A Gemologist and His Gems.
Know your jewelry.
The hunt for color, fire and scintillation.
There is so much more to your diamond than beauty and sparkle. Gemology is simply put about identifying gemstones by specific characteristics and properties, such as crystal structure and composition. Gemologists invest years of academic study and practice to become trained and qualified in this field.
“Confidence in your purchase is key. We were one of the first companies to hire a gemologist for the sole purpose of checking every diamond we bought. Therefore, we have a reputation of credibility. We can sell a diamond based on the photo because our clients know what they get is excellent”. says Ishaia Gol.
George Salorio our in-house Gemologist, was hired by Ishaia Gol in 1986 after spending 10 years in the laboratory of GIA New York (Gemological Institute of America).
George was part of an impressive and groundbreaking team in the gemology world. He began working for GIA in 1976 after undergoing several interviews and a lie detector test. In the laboratory he worked side by side with the legendary Bert Krashes, who would become the vice president and director of GIA’s New York Laboratory, and Robert Crownningshield, who among many things co-developed the GIA diamond grading system used globally to this day.
George still continues to hunt for the color, fire and scintillation there is to be found in diamonds. “Every single diamond coming through our office goes to George first. If he agrees on the certificate call of the color, clarity and cut, then I will look at the stone as well, before negotiating a price” says Ishaia.
Today there are 3 trained gemologists working in the New York office at Ishaia Trading Corp. with a combined experience level of nearly 100 years. “Any gemological laboratory can make a mistake – we check everything” says George.
Gemologists in the jewelry industry spend most of their time identifying, grading and appraising gemstones. While an experienced gemologist could tell you most of what you need to know simply by looking at a gem, they are also trained to conduct a series of scientific tests to confirm the identity, chemical composition and numerous other technical details of a specific gem.
There are countless gemologists who use their skills in other areas, one being the jewelry trade. Many work with jewelry designers as buyers, and several appraising gems in auction houses. George and Ishaia are routinely asked to evaluate or appraise important loose diamonds by the top auction houses and diamond foundations around the world. Their knowledge is well respected and widely valued.
Purchasing rough diamonds is very much part of the job. The ability to “call” the potential clarity and color grade of an uncut diamond is crucial. “There is especially one experience that stands out” says George. “I was in Guinea, Africa to look at some rough diamonds. For the purpose of making an educated evaluation I brought my portable microscope and my colorimeter. I looked at several rough diamonds and shared my findings with Ishaia back at the office. Ishaia made an offer on a rough diamond weighing just over 10.00 carats. It had potential of becoming Intense Yellow.
Fast forward a few weeks, the rough piece is in our office in New York. Our Lapidary Mr. Fish is setting it up in the dopstick, placing the gem on the cutting wheel. Against all odds the diamond shatters inside, so it stayed intact but looked like broken glass! It was devastating. It rarely happens but when it does, I guess that stays with you.”
“There have been plenty of other times where the outcome was outstanding. One instance to highlight is a 36.06 carat rough pink diamond we bought from a tender called Koin in Antwerp, Belgium. The diamond came from a mine in Lesotho, South Africa, where Diamond Realization was the mining company.
We ended up with a stunning Radiant cut diamond weighing 10.45 carat, Fancy Intense Pink color, VS1 clarity and another beautiful Pear-shaped weighing 5.12 carat, Fancy Intense Pink color and VS2 clarity,” says George.
“If you get a 45% delivery out of the rough, you are golden. A bolley (an undetermined shape) is one piece of rough you don’t saw because it’s not possible to break it up in more pieces. A nice octahedron is another story, then you can easily saw it into two pieces. The old term is called cleaving, but today you saw it with laser and you don’t have to worry about the crystallography” says George.
Rough tenders or sight holders often invite companies to their offices in Europe or America. A trip to the mining country is not always customary.
Ishaia Gol would travel to Antwerp on a monthly basis visiting different tenders, going through the process of evaluation and bidding on roughs several times in one day. After buzzing through multiple levels of security, holding a suitcase in each hand, he enters a meeting room. The large windows let in an abundance of natural light and the carpet of the floor protects a diamond from bruising should it fall. One suitcase contains a small microscope, tweezers, a scanner and a few other essentials. The other suitcase holds a camera, notebook, markers and a calculator. He studies the piece of rough, making notes on what it can potentially yield. After making his evaluation he carefully packs up his equipment, possibly leaving a bid on the stone. Then, he begins the process all over again with a new sight holder in another office. Several hours and stones later, Ishaia heads to the airport for New York with 3 bids on the table at a combined value of $10,000,000.00.
In most corporate environments, such a quick judgment of investment and ability to put an offer on the table within hours is rare. In the world of investments, the process of evaluating an opportunity most often requires a large team of people and several months of due diligence and research to close a deal. This is not the case for Ishaia Trading Corp. Between Ishaia Gol, David Gol, from our Geneva office and George Salorio, the investment opportunity is estimated within a very short timeframe and with exceptional precision.
More often than not, Ishaia Trading Corp. buys diamonds that are already cut. If George and Ishaia evaluate that there is room for improvement, Ishaia purchases the gem. George will look at the diamond and calculate what needs to be changed. Mr. Fish, the inhouse cutter, and George both mark the gem and agree on the process.
Ishaia Trading Corp. specializes in improving the color of fancy color diamonds. Taking a pink diamond from a Fancy pink to a Fancy Vivid Pink can change the price per carat by hundreds of thousands.
We are a leading source of exceptional gems and High Jewelry pieces. Any enquiries you might have, do contact us for more information.
