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Double or Bust: Repolishing a $3.2m Pink Diamond

This fascinating video from CNBC is about father and son diamantaires Larry and Scott West, who run L.J. West Diamonds, a supplier of fine diamonds to the trade in New York City. 

The Cutting Wheel

The Wests invested in a stunning 5 carat Fancy Pink Diamond, bought at auction for a cool $3.2 million.

Drawing on their 41 years of experience in the diamond trade, Larry and Scott were convinced that, as beautiful as this remarkable gemstone was, its colour could be further enhanced by careful refacetting to subtly alter the facets and thus create more depth and intensity of colour in the stone.

As well as making this 5 carat Pink Diamond even more visually desirable, correct refacetting could also increase the value of the gem to more than $7 million.

The downside?

Just one wrong move during refacetting and the entire gem could literally shatter…

This fascinating video gives a remarkable insight into the secret world of the diamantaire – not least the steady-handed skill of the diamond cutters and polishers, often the unsung heroes of the diamond trade.