The ANTI-BLING

The classic adage “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” certainly holds true for diamond slices. A relatively new entry into the world of diamonds, slices are captivating the imagination of innovative designers and trendsetting women.

   Diamond slices are created from bort — also known as industrial diamonds. These stones are generally thrown out or ground up and used for machinery and other nonjewelry purposes. “Diamond slices are made by taking the highest-grade industrial diamonds that have some gemmy areas and cutting and polishing them to see the intrinsic growth patterns and inclusion patterns that have an art of their own,” explains Christopher P. Smith, president of the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL).
   According to Ashok Sancheti of  Pioneer Gems, diamond slices are made only in India. “Slices come from a piece of rough that is laser sliced, which polishes the stone so you only have to finish the edges. This retains about 90 percent of the weight. The Indians know how to do this and they are the only ones currently doing it.” Sancheti further distinguishes slices from flat diamonds, also known as portrait diamonds. The latter come from a piece of rough that is already flat — about the thickness of high-end invitation card stock — which is then polished and faceted, producing a higher-quality material than diamond slices.

ATTRACTION
   “The organic beauty of the stones, their amorphous shapes and the myriad colors that they come in, attracted me to diamond slices,” says New York City–based Nina Runsdorf, designer for NSR Nina Runsdorf, who was one of the first to start working with these newfound treasures. “They are precious diamonds, yet perfect for a casual lifestyle.”
   Designer Mark Schneider, whose studio is based in Long Beach, California, recently added diamond slice jewelry to his collection. “I am attracted to diamond slices for their organic and natural properties. There are no two alike. You can’t duplicate pieces with diamond slices or have them in mass production because of their organic, unique shapes.”
   Gurhan, a New York City designer who is known for his 24-karat gold creations featuring rose cuts, notes that diamond slices are very special. “The sparkle of the slices and their harmony with 24-karat gold prompted me to design with them.” He explains, “The tables of those diamond slices are quite large when you compare them to a regular brilliant cut. Diamond slices are very elegant and that is what I really seek in my designs.”

PRICES
   Prices for diamond slices are also very attractive to both designers and the consumers who buy the jewelry. Sumeet Sethi, director of San Francisco–based Manak Jewels, which has been selling diamond slices for a few years now, observes that beyond their uniqueness, it is their price that has piqued the interest of some designers. When diamond slices first appeared on the market, they were selling in the $50-per-carat range; now they average around $150 to $200 per carat and Sethi says that prices can reach as high as $1,000 per carat.
   “Supply is limited. At first, we only worked with a few high-end designers, now a lot of designers want diamond slices. Production used to be much finer, there were better goods and more of it,” comments Sethi. “Now demand has gone up, but we are not getting goods that are as nice as the earlier goods. Larger sizes are very difficult to get.”

CHALLENGES
   Diamond slices present some unique challenges to designers. Despite the fact that they are diamonds, slices are fragile due to their thinness and they can break. “You have to be careful when setting them,” advises Schneider.
   Runsdorf notes that it has become very hard to find large sizes and that it is very hard to match the slices. She also points out one other issue that has come up: “Educating the industry on what diamond slices are has been challenging.”
   Due to their somewhat fragile nature, diamond slices are best used in earrings and pendants, but some designers use them in bracelets as well as rings. Bracelets are scarce as it is hard to get enough matching slices to create them.

THE CUSTOMER
   With their shimmering sparkle, unusual shapes and intriguing internal patterns, slices are finding favor not only with designers, but with fashionistas confident about expressing their own personal style. “Avant-garde women have embraced diamond slice collections, women who desire a nontraditional look,” says Gurhan.
   Schneider agrees that it is trendsetting women who are going for diamond slice jewelry, but he adds, “It is early in the evolution of diamond slice jewelry. There has not been that much exposure. As more people see it and see it worn on other people, they will be more open to buying diamond slice jewelry. More slices will be cut, so there will be more material and more designers using it.”

Runsdorf began using diamond slices to create jewelry in 2006. She has seen a huge change in the audience for these gems. “At first, clients did not believe that diamonds could be cut into slices. At first, no one was the customer. Today, everyone is the customer,” she concludes.

 

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - September 2012. To subscribe click here.