Jewellers since 1900

Diamonds at Hettich

For centuries diamonds have captured the hearts and minds of millions. For most, the very word diamond relates to a brilliant gem, the wearing of diamonds symbolising power, wealth and status. The word diamond is derived from the Greek word adamos, meaning the unconquerable.

The story of diamonds transcends many cultures and eras. It is believed that the first diamonds were created around three billion years ago, forming from pure carbon under intense pressure and temperature. The first discoveries of diamonds were made in India, approximately 2,800 years ago, as alluvial deposits. These stones were highly prized for their hardness and it was only later, when cutting and polishing methods were developed, that their brilliance and beauty became apparent. Further deposits of diamonds were found in the gold mines of Brazil, and then later in South Africa where the first diamond was found in 1866 by the son of a

Boer farmer. The boy was playing by the banks of the Orange river when an unusual pebble attracted his attention. He picked it up and kept it. This bright pebble of 21.25ct, later to be known as the Eureka, was obviously something unusual, and was passed from hand to hand until a local bishop, and amateur gemmologist, identified it as a diamond. It was later sold to the Governor of the Cape. No-one seemed at first to appreciate the importance of the discovery of the Eureka but another, bigger diamond was found elsewhere on the Orange river, this time by a shepherd boy on the Zendfontein farm. The boy was given five hundred sheep, ten oxen and a horse for his stone. At 3106ct, this is still the largest diamond ever found. It was renamed the Cullinan, and its discovery triggered the first South African diamond rush.

The Diamond

Story

The Hope Diamond 44.50ct

Appeared in the trade in 1830 and was bought by the banker Thomas Hope of London, from whom it got its now famous name. It is likely, however, that it had been re-cut from a stone stolen during the French Revolution. It is believed that Louis XIV of France wore the original 67ct diamond on special occasions, when it was known as the ‘Blue Diamond of the Crown’ or the ‘French Blue’. After it was stolen, it is thought that the diamond was acquired by King George IV of England but sold following his death due to large debts.

The diamond has changed hands frequently and is notorious for supposedly being cursed. Mythology suggests that the curse began after the original form of the diamond was stolen from the eye of a statue of the Hindu goddess, Sita. It is said to bring misfortune and tragedy to those who own it or wear it.

By 1839 the Hope Diamond was listed as belonging to Henry Philip Hope, brother of Thomas Hope. The legend of the diamond’s curse was spurred on by the fact that many members of the Hope family died in poverty. The diamond then passed through several owners until it was fi nally purchased in 1911 from the famous jeweller Cartier by Mrs Evalyn Walsh McLean. She re-set the stone as a pendant, with 16 white diamonds surrounding it and a chain of 45 white diamonds. The diamond’s curse is said to have continued when her son died an untimely death. However, Evalyn did not believe that the misfortune was connected to the ‘curse of the Hope’. She would not be parted from her treasured diamond and wore it often.

At her death in 1949, Harry Winston bought it and displayed it frequently in jewellery exhibitions. In 1958 he donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute, which houses it in the Natural History Museum in Washington DC.

The Cullinan 1 530.20ct

Cut from the Cullinan, together with 104 other stones, by the firm of Asscher in Amsterdam in 1908. This stone adorns the sceptre of King Edward VII and is part of the Crown Jewels, which are housed in the Tower of London.

Koh-I-Noor 108.92ct

Originally a round stone of 186ct belonging to the Indian Raj. Bought in 1739 by the Shah of Persia, who called it ‘Mountain of light’ (Koh-I-Noor). The stone then came into the possession of the East India Company, which presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850. Re-cut, it was set into the crown of Queen Mary, wife of George V, and then into the crown of Queen Elizabeth II. It is now in the Tower of London.

The Cullinan 1 Diamond

The Koh-I-Noor Diamond

The Hope Diamond

Famous diamonds

Over the centuries some famous diamonds have been found, some of which have legends and myths surrounding them.

