Mumbai: Forevermark, the diamond brand from The De Beers Group of Companies recently arranged a factory visit of Hari Krishna Exports (HKE) based in Surat.
HKE has sailed through last two-and-a-half decades, and its growth reflects that of India’s diamond trade as a whole. The manufacturer and polished-diamond supplier, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has gone from having a handful of customers in 1992 to being one of the largest diamond companies in the world.
Mr. Pintu Dholakia, CEO of Rs. 6000 crore Company having presence in 71 countries, addressed the select group of media persons from Mumbai and New Delhi and then assigned his team members who took us on a round of the state-of-art factory of the Company to experience the live process of cutting and polishing diamonds.
Below is the gist of the process:
Diamond cutting is the practice of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. Cutting diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme difficulty.
The process of transforming rough diamonds into polished diamonds is amazing. Taking a “rock” and making it into a thing of beauty involves tremendous experience and precision.
The diamond cutting process includes these steps; Planning, Cleaving or Sawing, Bruting, Polishing, and Final inspection.
Planning: Diamond manufacturers analyze diamond rough from an economic perspective, with two objectives steering decisions made about how a faceted diamond will be cut. The first objective is that of maximum return on investment for the piece of diamond rough. The second is how quickly the finished diamond can be sold. Scanning devices are used to get a 3-dimensional computer model of the rough stone. Also, inclusions are photographed and placed on the 3D model, which is then used to find an optimal way to cut the stone.
Maximizing Value: The process of maximizing the value of finished diamonds, from a rough diamond into a polished gemstone, is both an art and a science. The choice of cut is influenced by many factors. Market factors include the exponential increase in value of diamonds as weight increases, referred to as weight retention, and the popularity of certain shapes amongst consumers. Physical factors include the original shape of the rough stone, and location of the inclusions and flaws to be eliminated.
Weight Retention: The weight retention analysis studies the diamond rough to find the best combination of finished stones as it relates to per carat value. For instance, a 2.20 carat (440 mg) octahedron may produce (i) either two half carat (100 mg) diamonds whose combined value may be higher than that of (ii) a 0.80 carat (160 mg) diamond + 0.30 carat (60 mg) diamond that could be cut from the same rough diamond.
The round brilliant cut and square brilliant cuts are preferred when the crystal is an octahedron, as often two stones may be cut from one such crystal. Oddly shaped crystals, such as macles are more likely to be cut in a fancy cut—that is, a cut other than the round brilliant—which the particular crystal shape lends itself to.
Even with modern techniques, the cutting and polishing of a diamond crystal always results in a dramatic loss of weight, about 50%. Sometimes the cutters compromise and accept lesser proportions and symmetry in order to avoid inclusions or to preserve the weight. Since the per-carat price of a diamond shifts around key milestones (such as 1.00 carat), many one-carat (200 mg) diamonds are the result of compromising Cut quality for Carat weight.
Colour Retention: In colored diamonds, cutting can influence the color grade of the diamond, thereby raising its value. Certain cut shapes are used to intensify the color of the diamond. The radiant cut is an example of this type of cut.
Natural green color diamonds most often have merely a surface coloration caused by natural irradiation, which does not extend through the stone. For this reason green diamonds are cut with significant portions of the original rough diamond’s surface (naturals) left on the finished gem. It is these naturals that provide the color to the diamond.
Turnaround Minimization:
The other consideration of diamond planning is how quickly a diamond will sell. This consideration is often unique to the type of manufacturer. While a certain cutting plan may yield a better value, a different plan may yield diamonds that will sell sooner, providing an earlier return on the investment.
Cleaving or Sawing: Cleaving is the separation of a piece of diamond rough into separate pieces, to be finished as separate gems.
Sawing is the use of a diamond saw or laser to cut the diamond rough into separate pieces.
Bruting: Bruting is the process whereby two diamonds are set onto spinning axles turning in opposite directions, which are then set to grind against each other to shape each diamond into a round shape. This can also be known as girdling.
Polishing: Polishing is the name given to process whereby the facets are cut onto the diamond and final polishing is performed. The process takes the steps blocking, faceting, also called “brillianteering”, and polishing.
Final inspection: The final stage involves thoroughly cleaning the diamond in acids, and examining the diamond to see whether it meets the quality standards of the manufacturer.
Mr. Pintu Dholakia said, “HKE has two diamond cutting and polishing factories in Surat, both jointly employing about 6000 artisans. The three corner stones upon which the Hari Krishna Group has thrived during last 25 years, outshining in terms of quality and service standards in the Diamond industry. We are the only Indian company with 6000+ employees to have achieved the Responsible Jewellery Council Certification (RJC). We have been honoured by GJEPC with 16 Awards for 14 consecutive years. Our presence commands trust and confidence in every sphere of activity.”
“Hari Krishna Group is a key player in the Diamond Industry. We don a number of hats such as Diamond Manufacturer, Diamond Exporter, Diamond Jewellery Manufacturer, Diamond Jewellery Exporter and Diamond Jewellery Retailer, setting high standards in each sphere of activity,” he added.
“We believe that commitment towards society’s welfare is an integral part of being a responsible social being; corporate or otherwise. We, at HK Group, take pride in being Socially Responsible by initiating practices, undertaking events and drafting policies aimed at the well-being of the society,” Mr. Dholakia said.
