An absolutely glorious oval cut diamond weighing 88 carat was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong just recently for a whopping $14 million. Only two similar sized ones at around the 50 carat mark have been auctioned before but not for this past 5 years. The Japanese purchaser called it “Manami Star” after his daughter and it is considered to be lucky, because the weight at 88! is a very highly regarded number in Asian countries.
88 is said to symbolize perfection and eternity and of course this stunning gem is particularly prized for it’s outstanding symmetry. It took several painstaking months of grinding and polishing to capture the perfect cut for this diamond. Can you imagine if your hand quivered for an instant and you ground one little section to the left or the right. Coming from a very long line spanning 100 years of diamond cutters, I know from family, that the slip of the wrist can dictate the quality of the cut of a diamond, my grand Aunt was one of the best diamond cutters until her death in the early 1960’s.
Yes extraordinary gems such as these are cut by someone outstandingly gifted in the industry. Knowing exactly how to start and to figure out exactly where to cut first is a huge responsibility. Then having the patience needed to see it through to it’s magnificent completion over months of careful planning and precision cutting. Phew! Beads of sweat are forming on my forehead just thinking about it
Diamonds are cut so that a light ray falling on the gem is reflected multiple times inside the diamond and therefore sends out light in all directions. Actually, diamonds don’t shine, they reflect.