The Taylor Burton Diamond 69ct

Formerly known as the Cartier diamond, after the famous French jeweller paid the record price of $1,050,000.00 for the gem at auction. The next day Richard Burton bought the stone for Elizabeth Taylor. It was then renamed the Taylor Burton diamond. She first wore the pear-shaped diamond publicly at a party for Princess Grace’s 40th birthday in Monaco. In 1978, she sold the diamond to build a hospital in Botswana.

The Taylor Burton Diamond

Elizabeth Taylor © Pierluigi Praturlon/Rex Features

How to choose your diamondChoosing your perfect diamond is not as difficult as you might think. Simply call into Hettich, where our staff will make you feel welcome and relaxed. We will tempt you with beauty, brilliance, life and fire. These are the key elements of every diamond and they are explained below in our guide to the 4 Cs.

The 4 CsThe 4 Cs remain the standard criteria for explaining diamond characteristics and are frequently supported by certificates from independent laboratories, such as the GIA or HRD. The system of 4 Cs and certificates was originally intended as a means of communication between diamond professionals and not as a way of selecting diamonds for beauty. This is a very important point to remember because, after all, you are buying an object of beauty, not a piece of paper.

All of our diamonds are selected for their lasting beauty and value for money. Let us take you on a journey that will guide you to your perfect diamond. Most of our stones are already set in jewellery but we always have loose stones available and access to international diamond markets.

Cut The shape you may choose is entirely personal: choices include Round Brilliant, Princess, Pear, Emerald, Marquise and Royal Asscher, to name but a few. Brilliant cut diamonds are the perennial engagement ring classic. Pear-shaped stones have an elegant outline and tend to look a little larger or, if your preference is for a contemporary style, Royal Asscher cut or Princess cut stones may be your favourite. The choice is yours.

The most important aspect of a diamond’s beauty is revealed in the perfection of its cut or, what is referred to as ‘make’ in the trade. The perfection of the polish, proportions and symmetry (e.g. alignment of the facets) maximises the performance of light entering the stone from the top. This light is then bounced from facet to facet and is reflected back through the top of the stone in a rainbow blaze. If a diamond is cut to the wrong proportions (e.g. too deep or too shallow) light is reflected at the wrong angle, allowing it to ‘leak’, diminishing brilliance and fire. Well cut diamonds look significantly larger than poorly cut stones of the same size because more light is reflected back to the eye. This can increase the value by up to fifty per cent. Our diamond experts carefully examine all diamonds, selecting only those which offer the best combinations of beauty and value.

Colour Colour is generally considered the second most important characteristic determining a diamond’s rarity and value. With white diamonds, what is referred to as colour is actually the lack of colour and is measured on a scale starting with D (colourless and the rarest) through to Z (having a very noticeable yellow hue). Diamonds are graded by inspection in controlled lighting conditions (e.g. natural daylight or lamps that replicate its wavelength) and with comparison to pre-graded master stones. Hettich can offer a selection covering most colour ranges from D – K. For the purest grades, D, E, F offer no noticeable colour. However, grades G, H, I offer stones that look white to the eye, but with inspection reveal little or no noticeable colour. These grades are often the most purchased as they offer an excellent balance between beauty and value.

Natural fancy colour diamonds have recently become fashionable, available in every shade in nature. We are pleased to have some exquisite examples in our collection, particularly fancy yellow diamonds, which look stunning.

Clarity A diamond’s clarity refers to its optical purity. Put simply, it is a measure of the number and size of the tiny inclusions or surface marks that occur in almost all diamonds. According to many experts, clarity has the least impact on a diamond’s appearance. We offer diamonds generally in the range of Flawless (no inclusions visible under 10X magnification) to SI (small inclusions). Stones in the range of FL/IF (Flawless/Internally Flawless)

command the highest prices. VVS1 - VVS2 (very very small inclusions) are the next price level and offer exceptional quality at a slightly lower price.Stones in the range of VS1-SI2 (very small - small inclusions) can offer great value, as generally the inclusions do not impact on the stone’s beauty.

