Unbelievable history of the "Princess Diamond", 13 photos (worth reading).

 I read recently about the history of the "PRINCESS-CUT" diamond and felt that it's important for "us" to read and learn. This article is a reprint from the diamond company named "RareCarat.com".

 I was awestruck by how Mr. Arpad Nagy, created the "Princess Cut" diamond.

See this link   https://www.rarecarat.com/education/shape/the-princess-cut

 

Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Arpad Nagy and Harry Winston were friends in the diamond business.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Winston   

Oppenheimer and Winston asked Arpad Nagy to join them in business but he chose to move to Belgium instead. Subsequently moved to London, England. Finally moved to the USA but spent summers in Toronto, CANADA.  

 

 Ernest’s son was the late Harry Oppenheimer  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Oppenheimer

The Oppenheimers were of the de Beer’s Diamonds fame.

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 The Princess cut is not in fact made for a princess - it was actually created in London, England in the 1960s by a diamond cutter named Arpad Nagy (he called it a ‘profile cut’). Arpad set out to create a fiery and brilliant alternative to the round diamond we all know and admire.

 Now, one of the biggest pros when it comes to princess-cut diamonds is the value for money in an engagement ring.

 A rough diamond looks like 'two pyramids' joined together. Fascinating description? What happens when you cut it right across the middle? You then get two 'upside-down' pyramids. What shape is a princess-cut diamond? You now have an 'upside-down' pyramid.

 This matters though, because the diamond cutters end up getting much more 'yield' out of a rough diamond if they cut it into a princess-cut diamond. For example, a 1-carat rough stone like the one above might give you .40 carats of round diamonds, but the same rough might get you .50 carats of 'princess-cut' diamonds!

 Because the square shape of a princess cut is so similar to the natural shape of the rough diamond, very little is wasted. This then translates into a lower price for the client.

  The square shape can also give the illusion of being a little bigger than their round counterparts, simply because from corner to corner a princess-cut diamond is spread just a little wider than the diameter of a round diamond shape.

 One thing to bear in mind though; once that princess diamond sits in the claws of the ring setting will hide a little bit of that extra material.

Princess Cut Symmetry

 Speaking of measurements and symmetry. Let’s admit that princess cuts with uneven sides or unequal proportions are, ... ‘unpleasant on the eye’. If you look below, you’ll see what I mean:

The 1:1 ratio princess cut makes the wearer pleased to wear this gemstone. The ratio 1:1.05 ratio princess makes me feel like I’ve stood up too quickly, and my eyes are taking too long to adjust to reality…and that reality is not appealing to the eye.

To avoid "The Upside Down", picture yourself drawing an imaginary horizontal line across the diamond. Are the facets on the bottom and the top halves of the diamond symmetrical? 

Cut for Princess Shape

 So where do princess-cut diamonds stand in relation to our all-important 4Cs? Let’s take a look, beginning with the most important: cut.

 Since the "GIA" don't grade cut for any of the fancy shapes (that's everything but the round), you won't see a traditional cut grade on the report. So we look at the polish, symmetry, proportions and overall look of the stone (that's why pictures are so important here) to ensure it's cut well. They will make sure the facets are properly aligned and not misshapen, the corners are sharp and not chipped and the outline is square and not 'bowed'. You can use the above image to help you with your search, but seeking the advice of one of their graduate gemologists is the best help can offer. 

Princess Cut Chevrons?

 Another aspect of diamond cut to be aware of when it comes to princess shapes are 'chevrons'. Very simply, a chevron is a type of facet or ‘step’ cut into the sides of a diamond. The number of these chevrons actually impacts the look of the diamond.

 Fewer chevrons will mean that your diamond will have a 'better feel' in terms of sparkle. This is because there is more space between the facets and therefore the light takes longer to bounce around from one to another. More chevrons mean more facets which of course means that the light jumps around in that stone at a much faster rate, making it much more sparkly (and giving the stone a sort of ‘crushed ice’ look);

 The number of chevrons you want is totally up to you. You just need to be aware of how they will affect your diamond aesthetically. Here is where you can find the chevron details on the report.

