THE DIAMOND

For Marilyn Monroe, diamonds were "a woman's best friend" and for Shirley Bassey, "diamonds are eternal". These two modern folk songs represent the fascination that this stone has always exerted.

At Maria Battaglia we believe that knowledge is a guarantee of happiness and freedom, which is why we invite you to enrich yourself with this little knowledge, to share with you the unconditional love we have for this extraordinary gem.

The diamond, queen of all precious stones, a stone harder than any other material, making light a spectacle like no other when it begins to reflect it. The word diamond comes from the Greek "adamas", which means impregnable or invincible.

Inspiring all dreams, all beliefs, all declarations of love, it is the oldest material that one can possess; from 50 million years for the most recent deposits to 2.5 billion years for the oldest.

Diamond is made of carbon, the founding chemical element of life, in its most concentrated form.

Formed more than 150 km underground and brought to the surface by volcanoes, most diamonds crystallized deep within the bowels of the Earth between 120 and 200 km deep - from rocks that appeared 3.3 billion years ago. To go back to us, diamonds have therefore experienced an extraordinary adventure by undergoing considerable geological pressures and temperatures reaching more than 2000 °C.

In fact, the brilliance of this stone has a secret: the diamond is the gem that most slows down the rays of light when they penetrate it. Thus, the art of the tailor consists first of all in mastering these rays to bring out the maximum amount of light through the largest of facets, the "table". Then the "optimized angle" of the facets, a perfect polishing and the good harmony of the proportions will give the stone its brilliance and magic.

Cut to perfection, it symbolizes life, light, fire, strength, purity and love.

From an economic point of view, its brilliance is just as intense, the diamond alone absorbs nearly 80% of the gem market in the jewelry sector, while precious stones represent about 15% of the market (sapphire, emeralds, rubies), the remaining 5%, corresponding to fine stones (amethysts and aquamarines in particular).

For diamonds, no less than 20 to 25 million carats are sold worldwide each year!!

But where does the energy, the magnificence, the unique attraction of this stone come from ?

At Maria Battaglia we have the answer, it comes from a country where spirituality is everything, where more than a million people cut and shape 65% of the world's diamonds, a country where jewelry is part of everyone's culture, where body and mind are one, where arts and crafts have become a science called Shilpa Shastras, the land of the Arabian Nights, as you have understood, it is indeed India that we are talking about here.

INDIA AND DIAMONDS, AN EXTRAORDINARY LOVE STORY

Every year, the global diamond market grows by 15%. Out of 13 diamonds, 12 are cut in India. Today, India has the leadership and has taken control of most of the current market for the "queen of gems". What few people know is that in the X centuries BC, the first diamonds were extracted from the lands of this fantastic country.

Diamonds have always fascinated humanity for millennia. The first diamonds to be found were in India. In fact, due to the lack of written records regarding the diamond trade, experts believe that diamonds probably could not have left India until the 10th century BC.

One of the first documents highlighting the fact that people knew about the existence of diamonds dates back to the 4th century BC. It is the Artha-Castra, the Indian code on taxes concerning precious stones. The first minerals were mined in India in the 8th century BC and the gemstone trade predates the Roman period. Diamonds had been found in the Golconda area for some 4000 years.

In order to define the tax rates on diamonds, Artha-Castra refers to a number of practices and rules put in place by specialists who demonstrate to have a thorough knowledge of diamonds for that time. This tax code was to become a veritable collection of information known as "Ratnapariska". For more than a thousand years, this doctrine would give rise to technical manuals called "Ratna-Castra", which every respectable man would possess, ranging from poets to nobles to merchants.

In each of these manuscripts, the diamond is described as a jewel par excellence. Several of the characteristics of diamonds are described. The shape of the stone, the octahedron (polyhedron with 8 faces), was considered the ideal shape. Purity, colour and brilliance were just as much described in these ancient documents.

India would remain the world's largest producer of rough diamonds until 1730. Before this date, rough stones were mounted directly. As these were not polished, they did not have the lustre of today's cut and polished stones.

The rough stones were brought from Kalinga and Bombay (Mumbai) and then transported to the Persian Gulf, Egypt and Rome.