Carat This is the term that people are probably most familiar with and is a measure of weight not size: 1 carat is equivalent to a fifth of a gram. The term carat is believed to come from the ancient way of trading diamonds when the traders’ scales were balanced by carob seeds, which were amazingly consistent in weight. Choosing the weight is again a personal consideration, depending on budget available, and should be considered in relation to the cut grade, as poorly cut stones may often have a diameter larger or smaller than well cut stones.

GIA anatomy of a diamond

GIA D-Z colour examples

GIA clarity diagram examples

GIA estimated carat weight

‘Stars of Africa’ project, the proceeds of which go to improving infrastructure and creating funding for healthcare, education and self sufficiency programmes in Africa.

Bespoke design We can help you to find your perfect stone, and we can then offer you a completely bespoke service. Let us help you to create the jewellery of your dreams.

Service Your diamond should be looked after and kept clean to allow it to sparkle at its brilliant best and ensure the stone is secure. We encourage our customers who have purchased their diamond from us to take advantage of a free clean and regular inspection of the setting.

*Polishing, if required, will be chargeable.

A new diamond for a special occasion or celebration ...It all starts with the Hettich experience!Whatever your reason for purchase, the significance of your diamond is never lost on us. Our diamonds are chosen for their beauty, quality and value.

Why not join us for a glass of champagne and discuss your requirements with one of our experts.

We have the knowledge, experience and passion to guide you to your perfect stone and we guarantee to help you with good advice all the way.

Ethical sourcing At Hettich we source every diamond to ensure that all of our stones are conflict free. Only buying our diamonds from suppliers who fully subscribe to the Kimberley process ensures every diamond can be traced back to a source that is confirmed as not involved in funding conflict. Furthermore, we also have a partnership with the Royal Asscher

Our diamond collection

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The graphs below show the price evolution of diamonds based on:D colour – gold lineF colour – red line

H colour – silver lineAll purity VVS

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Our diamond merchants are carefully selected for their integrity, quality and value. Among them, and probably the most famous, is The Royal Asscher Diamond Company with whom our relationship goes back over 50 years.

The Asscher Diamond Company was founded in 1854. By 1908 they had already gained an enviable reputation as master diamond cutters, having previously been charged with cutting the Excelsior diamond, which at the time was, at 997 carats, the largest diamond ever found. On a cold February day a notable audience gathered to watch Joseph Asscher cleave the natural wonder of the Cullinan Diamond, which weighed 3,106 carats. The two largest stones, called the Cullinan I and the Cullinan II, can be found in the Crown Jewels.

In 1902 Joseph Asscher designed the original Asscher cut, which was similar to modern Emerald cut diamonds. In 1999 Edward and Joop Asscher became intrigued by the possibility of enhancing their great grandfather’s design and after many years of research, and using modern innovations in computer modelling and simulation, the Royal Asscher cut was born. This beautiful cut is perfectly symmetrical with proportions that fall within strict parameters.

Working with Royal Asscher and others, we will help you to find your perfect stone.

The durability of diamonds can also be seen in how diamond prices have performed over time. Our belief is that you should buy a diamond because it is a beautiful gem that will give you great pleasure. However, you should not ignore the strength of diamond prices. As our graphs show, the long term prospects of owning diamonds are very positive, with prices in all sectors only moving upwards, having performed well in the recent economic downturn since 2008.

So putting it this way, a diamond is something you can enjoy that might well prove to be a good investment in the long term.

We will be very happy to discuss all your diamond requirements or answer any questions you may have, so please call Jeffrey Chinn or Timothy Booley at Hettich on 01534 734491. Further information may be found on our website www.hettich.co.uk

1 King Street, St. Helier, Jersey T: 01534 734491 F: 01534 759853

www.hettich.co.uk

Jewellers since 1900