the past century and a half.
Three of the world's leading diamond producing countries are in Africa:
Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The non-African leaders in diamond
production include Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, and Australia.

Where do Diamonds Come From..

Where Diamonds Come From

Diamonds are found in alluvial deposits in diamond mines in places such
as Botswana, Namibia, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia and Austrialia.
Diamonds were first discovered in alluvial deposits in southern India
about the 9th century BCE, and for centuries India remained the world's
primary source of diamonds. This changed in the 18th century with the
discovery of large diamond deposits in Brazil in 1725. Over a century
later diamonds were discovered in South Africa, and so began the
leadership of South Africa in the diamond trade.

Black Pearl

Egyptian Emerald

Emerald Cut Diamond
The Emerald cut diamond is a popular diamond cut with it's unique emerald cut shape and step cut facets.
The "emerald" cut of diamond is another square or rectangular shaped diamond. As opposed to the brilliant cut, however, with its triangular or four sided diamond cut facets, the "emerald" cut of diamond has step cut facets. The term "step cut" refers to the step-like look of the facet cuts.
This type of facet appears in long plate or plane-like facets, resulting in a more mirrored-type of effect, rather than the deep fire or shining brilliance of other diamond shapes. The emerald requires a diamond of higher quality of color and clarity than required with other shapes. This is due to the fact that scratches, inclusions and other impurities are more easily noticed with this bold type of cut. The emerald cut of diamond has an elegance and old world charm not found in brilliant styles.
It tends to have 50 to 58 facets, and a length to width ratio of 1.5-1.7 to 1. As with other square and rectangular shapes, the Emerald cut shape can be cut to be more square, to flatter the longer fingers, or more rectangular, thus flattering shorter fingers with the appearance of greater length. It tends to be 20% to 33% less expensive than round brilliants of the same weight, as is also the case with other square or rectangular shaped diamonds. The Emerald cut shape of diamond is linked to organized, resourceful, disciplined and decisive personalities.

CROWN OF CORTEZ EMERALD

CROWN OF CORTEZ EMERALD 306 carat Colombian Emerald From Louis XV’s World Famous Gem Collection Important 306 carat Colombian Emerald surrounded by 3.33 carats of the finest Diamonds in 18K white gold. The Crown of Cortez, also known as the Isabelle Stone, is one of the largest gem quality Colombian Emeralds in the world.

Emerald and Diamonds

Light Leakage

The term light leakage refers to the loss of light within the diamond. When properly cut, a
diamond will exhibit fire (resulting from the proper cut of the crown), brilliance (resulting
from the proper cut of the pavilion), and scintillation (resulting from the proper placement, or
symmetry and alignment of a diamond's facets). Scintillation is the actual play of light within
the diamond itself. Should any of the elements involved be cut incorrectly, resulting in poor
symmetry, poor brilliance, poor fire or a combination of the three, light will exit the stone at
one of the sides, rather than reflect and refract within the stone, exiting through the table.

Facet Shapes and Descriptions

Bezel

The bezel facet is the name for 8 kite-like facets that are cut into the crown of a brilliant
round cut diamond.

Kite

This is a facet that has been angled with four sides so as to best create the brilliance and
luster of diamond. This type of facet is most commonly associated with the brilliant cut of
diamond.

Rectangular

The next common type of facet is the long rectangular facet. This long facet is the facet that
one sees when looking at a step-cut diamond, such as an emerald cut. The long, wide plane created
by the use of the rectangular facet allows for a warm glowing play of light in and on the
diamond.

Star

The star facet is a triangular facet. There are 8 of these facets on a brilliant cut diamond and
they are found on the upper crown.

Ruby, Emerald & Pearl Set from Jagdamba Pearls

Girdle

The girdle of the diamond is the name for the widest portion of the
diamond. The diamond's diameter is measured at its girdle. The common
practice today is to facet the girdle itself, although these facets are
not included in the diamond's final facet count. As long as the girdle
is not described as extremely or extra thin or thick the girdle has no
effect on the stability of the diamond.

Depth

A diamond's depth is the measured height of the entire diamond.
Measuring from the top of the diamond (the table) to the bottom of the
diamond (the culet), the depth of the diamond helps to set the ratios
for the rest of the diamond's cut.

Culet

The culet is the bottom of the diamond and the diamond's smallest
facet. The culet has tremendous effect on the rest of the diamond in
that a properly formed culet will allow the light that has entered the
diamond to most effectively exit through the diamond's table and
re-enter the eye. A culet that is cut too large can cause a detrimental
effect in the diamond's light display. The overly large culet can cause
the light to leak out from it, thus causing the diamond to appear to
have a hole within it. The culet needs to be small enough, and within
the correct ratio to the rest of the diamond's anatomy to allow the
light to reach it and be refracted back within the diamond and
reflected back out of it. It is not uncommon for a diamond to have no
culet, and instead have the pavilion come to a point. There is no right
or wrong to having or not having a culet.

