| Weighing the Facts:
The “True Weight*” of Diamonds
Where do Panama hats come from? How long did
the 100 Year War last? In which month do Russians celebrate the
October Revolution? What is the color of the Black Box on a commercial
airline? What is a camel-hair brush made of? What was King George
the VI first name? Where do Chinese gooseberries come from? How
much should a one carat diamond weigh? While the answers to the
questions may seem obvious, more than likely you’d be surprised
that they aren’t. Panama hats don’t come from Panama.
The 100 Year War didn’t last 100 years. The Russians don’t
celebrate the October Revolution in October. The airlines’
Black Box isn’t black. A camel-hair brush has no camel hair.
King George’s first name isn’t George. Chinese gooseberries
aren’t from China. And one carat diamonds offered for sale
rarely, truly, would weigh one carat if cut correctly.
Let me explain. Diamonds are a lot like people. They come in all
shapes and sizes and just like people they can carry a little extra
weight. In fact, in the community of diamonds, more diamonds are
“overweight” than in the community of people: Up to
88% of all diamonds. The sad part is that it’s the diamond
industry that is purposely producing all of these chubby diamonds!
In 1919, over 80 years ago, a gentleman by the name of Marcel Tolkowsky
determined that the diamond industry as a whole was cutting diamonds
incorrectly and adversely affecting the diamond’s sparkle.
Mr. Tolkowsky released a paper on the correct way to cut a diamond
so it would have maximum sparkle (light return); no excess body
fat. The Tolkowsky cut ended up becoming the American ideal. Subsequently,
in the 1950’s, a gentleman by the name of R.W. Ditchburn applied
the same mathematics in order to trim the fat off the other shapes
(marquise, pear, oval, etc.). For decades if you asked for a well
cut “Ideal” diamond of a particular size, you got it.
Then the marketeers convinced the public that a one carat diamond
or more was the dream size. That’s where the problems crept
in. Diamond cutters all over the world started inventing their own
criteria for “a well proportioned stone” so they could
fatten up the diamond. It made me wonder “where’s the
beef?” I don’t mean to sound like an old Wendy’s
commercial but clearly we have a problem when 75% to 88% of all
one carat diamonds are overweight! Just like in the Wendy’s
commercial where there was a whole lot of bun and very little meat,
we are running into the same problem today with diamonds that should
be 1 carat but are cut fat so they will tip the scales over one
carat.
Solution: The only way the problem
is going to be solved is for the diamond buying public to start
asking for the diamond’s “True Weight,” (A diamond
in which the crown height plus max girdle thickness plus pavilion
depth equals the total depth percentage and whose proportions meet
class I or class II criteria.) I’ve never met a jeweler who
will volunteer to the consumer that the device used to measure the
diamond’s vitals (sarin or megascope machine) also has a fat
content measuring button! It’s called the re-cut feature.
Once a diamond has been analyzed, all the grader has to do is enter
the recorded data into the re-cut program, enter the desired results,
(like a plastic surgeon showing you what your nose will look like
after the surgery) and click the mouse. In seconds the re-cut program
will announce what the diamond should have weighed if it had been
cut correctly vs. its current weight. Practically every diamond
I see is overweight by 20%-30%!
It is the diamond’s “TRUE WEIGHT” we should be
paying for, not extra love handles left on by the cutter. If enough
of us demand to only pay for a diamond’s “True Weight”
versus its “over-weight” then maybe some day the cutters
will get the message.
By the way, Panama hats are from Ecuador. The 100 Year War lasted
116 years. The Russian Revolution is celebrated in November. The
Black Box is orange. A camel-hair brush is made from squirrel fur.
King George’s first name was Albert. Chinese gooseberries
come from New Zealand and a one carat diamond’s “True
Weight” is usually only 75 points.
*If you would like to determine your diamond’s
“True Weight,” please call the National
Diamond Helpline at
1-800-275-4047
with your diamond’s vitals and we’ll tell you what your
diamond should have weighed.
by Fred Cuellar,
author of the best-selling book "How to Buy a Diamond." More questions?
Ask the Diamond Guy®
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