Princess Cut Color and Clarity

Finally, let’s discuss two other aspects of quality; colour and clarity. In terms of colour, I would go for the ‘I’ colour or better. If the stone is on the larger side, go upward towards ‘H’ or even ‘G’ if you can. As with round cuts, my advice is to stay away from those ‘D-F’ colours unless you feel very strongly about them. 

 Going warmer than a ‘J’ colour could be problematic, as princess cut diamonds tend to hold on to colour slightly more than their round cousins. That being said, if you like a warmer tone in your diamond, or plan to have a rose or yellow gold setting. The choice is yours to make.

 Clarity-wise, princess-cut engagement rings tend to be more forgiving regarding imperfections than their emerald or Asscher-cut cousins. You can look a touch above the SI2 mark - around the VS1 – SI1 mark for the best value. That being said, you need to be acutely aware of the locations of any inclusions, especially if they sit in the corners where the princess cut is the weakest (and therefore more prone to chipping).

Study the plot of the stone extensively on the grading report, and as always (and I cannot stress this enough, ever) - look at the stone in person if possible (or at the very least with high-definition photographs from the seller.

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My email address is: gerrylewy18@gmail.com

Setting a Princess-Square stone in a Round Stone, '4-claw' ring. (33 photos)

  In all of my essays about setting a square stone in "V" shaped claws? I thought of an idea and here is a 'scenario'.

 A jeweller needs to set a Square "Princess-Cut stone today, but only has a 4-claw/prong head that was intended for a Round stone. Will he, or she say "Sorry, you have to wait until I create a ring for this stone". That scenario is now 'ancient history', I'm going to make your life easier by reading this essay along with many helpful (32) photos.

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 I have a series of square stones to use as samples; 5mm, 5.50mm 6:00mm and a large 7mm Princess stone. The ring 'sample' was designed for 6mm, but during this exercise, I'll decide which stone size is more suitable. 

 For a ring that was originally made for a Round stone, there are many further challenges in setting a Princess-Cut stone.

 Here are the stones that I will be demonstrating with this 'sample' ring.

 The very first thing I do is open the claws further apart, why is this? I need full & complete access for my burs to get into a small opening.

This 5.50mm stone is too small and so is the 5.50mm as well. The result is that the 4 claws must be completed with ALL being finished VERTICAL. 

 I chose a 6mm stone, as the ring was created just for this size. I like the blue colour as it will be easier to see during this 'colourful' and descriptive essay.

 What size of round bur would I be using? Some stones either CZ or Diamonds come in widths that are never uniform. The easiest method is to lay your bur along the side at the widest Girdle thickness.

 The 'optimum' width of the bur shown is the smallest of the two.

 In this photograph, you can see different sizes of burs, both of them are not to be used. They are simply just too large and could simply ruin the new claws.

 

  I feel more confident in using the 2 burs on the far left. I will use these smallest burs in another setting technique to be shown further in this essay.

                        THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

 Look at the angle of my handpiece, as it's starting to drill into the claw. I want the stone to sit into the claw(s)!!!

 You must be very sure that the 4 little holes are at the same height on all of the claws. If not, your stone will not be set correctly and will end up being crooked.

 These two burs are of no use to you in this important drilling of holes. They are just too LARGE, if you use them, you'd be ruining the claws!!!

 I would use a pair of dividers and make (darn) sure that these holes are equal in depth in all of the 4 claws.

Just to repeat this rule, hold your handpiece steady, as these holes are too important to mess around with. I would use a slower speed on your bur for this important & initial drilling. DON'T SPEED as it will give you many problems.

 WHY GO SLOW ON YOUR DRILLING? A faster rotating speed of your round bur will have your bur be slipping & cutting all around these delicate claws.

 The next steps are to have your same small bur and make an 'oval cutting', why and what for? The simple answer is, this is where the Pavillion facets under the Girdle will be than resting against. 

 

 Understanding that every bur-carving has a definite and long-lasting purpose.

