Sir Gabriel (Gabi) Tolkowsky, one of the most accomplished diamond cutters of all time, has passed away at the age of 84. Knighted by the Belgian government in 2002 for service and contributions to the jewelry industry, Sir Gabi was trusted with cutting some of the world's most iconic diamonds.
Last week the "Lion of Merelani," a spectacular 116.76 carat tsavorite garnet, was unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This exquisite gemstone has been recorded as the largest tsavorite ever cut in the United States and the largest precision-cut tsavorite in the world.
On June 8 "The Eternal Pink" diamond will go to auction as part of Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels sale in New York. Its pre-sale estimate of more than $3.3 million per-carat is the largest pre-carat estimate ever placed on a diamond or gemstone, according to the auction house.
The world's largest diamond cutting and polishing center exists in Surat, the second largest city in India’s Gujarat province. There are well over 5,000 cutting and polishing factories, ranging from family run businesses to many of the diamond industry's biggest players.
In the 1980s a young young girl in the DRC decided to explore a pile of rubble located near her uncle's house. While playing she found a large golden-colored rock in the pile and took it home to her uncle...
On November 17 IGI honored Leysen with a diamond craftsmanship award, recognizing the jewelry Maison's 'Blue Flame Diamond.' The ceremony, attended by diplomats, industry principals and members of the press, took place at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium in Shanghai.
Earlier this month IGI participated in a presentation at the Antwerp Diamond Bourse. The session, staged in the heart of Antwerp's historic diamond district, was part of a 'diamond immersion tour,' arranged for a group of 60 jewelry enthusiasts.
Over 400 exhibitors gathered at the Colorado Convention Center, many for the second consecutive year, to take part in the only USA show to bring mineral & fossil dealers and jewelry & gemstone companies together under one roof.
IGI has added a grade for cut to fancy shape diamond reports. In addition to traditional polish and symmetry analysis, the institute is now assessing the influence cut quality has on light behavior seen in shapes other than round.
Van Cleef & Arpels combined an exceptional rough diamond with state of the art planning and inspiring jewelry design to create 25 stunning mystery set pieces, all with diamonds cut from the same rough stone.
Forbes.com, "Home Page for the World's Business Leaders," has published an article describing IGI's new eLearning Courses on diamonds as "first-rate professional online gemological education, ideally suited and ideally timed for a global audience."
Van Cleef & Arpels combined an exceptional rough diamond with state of the art planning and inspiring jewelry design to create 25 stunning mystery set pieces, all with diamonds cut from the same rough stone.
Van Cleef & Arpels combined an exceptional rough diamond with state of the art planning and inspiring jewelry design to create 25 pieces, all with diamonds cut from the same rough stone.
Van Cleef & Arpels combined an exceptional rough diamond with state of the art planning and inspiring jewelry design to create 25 pieces, all with diamonds cut from the same rough stone.
As people across America celebrate their Independence Day, we'd like to celebrate these distinctive diamonds in Fancy Red, White and Vivid Blue. Each one appeared separately in IGI GemBlog posts during the past year. Today we'll revisit them together.
Diamonds de Canada (DdC) has been awarded the Polar Bear Diamond™ license, allowing them to bring the iconic trademark back into the market with a renewed look and feel.
IGI Education Director John Pollard will join Rob Bates, Tanya Nisguretsky and Marty Hurwitz to present "The State of Lab Grown Diamond Industry" this Thursday. Rather than the usual "pro/con" arguments, the panel will address evolving new topics including melee, the implications of patent expirations and paradigm shifts in planning and cutting.
IGI recently graded 27.27 carat, 20.24 carat and 15.16 carat lab grown diamonds produced by Greenlab Diamonds LLP as part of their "sustainable and affordable luxury" project. The 27.27 and 20.24 carat gemstones are the largest polished lab grown diamonds ever produced.
In 2020 Synova, introduced the "Da Vinci Diamond Factory," an automated system capable of transforming rough diamonds into fully polished round brilliants. Synova has continued to increase its range and recently made it possible for rough diamond scans, used by many entities, to be incorporated into its planning and execution.
Round brilliant, cushion, and other shapes with depth are historically most popular because they're both aesthetically pleasing and economically practical. Flat shapes are not as common, which is why we wanted to spotlight these creative, rarely seen shapes.