There's a new trend in the diamond industry that you may have heard about. It's called the 'Diamond Journey'. It's the story of the way a rough diamond is transformed to a polished diamond, which now waits patiently in the jewelry store display for its destined owner.
Sounds romantic, right? And it is. Every natural diamond has a unique story, that's for sure. It is extracted from a mine, maybe in Canada, Russia or Africa. At this early stage, it is a rough, raw rock. It has particular 'birthmarks' – those inclusions and blemishes that will have a strong impact on the way the diamond manufacturer decides to cut and polish it.
A rough diamond may be cut into a number of smaller diamonds, or it may be preferable to cut it into a larger, single polished diamond. There are many factors that will affect this decision, including the quality, rarity and value of the polished diamond that can be extracted from the rough, and current market demands.
The journey of a diamond from rough to polished is similar to the individual life journey of each person. People's stories are similar in many ways. But each person's story is completely different in its own special way. The same is true of diamonds. Diamonds may look similar, and the differences between them fine – so fine, that they are often not even discernible to the naked eye. But look a bit closer, look behind the scenes at the diamond's singular story as it passes through the hands of the diamond cutter, gemologist, gem lab and the technologies and tools they use, and you'll see that every diamond has its own story to tell.
But what does the diamond journey really look like? What is this new concept all about? Why are diamond retailers and manufacturers, such as Dominion, who recently implemented the Sarine Diamond Journey® diamond report for its CanadaMark diamonds, so excited by this development in the diamond industry?
Let's begin with a brief look at the diamond journey, which happens over four stages.
Every rough diamond is one of a kind, offering a world of potential as a finished diamond. This potential is realized via the process of rough mapping. The rough diamond is scanned by advanced Sarine Galaxy® imaging technology that maps its internal birthmarks, and the DiaExpert® device that maps the diamond's external surface. With this information, the planner can decide the best way to cut and craft the polished diamond from the rough.
There are endless ways to cut and polish a rough diamond. Depending on its size, features and birthmarks, the planner must decide on the best cutting plan for the rough diamond to bring out its beauty and maximize its value. Sarine Advisor® software analyzes the rough diamond and generates hundreds of cutting plans. The Advisor system then selects the best cutting plan for the diamond based on the manufacturer's pre-defined parameters, such as market demands and business goals.
In the event that the rough diamond needs to be sawed by laser into segments, the Quazer® by Sarine provides advanced laser sawing options, including pie sawing, which maximizes precision and minimizes rough diamond weight loss. Diamond sawing is a delicate procedure that comes with risk of breakage and damage to the diamond. Therefore it requires skill, patience and advanced technology, down to miniscule levels of precision.
Next, the professional diamond cutter works according to the cutting plan generated and chosen by Advisor software, polishing the rough diamond over and over again to get to the desired result. It's a painstaking process, during which the diamond is periodically scanned with the DiaMension® HD diamond measurement and analysis technology. These visual analyses of the diamond throughout the polishing process guide the diamond cutter to adhere precisely to the cutting plan. Finally, the polished diamond is ready, and it is time for quality control. The diamond undergoes a final measurement scan with DiaMension HD, verifying that every facet and detail of the finished diamond is accurate and complies with the Advisor cutting plan.
The diamond journey is not just a story – it's the authenticity and provenance of the diamond. It gives consumers confidence and trust in the diamond they are purchasing – and the retailer selling it to them. In addition to assuring that the diamond is indeed natural, not lab grown, and that it originated in the country claimed by the manufacturer, the diamond journey allows the customer to connect to the diamond in a deeper and more meaningful way.
How can the consumer be sure that the diamond journey is indeed the true story of the diamond? Via Sarine Diamond Journey®, a digital visual report that covers the entire polishing process of the diamond, carried out with Sarine devices. As a 30-year leader in the diamond technology industry, Sarine is uniquely positioned to assure the authenticity of the diamond's story. From mine to consumer, the majority of the world's diamonds are touched by Sarine technology. When scanned by Sarine devices, diamonds are tagged and inscribed with a unique Sarine ID that is properly tracked and monitored along the entire diamond pipeline. The Sarine Journey report is based on all the diamond data accumulated in Sarine's devices, traced for authenticity via the Sarine diamond ID, and analyzed and produced at Sarine Technology Lab.
Via visual imagery of the diamond at every stage of the process, presented in the Sarine Diamond Journey report, the consumer doesn't just read the diamond's journey – they experience it. Together with the trust and confidence instilled by Sarine's technology, it's the diamond experience that makes all the difference.
Interested in how the Diamond Journey can help boost your diamond sales? Contact a Sarine representative near you.