The second cutting is for the "Girdle" of the stone, this cutting should & can be extended outwards from the claw itself. 

This 'wide bearing cut' is for BOTH 8 sides for the Girdle.

 If you see that the downward corners of the stone are not deep enough into the claw, I'd ask you to recut DEEPER INTO THE CLAW...AGAIN...!!!

 

  This is just what I'm writing about, I'm very pleased with how this is progressing and you?

    For a trial, I suggest that you place your gemstone inside the head of the ring. This will give you an idea of just how evenly spaced your 4 claws are to the stone.

 Make sure that the 4 claws are fully at the corners of the stone. With your pair of pliers, move each claw independently and examine this carefully, as I did for this photograph.

 EACH CLAW MUST BE IN LINE WITH THE POINT OF THE 4 CORNERS OF THE STONE. 

Again remember, THERE ARE NO SHORT-CUTS IN GEMSTONE SETTING.

        THIS OVERALL DIFFICULTY SCALE is "25+, out of 10".

  Make very sure that the corners of the stone sit into the 4 claws.

 I am not bringing in both claws at once, "but only one claw at a time". One jaw will do the moving and the opposing plier jaw will do the supporting the 'moving claw' action.

 The 'moving action' is only from above the Girdle, and not anywhere else.

The end result is that the point of the Square stone is being nestled into the claw.

 DON'T PUSH THE CLAW TIPS TOWARD THE STONE, please use your pliers to do the individual '2 claw moving method'.

   Remember all of the individual claw carving with the small round burs a few minutes ago? It's all been so worthwhile, all 4 claws are in line equally.      

 Rotate the ring and then examine in all of the 4 views, that the Culet of the stone is in the centre of the 'head'. Not to mention that there must be equal spacing of the claws.
 

 You can see that all 4 claws are now touching the stone EVENLY at the Girdle-Facets and the Pavillion.
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 If you see that one claw is crooked, use your 'fine jaw' pliers and have that one claw moved backwards and you can now (carefully) reposition the stone.

Those 'deep claw' holes will now contain the four corners of the Square stone.

 Your 'moving' is done ONLY at the top 25% of the claw tip.

  From my perspective, only 3 claws are in complete alignment. The fourth claw at the 'top left' is not well-centred. Use your 10x power loupe and observe this problem.

           (This step needs much practice for the beginner).

 Use your 'Snap-on" Emery '240 grit' wheel and shave off much of the top of the claws until the claw tips are just ABOVE the Table of the stone.

 

 If you use a course #1 or #2 grit file, you could be moving a claw out of alignment, also known as a WHOOPS! DON'T USE ANY TRIANGULAR FILES ANYWHERE. I suggest that you experiment with 'synthetic stones'.

 

            "CLAW TIPS IN GREATER DETAIL @140x power magnification"

 

 I honestly prefer to "File to Trim, the 4 claws". A simple rounding with a "77B Cup" bur of the claws is not for a Square stone, why not?

 

 You, nor I should mix the two finishing touches, as a Princess stone is full of square angles and has NO rounded finishing.

 I used (on these claw tips) a Triangular #4 grit file, which has a fine smooth texture when completed.

 I use pumice wheels of #180 grit on both 'Tapered and Flat' surfaces to remove any striations caused by filing.

  I attempted to have you see just where the Culet is located, it should be in the center of the 4 claws, no matter which view you have.

 You can here see the softer filing that I used. I removed all of the outside corners leaving only a curved surface and no sharp angles, anywhere!

 The claw tips must never be higher than the "Table" of the stone.

  I had my filing leave a flat front facet to the claw that was touching the stone. This will have the "claw tip" blend into the angles of the stone.

 Those broken corners are not broken, there were just remnants of water remaining after I cleaned the ring.

 Rounding off of the corner claws DO NOT BLEND IN WITH THE ANGLES OF THE FACETS OF THE STONE. So why use rounded corners? aka. YUK!

 In closing, I'll leave you with my personal tastes and you can make your own decision 'on any finishing touches'.