All the historically famous diamonds such as the "Hope", 45 Carats of a bewitching blue, the "Koh-i-Noor", 105 Carats making it the jewel of jewels or "The Eye Of The Idol", 70 carats of absolute purity, all come from India.

Poetically, the Indians considered these precious stones to be the fruits of the stars with sacred or magical origins. Diamonds were considered to possess protective powers and, as a result, were stones intended for royalty.

THE PINK CUT DIAMOND OR THE POLKI DIAMONDS, A PROVEN CHOICE, ASSUMES:

"Fashion is an eternal restart" said Yves Saint Laurent.

Many traditional jewellers are now passionate about diamond cuts that have not been practiced since the end of the 19th century, at least since the work of the Antwerp native Marcel Tolkowsky, who in 1919 developed what is now known as "the brilliant cut".

With its 58 perfectly regular facets, it brings to the stone, even if it means reducing it as much as possible, brilliance and brilliance. Tolkowsky's calculations therefore imposed a new standard that favoured the fire of a gem rather than its carat weight.

The rose cut, one of the oldest styles of cut in the world for diamonds, appeared in the 1500s, extremely popular from the 1700s, fell into disuse before the Second World War, buyers preferring very white diamonds with a thousand lights to a carnal color, some even say champagne color.

A pink cut diamond has a flat bottom and a domed top. The pink cup can take many forms. The most common are square, oval, and pear shapes. Over the years, the number of facets on this old cut has increased until the total number of facets has reached 24.

Most of the "rose cut" diamonds found in antique jewelry from the 1700s and 1800s, have inclusions (foreign particles trapped in the crystal), as well as a slight body color. Inclusions add a unique personality to each diamond. At that time, diamonds were valued by candlelight, and yellow or grayish colored diamonds shine warmly.

The classification of organized diamonds did not appear until after the 1940s. Lower quality diamonds are the perfect choice for the less shiny rose cut. This is due to the fact that diamonds with better clarity and color will seek higher prices when cut to maximize fire and sparkle.

Old rose clippings normally fall into clarity class SI (slightly included) and I or lower in color quality .

Modern rose cups usually fall into the SI and I clarity notes (included) and G or lower in color.

All our diamonds at Maria Battaglia are GSI or ISI certified and come from sourcing channels that meet all the identification and provenance criteria of the Kimberley Process (international agreement for the certification of rough diamonds)

It is therefore far from convention that we have chosen the "Rose Cut" cut diamond, also called "Polki Diamonds", a term used in India. Neglected for more than a century by the major brands, this irregular way of cutting diamonds nevertheless inspires the greatest designers today.

"Our diamonds set with 18 Cts rose gold prongs on settings that are always very minimalist, give a mysterious sparkle and give birth to very modern jewels. This preference for rose-cut diamonds and rough gemstones that you will find in our "VOYAGES" collection gives nobility to the irregularity of Indian stones which then act as a magnet on our modern gaze, these diamonds are inherently less valuable, they are not calibrated, but hand-cut and hand-set they have a unique character... »

We claim this promise of inventiveness and permanent innovation, this promise of a taste for exclusivity even if it means moving the lines of the stylistic conventions we have heard. We want to surprise you, to allow you to wear jewelry that highlights your personality and uniqueness.

Jaipur, Bombay, Pune have a common destiny with Paris, it has been inscribed for hundreds of years through jewelry creations that are more abundant than extraordinary, All the great French actors of the Place Vendôme have lived this journey through time, dreams and cultures of these 2 countries which have inspired the whole world with their creativity equalled only by their technicality. From this cultural encounter were surely born the most beautiful jewels in the world.

To be convinced of this, the visit in 2018 to the exhibition at the Grand Palais; "From the great Mughals to the Maharajas presented the Indian jewels of the Al Thani collection, this visual fairyland transports you to a world of color, opulence and excess. One can legitimately ask the question of which of the Parisian market or the Indian jewelry market bewitched the other?

We claim this love of the fusion of cultures and talents to try the creative leap with each of our products, bringing us a little closer to what universality has in reassuring as it allows the individual to be free and happy.