RADIANT CUT
Based on the emerald cut, it features 70 facets with step cut facets above the girdle and triangular facets below.
RENÉ BOIVIN
René Boivin (1864-1917) was a Parisian-born jeweller, who was first a designer and engraver before establishing the House of Boivin in rue St. Anastase in 1890. In 1893 he relocated to the rue de Turbigo, around which time he also married Jeanne Poiret, sister to Paul Poiret, Paris’ leading couturier. René rejected the prevailing Art Nouveau style of the early twentieth century, and instead opted for chunky designers inspired by the East. Upon his death Jean and their daughter Germaine assumed control of the business. The pair continued to design, but also brought on a series of important female designers, including Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutard. The firm them moved to the prestigious avenue de l’Opera, and continued to be known for their bold, colourful designs. Boivin exhibited in a number of World Exhibitions to great acclaim, becoming particularly popular with intellectuals, film stars, and working women, such as Sigmund Freud, Edgar Degas and Louise de Vilmorin. Family ownership ceased in 1976 with sale of the firm to Jacques Bernard, one of the firm’s designers. It is now owned by the Asprey Group, and continues to produce fine jewellery in the typical Boivin style.
RENÉ LALIQUE
René Lalique is widely considered to be the master of Art Nouveau jewellery. He began his jewellery career as an apprentice for Parisian goldsmith and jeweller Louis Aucoc, while also attending the École des Arts Décoratifs, and later Sydenham College in London. In 1880 he returned to Paris and worked as an independent designer for various important jewellers, including Cartier, Boucheron and Vever. Eventually setting up his own workshops, he experimented with enamel and glass casting, as well as an innovative use of materials such as horn and crystal in his Art Nouveau designs. At the 1900 Paris Exhibition he was awarded the Grand Prix and Order of the Legion of Honour. At the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris he had his own pavilion.
ROSE CUT
The ‘rose cut’, defined by its rounded outline and multiple triangular facets, is one of the earliest diamond cuts, with its origins in sixteenth century Europe. At the time of its development the primary source of diamonds was India, and so one might wonder why diamond cutting was not pioneered there? One theory is that the Indians kept the best-formed crystals for the domestic market, diamond being a gem which, under ideal circumstances, takes the form of an octahedron (two four-sided pyramids, base-to-base). With large, symmetrically-placed facets—an ideal shape to be set into jewellery without any fashioning—, coupled with the fact that diamond is the hardest substance known to man, it does stand to reason that the irregularly shaped diamonds would have been exported.
There are two other main factors which likely contributed to the advancement of diamond cutting in Europe at this time. First, key in transporting the raw material to Europe, was the establishment of the first major sea trade port in India with the Europeans, by the Portuguese at Goa in 1510, soon followed by the Dutch and the English. Second is the contemporaneous development of continuous rotary craft tools in Europe, which resulted in the invention of the diamond cutting mill, allowing for more facets, placed at varying angles—ideal for transforming irregular diamond crystals.
And so the first diamond cuts with multiple triangular facets was introduced in Antwerp. This can be considered the earliest form of true ‘faceting’, as prior to this the only cut was the table cut, which largely utilized the natural octahedral habit of the stone, but only with the top and bottom points removed, which was in actuality the result of polishing rather than cutting.
Why Antwerp? Due to the establishment of the aforementioned seafaring trade with the East, the economic centres of Europe shifted from the Mediterranean (namely Venice, which was the gateway to primarily land-based trade with the Middle and Far East), to the ports of Northern Europe. Thus Antwerp, one of the largest, and with political and economic links to Portugal, Spain and England, became the centre of the international economy and the richest city in Europe. In turn it became the primary cutting and diamond trading centre, which despite the decline of its other industries, persists to this day.
Because of this history, the rose cut is also sometimes called the ‘Antwerp’, ‘Holland’ or ‘Dutch rose’. A rose cut typically has a flat base and anywhere from six to twenty four facets, the latter known as a full rose cut. Rose cuts can also be modified to take any outline, such as hearts or drops, or be faceted on both sides to form a double rose cut. Rose cut diamonds remained popular through the late nineteenth century, but today also seem to be experiencing a renaissance in popularity.
ROSE GOLD
A gold of any carat alloyed with copper or copper and silver, to give a pinkish or rosey colour or hue.
ROUND BRILLIANT CUT
A standard modern round cut for stones, having 57 or 58 facets, typically cut by machines and in calibrated sized for the modern mass market.
RUBOVER
A secure type of setting in which the top edge of the collet (band of metal surrounding the stone) has been made flush around the edge of the gemstone.
RUBY
One of the most valuable gemstones on earth, ruby is regarded as the stone of passionate love. From the corundum family, the red variety being ruby and the blue, sapphire. With the exception of the diamond, corundum is the hardest of the gemstones on the Mohs scale scoring a 9. Ruby is derived from the Latin “Ruber” meaning red. It has long symbolised eternal devotion and romantic love.