 I only wish that I could sit beside you and 'guide you further'.

 I know that we all must experiment on our own and be educated on how to make this ring a "Wearable Piece of Art".

 Sorry for my greatly detailed essay as there was so much to write.

gerrylewy18@gmail.com

MY OWN (Diamond Setting) CREATIONS (50 photos)

  I find that the many styles of rings of 'gold & diamonds' that are seen today are nice. I enjoyed these elegant & breathtaking "Pieces of Wearable Art".  Here are a few of my own creations 'these have not been plagiarized' from internet sites.

 This little bauble has 326 diamonds, plus a handful of gemstones. Many of these creations in this essay were crafted with helpful assistance of CAD.

 

 I used my hand to let you see the overall size of this pendant.

 Before the finished stages, there were many areas of development. 

I decided to keep my client updated continually, on my progress.

 Although this pendant had its own 43.8 gram weight, his chain was also very HEAVY.

   I like to make jewellery that is so 'out of the box'.

 I call this photo "Sunburst", as I took this photo outside and the Sun was reflecting off of the many gemstones.

 In Asian cultures, the number "8" is a number for health & wealth. I initially wanted to promote this item for sales to the Asian market, but declined.

 On the larger 1 carat stones there were an estimated 18.00 carats in weight. The original was created just for the appraisal. I gave back the diamonds to my diamond dealer, but I made this silver copy for posterity.

 

  This is my version of an "American Flag".

 My client-friend came and asked me in desperation "Gerry, would you set this Pear-shape, Genuine Emerald and the diamonds?"

 "As three other setters refused, as there is a deep inclusion at the underneath point in the Pavillion."

 I gladly accepted this challenge and here is the visual proof of what I did.

 I spent 3 hours preparing and setting this ultra-expensive Emerald. YES, I used my Reciprocating Hammer to work the 18 kt. gold over this soft gemstone.

 Where-ever the facet corners were touching the Bezel frame, I used my round bur to make 'seats or clearance' at those points of contact.

 I used CAD in designing this 3-piece Gents ring. One piece was just for the Blue-Sapphire insert, and the second insert was for the circular Azure inside the ring. The next piece was the main ring frame.

 My idea was to incorporate the many Casino suites inside the ring, cute idea?

 This "MIAMI-DOLPHIN" trophy was given to me as a blank (no drilled holes). My "American client" asked me to decide where each diamond should be placed. I photographed every step in the drilling, holding and setting processes.

   In this Heart-Shaped pendant, I've incorporated many features of Diamond Setting patterns. One of which are "psuedo-beads" in between the white stones. All of this graver cutting and bead-setting was done prior to any stone setting.

  

My wife wears a similar ring to this pattern, the two sides are NOT JOINED together.

 I've seen so many patterns being named as "Fish-Tail", that is so far from the truth. The hand engraved design looks like a Fish's Tail with it's two eyes. 

 When I start from the casting stage, the metal was FLAT with no graver cuts.

 On a "Princess" cruise, I saw the ship's fuselage portraying this pattern. I took a photo of it and put it into CAD upon our return.

 Here is the CAD rendition of the name and now in a silver model.

 In keeping with the theme of the gambling idea, I continued with different kinds of patterns and shapes.

    This is a bracelet either for a man or ladies. I decided to Bright-Cut all around the outside of the frame.

  

 Imagine setting an soft Amethyst, Pear-shaped stone that is Gypsy-set. The difficulty is 'off the 10-scale' at maybe a 25-10.

I designed and set this little tie-tack when I was 21 years old, circa ? A.D.

Now my son-in-law wears this 'modified', Diamond Pin.

 These are all of my 'Casino'-related creations, WHEW!

 Just another variation on my Heart-shaped pendant.

  From a flat-topped ring, I put my mind and Onglette gravers to use.

  Gold and diamonds on my clients' tooth coverings, not mine!

 

  Both of the 'wings' move, this item was just flat metal with no stones.

   All of my 'Casino-related' designs are copy-righted.

Gerrylewy18@gmail.com