history in your hand
T DIAMONDS inthe
ROUGH
he journey is long. The glistening diamonds that line the showcases at Richter & Phillips Jewelers truly have a remarkable past. Each diamond has its own story, from mine to mounting. Diamonds are older than life on Earth, a true miracle of nature. According to the Natural Diamond Council, long before there was life on Earth, there were diamonds. Most were created one to three billion years ago, and the youngest diamond ever found was over 100 million years old. Originating more than 100 miles beneath the Earth, they were pushed to the surface by volcanic eruptions 300-400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed. Diamonds are the oldest thing that most of us will ever hold. The journey originates when a diamond is mined from the earth’s surface. In its raw form, the uncut stone is called, “rough.” Next, expert diamond cutters study the rough and carefully determine the size and shape of the diamond, or multiple diamonds, that can be produced from each piece of rough. Just as technology improves so many aspects of our daily lives, it also has tremendously enhanced the centuries-old art of diamond cutting. “The cutting process of the rough diamond is a unique skill that requires deep understanding of the rough diamond structure,” says Gadi Cohen of Ofer Mizrahi Diamonds. “However, we are able today to use state of the art technology in order to carefully analyze the rough’s characteristics and calculate its total dimension to maximize the size and number of diamonds that can be cut from it. The computer creates a blueprint for the diamonds prior to cutting, much like an architect creates drawings for a new home, prior to building.” Once the computer maps the way, the cutting begins. It is a slow, lengthy, and meticulous process. The computer’s progress and robotic cutting technology is always overseen by a highly trained expert, with checkpoints at every phase. Cohen states, “It is truly a co-production between man and machine.”
And what a beautiful production it is!
42 ] R I C H T E R & P H I L L I P S J E W E L E R S M A G A Z I N E
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