We publish this article courtesy of The Israeli Dimond Industry Portal Blog
Author: Roe Kalb
Ask anyone about the great diamond centers of the world and they’ll say Antwerp, Amsterdam, New York, and Tel Aviv. Few people associate Canada’s frozen plains with cutting-edge diamond cutting, and yet Moke Botha, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, has invented the world’s most intricate diamond cut.
Botha, who has four decades of experience working with rough and polished diamonds all over the world, just about doubled the typical number of facets on a cut diamond (57, give or take) with a design featuring a whopping 111 facets.
While he didn’t have to stop at 111, Botha said that his diamond design “came up trumps” and “hit the sweet spot,” reaching what he described as “optimal brilliance.”
Any additional facets, he explained, would have been going overboard and would have decreased the diamond’s brilliance.
Kimberlight Brands, a luxury company based in Calgary, has already branded Botha’s diamond design, naming it the “Las Vegas Cut.”
What could be more appropriate than naming a diamond after Vegas, the city of bright lights and brighter jewelry, wondered Kimberlight co-owners Heather Kirk and Laura Serena. “Diamonds are about light and Las Vegas is about light,” Serena explained.
The Las Vegas diamond cut became available in June and Botha has already gotten about six orders. Perhaps in anticipation – the new design is slated for a feature in a magazine for private jet owners, who can certainly treat themselves to diamond jewelry featuring the most intricate cuts available – Botha is already teaching colleagues how to execute and polish the 111-facet diamond cut.
To date, these diamonds have been sold loose rather than set as jewelry. Prices for a one-carat Las Vegas cut diamond start at $10,000.