The Emerald Buddha Statue in Thailand!!!

Table

The largest facet of the diamond. This is the facet that sits at the
top of the diamond, and serves as the main entrance and exit point for
light.

Diameter

The measurement of the width of the diamond at its widest point
(girdle).

Crown

The crown refers to the part of the diamond from the girdle up. This
means that the section of the diamond from the widest point to the top,
or table, of the diamond is the named the crown.

Pavilion

The pavilion is the counterpoint of the crown in that it is the bottom
portion of the diamond. From the girdle, or widest section, of the
diamond to the bottom (or culet) is referred to as the pavilion.

Anatomy of a Diamond

Basic Anatomy of a Diamond

Important parts of the diamond anatomy include facets, table,
diameteer, crown, culet, pavilion, girdle and depth.

It is useful to understand the anatomy of the diamond. Like a human
body, each part of the diamond has a specific name, and knowing these,
and having a working understanding of what each part contributes to the
diamond as a whole, will help to assist you in purchasing a beautiful
diamond.

There are eight basic parts in the diamond anatomy. These are: Facets,
Table, Diameter, Crown, Pavilion, Girdle, Depth and Culet.

Facets

These are the flat planes that form the outer face of the diamond. Each
facet is angled, shaped and cut in order to produce a particular light
effect for the diamond and to most effectively reflect the inner
crystalline structure of the diamond. The facets are designed to allow
light to reflect off of, enter into, pass through and exit the diamond.
The arrangement of the facets is designed to allow light to enter
(normally through the table), refract within the diamond itself
(producing its "fire"), to exit the diamond (again, through its table)
as well as reflecting light directly off of the diamond's surface.

Ruby

The broad, flat-faceted step cut nature of the Asscher allows for
tremendous luster, but it will also illuminate any flaws. It is for
this reason that when choosing the Asscher, as with the emerald cut, it
is best to use stones of high quality in order to ensure that the
diamond has the greatest, unadulterated luster and shine. The Asscher
Diamond Company has recently resumed production of this bold cut. This
is definitely a cut of diamond for those who wish to express a sense of
elegance and beauty.

The British Crown!

The Asscher is a distinctive diamond, with a number of unique
identifiers. When choosing the setting for an Asscher, it is important
to make certain that the blocked corners are not hidden. It is these
blocked corners that add to the unique quality of the Asscher cut
diamond. Yet another of the singular aspects of the Asscher is found in
the shape and faceting of its pavilion. The pavilion is faceted in a
"scissor cut" fashion, in which the step cut is used to facet the
pavilion down to the culet.

Onyx

Like the emerald cut, the Asscher cut has large step-cut facets.
However, its facets tend to be larger than those of the emerald cut,
and its shape tends toward the square as opposed to the rectangular.
With its deep pavilion, faceted culet, high crown and small table, the
Asscher was designed to do more than just highlight larger stones. The
Asscher is designed to bring out their inner fire, while its small
table and high crown bring out more fire and scintillation than the
similar emerald cut. The Asscher has an ideal length to width ratio of
1 to 1.

geMMs

Asscher Cut Diamond

Information and history of the asscher cut diamond.
A 57 facet diamond, the Asscher cut diamond was developed at a time
when the round brilliant diamond was the common diamond shape. The
Asscher shaped diamond is named for its creator, Joseph Asscher, owner
of the Amsterdam based diamond company, the Asscher Diamond Company.
The Asscher cut was developed in 1902, coming in the beginning of the
Art-Deco movement that embraced and championed the straight lined
geometric form. Its square, step cut shape was the forerunner of the
later emerald cut shape of diamond.

Gemacious Tile!

There are some problems in using the Rapaport Report as your sole means of determining a
diamond's price range. One of the most obvious of these is that the report does not take an
individual diamond's unique characteristics into account. While it does account for the clarity,
color, the carat weight and certain other important aspects, this can hardly show the entire
picture. The report cannot tell you if a particular diamond has a cut that is amenable to your
personal tastes, nor can it account for the reflection of the diamond's clarity and color, once
set and sitting on your finger. In the end, it is useful to be familiar with the Rapaport Report,
but it should not be a strong deciding factor in your choice of diamonds. Use it simply to make
certain that you know what price range you should expect, and then look for the dealer who offers
their diamonds at a discounted price from that found in the Rapaport Report.

Amethyst and Diamonds

The Rapaport Report: This is a monthly-published diamond trade paper that offers current
per-carat pricing for diamonds. This diamond price report arrives at diamond pricing based on
color, clarity and carat weight. Using the pricing guide will give you an idea of the current
rate of a particular weight and color of diamond. What it cannot give you is an accurate price
for an individual diamond. This is merely a tool for those in the industry to have an idea of
what the approximate price for a particular type of diamonds is, and using it will allow you to
know the price range that you should expect to see.