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Thomas Evan Powel was just another miner working in the Premier Diamond Mining Company, South Africa. On 26th January 1905, he came across a rugged piece of stone while digging. Unlike ordinary stones, he could not break it with his shovel, so out of curiosity he lifted it in his hands and cleaned it. He then took it to his manager working on the surface above. The stone weighed 3106 Carats or a whooping 621 grams!

Little did both the men know they were gazing at the biggest piece of diamond known to humanity till date.  Promptly, they informed their superiors who duly named it as the “Cullinan” after their Chairman Sir Thomas Cullinan. The stone was then presented to King Edward VI of England as a loyalty and goodwill gesture.

The stone was eventually sent to Amsterdam to the famous Asscher Family, who were acknowledged as the best diamond polishers of their times. The stone was then cut into over 100 individual stones in varying sizes, but each retaining its brilliance. Being Mother Natures’ creations, the polisher does not have a control over the size and colour of the diamond. However, the polisher can influence one important property of any diamond – its shape.

Simply put, each internal face of a diamond acts as a reflector which reflects the light falling on it.  It is the polisher who cuts the diamond in a particular way, which ensures that maximum light is reflected internally so that the diamond looks sparkling from the outside.

Historically, the Round Brilliant Cut (RBC) is the most popular shape due to its high reflective ability and the ease of use in jewellery. However, there have been many polishers, who were able to give diamonds their unique shapes while retaining their brilliance. Besides the RBC, diamonds are polished in a variety of shapes like Princess, Emerald, Radiant, Asscher, Oval, Marquise, Heart, Pear, Cushion etc.

We at Riyom Jewels specialise in RBC shaped diamonds. However, we also arrange for specific shapes based on our clients’ request. In fact, we are known as a boutique store that takes pride in its ability to meet our clients specific shape requirements.

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Author Riyom Jewels

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