The latest stop for a De Beers high jewelry launch? London Fashion Week.
Vibrations, the jeweler’s latest collection, dropped in the British capital on September 17, during day two of London Fashion Week, marked by an evening that spanned dinner, a private dance performance by Aishwarya Raut and choreographed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, a speech by South African and British poet Thembe Mvula, and appointments with VICs. The move marks a milestone in De Beers London’s rebranding journey. “I’m extremely proud, because it really shows the whole identity and the way we want to express it in the place which is our creative home,” says CEO Emmanuelle Nodale.
The new collection is punctuated by various De Beers hallmarks: creative concepts inspired by its four mining countries (Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Canada); diamond colors spanning pink, green and blue tones (also available as loose stones); the use of rough diamonds; and most importantly, the introduction of its new cabochon cut — the smooth, domed shape often used for colored gemstones.
The 18K white and rose gold Shimmer drop earrings.
Photo: De Beers
The significance of the cut lies in the intricacy of the cutting and finishing process, which the CEO says is something only De Beers can pull off, thanks to its direct mine access. “No other brand will be able to do this, and that’s why we want to make cabochon cuts one of our signatures alongside rough diamonds,” says Nodale. Following a careful study of the natural stone, diamonds are traditionally cut in shapes that both conceal imperfections and minimize waste. The new cabochon cut, however, requires an additional diamond-powdered ceramic disc to create a smooth, homogeneous surface by removing more of the rough diamond material — a lengthier process that’s less tolerant of flaws and creates more waste.
With fewer than 0.5% of diamonds meeting the criteria for color, clarity, natural shape and crystal structure to be turned into cabochons, the shape doesn’t typically make economic sense for diamonds. But as Nodale explains, De Beers can directly select the stones naturally shaped for maximum yields as cabochons, enabling the innovation to place it ahead of competitors in a burgeoning jewelry market.
In Vibrations, cabochons feature in the jeweler’s Undulation set — comprising a necklace, two rings, a bracelet, and two pairs of earrings — evoking the water droplets that appear along the Okavango River in southern Africa, which forms the world’s largest inland delta. The rounded cuts create a lively and dynamic contrast to more classic shapes, as well as very rare rough green diamonds.
