Indian brilliance

When Benjamin Zucker encountered the diamonds of Jaipur, India, in 1973, it was a “deeply aesthetic and religious experience” for him. “The shock of white [in] an Indian diamond is so extraordinary,” he recalls. Now, almost five decades later, the Benjamin Zucker Collection will go on sale later this month at New York gallery Les Enluminures Ltd. Sandra Hindman, the gallery’s president and founder, bought the collection from Zucker several years ago.

“Diamonds are an incredible vehicle for taking white light and changing it into prismatic colors that also reflect the inherent whiteness of the diamond — if the diamond is cut properly,” says Zucker, a gem dealer and historian. “The light in India, specifically in Jaipur, is overwhelmingly bright, made even more so by the heat. The diamonds looked even brighter than they would in Antwerp — the Northern Light standard by which all diamonds are judged.”

The 35-piece collection consists primarily of rings, but also includes brooches, hairpins and earrings. Spanning six centuries, the diamonds came from India’s Valley of Gems, which includes the famed Golconda mine, and eventually found their way to the royal courts of Europe.

Evolution of cutting

In addition to representing some of the most important Indian diamonds ever amassed, the collection has a distinctive theme: It shows the evolution of diamond-cutting techniques, particularly how skilled cutters managed to release more and more white at each stage.

“For hundreds of years, careful people have been transforming these crystals, passing along the secrets from father to son or from master to apprentice,” explains Zucker. “What really made it so exciting for me to put this collection together is that I came to understand descriptions such as luminous, watery, sensuous, whiter than white. I can see it in so many of these diamonds.”

Among the highlights are an uncut octahedral diamond, followed by examples of the point cut, table cut, rose cut and brilliant cut. (Zucker especially favors the term “highlights,” which to him represents the “high light of the diamonds.”)

He points to a 16th-century ring “with beautiful octahedral crystals. Even if they couldn’t cut the diamond at this stage, you can still see the incredible display of the power of a diamond.”

As another example, he indicates a brooch with rose-cut diamonds. The rose cut came into being when cutters learned how to put facets on top of a table cut. Composed of white, greenish-yellow, slightly pinkish and brown diamonds, this brooch ranks as one of the rare examples of multiple colored diamonds featuring in a single piece of jewelry from the 17th century.

Cross-cultural links

Not only do these jewels feature “absolutely beautiful stones and settings, but the historical aspect is fascinating,” remarks Hindman. “As a medievalist, as well as a jewelry and manuscript dealer, it is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever done that shows the cross-cultural link between India and Europe. Even with unlimited money, you couldn’t create a collection of this magnitude now.”

Some of the jewels were previously on display at museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut, among others. However, the present collection has never before been offered for sale.

Indeed, it’s being sold in its entirety for $4 million, with no pieces held back for future sales. “I would like to respect not only the quality, but the historical [context] for posterity,” says Hindman, emphasizing her collaboration with Zucker to ensure the presentation reflects his wishes.

Having the collection together also lets the viewer compare the way each of the different cuts refracts light, Zucker explains. “Seeing six wonderful pieces on a table, you can train your eye to see what the Indian white-light diamond really is.”

Even after all these years of collecting, he remains in awe of these diamonds. “A diamond is such a specimen of rarity...that comes from below the surface of the earth, shot up with incredible pressure, found with great difficulty in the ground, and then, precious as it is, given to someone to cut. But once you put a facet on the stone, you can’t go back. It’s not like a novel that you rewrite.”

Written in stone

Benjamin Zucker wanted to write novels. A graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School, he also earned a degree in Irish literature. Diamonds were in his blood as well: He comes from three generations of distinguished diamond dealers, including an uncle who owned the Wittelsbach Blue. But while he was proud of his lineage, he was ambivalent about joining the family business — until he traveled to India.

On a buying trip for his family, he discovered his passion for collecting. He has since taken his father’s advice that he write about diamonds and colored stones, authoring three novels based on gems — White, Blue and Green — with a fourth in the works. His research also inspired a biography of Elihu Yale, who founded Zucker’s alma mater with funds he earned trading Indian diamonds.

By the book

Diamonds: The Collection of Benjamin Zucker is the accompaniment to the historic Indian jewels that go on sale this month. The book, written by jewelry historian Diana Scarisbrick, covers six centuries of Indian diamonds. It traces the evolution from the octahedral shape found in nature, to the point, table, rose and brilliant cuts of a polished diamond. Essays — including “A Diamond Life” by Zucker — add historical context and personal perspectives. In her preface, gallery owner Sandra Hindman invites readers to experience the “magical world” of Zucker as seen in the lavish photographs and detailed drawings.

Image: Diamond jewelry from the Benjamin Zucker Collection.

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - September 2019. To subscribe click here.