RAPAPORT... Hong Kong-based jewelry retailer, Chow Tai Fook, debuted “A Heritage in Bloom” Thursday by world-renowned jewelry artist Wallace Chan. The piece was created using 24 D-color internally flawless diamonds cut from the Cullinan Heritage, a rare 507.55 carat Type IIa rough diamond, almost devoid of impurities.
The centerpiece of the necklace is the largest diamond in the collection: a 104-carat, D color, internally flawless, brilliant round diamond with the highest possible cut grade of “3-Excellent” (excellent cut, polish and symmetry), according to Chow Tai Fook, making it one of the largest diamonds ever with these characteristics.
The company, one of the world’s largest retail jewelers by market value, said it paid $35.3 million for the 507-carat rough diamond in 2010. The company then spent three years cutting and polishing the diamond.
The diamond necklace unifies an entire family of diamonds cut from the same rough stone within a single piece of jewelry, “an artistic decision unheard of in a contemporary piece,” according to the company. It also brings together thousands of white diamonds and hundreds of pink diamonds, totaling 383.4 carats, as well as more than one hundred pieces of green jadeite and mutton fat white jade. The ornate necklace includes figures of a bat (for good luck) and butterflies (for eternal love).
The piece required more than 47,000 man hours by craftsmen. It is a modular design that can be worn in 27 different ways. The company says this showcases the sophistication of Chan’s “design and exquisite composition” for the necklace.
“Today we complete a journey we began five years ago, and we could not be more proud of the exceptional and historic creation that has emerged. Continuing the Cullinan legend, the world-renowned master jewelry artist Wallace Chan has brought the Cullinan diamonds to life,” said Dr. Henry Cheng, chairman of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited.
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