Solving the Mystery of Macle Jewelry

"Sophisticated" diamond shape gains wider audience.
Macle. Maccle. Maacle. Smudge. It's no wonder that few people know what this particular type of diamond is; even the experts disagree on how to spell it. Over the centuries and the countries where twins have been used, the spellings differ, and this continues today, between companies and sometimes, even within them.
But they do agree on one thing: a twin is a form of rough diamond used to produce unique, striking, and sophisticated jewelry.
ImageA twin, which is a form of rough diamond used to produce jewelry. "They were probably first used in jewelry in India around 2,500 years ago, when diamonds were first discovered at Golconda," said Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds.Credit ...Orasa Weldon/GIA
"They are aimed at an inherently sophisticated client," said Sally Morrison, public relations manager for natural diamonds at De Beers Group, by telephone from New York. “It's understated, understated luxury. People may not know what they are, but you do."
And lately more people know them too, she said. said.
"We're seeing more and more designs using rough diamonds in their natural state," Ms. Morrison said. use in the consumer market of rough diamonds in their natural state. They have a gleam and shine, but they are not shiny like a cut and polished stone would be. They are part of a general tendency to celebrate things as the earth made them rather than after many human interventions. »
Twins have been around forever. "They were probably first used in jewelry in India around 2,500 years ago, when diamonds were first discovered in Golconda," said Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds in the St. James area of London, in an email. Today, he said, twins “are found in all mining production around the world. They can be attractive to discover, especially if they have tumbled for millions of years along a river bed and acquired a natural shiny patina. »
ImageThe De Beers Light Rays double crown ring has two yellow macles. The ring has a total of 8.53 carats and is part of the Alchemist of Light collection.
What else sets macles apart? Greg Kwiat, the managing director of Kwiat, a 115-year-old family brand based in New York, knows all about them. “The term maccle describes a specific type of rough diamond. It has a flat, triangular shape,” he explained in an email. "They occur naturally in the earth and are different from the more classic octahedral shape of rough diamonds."
A twin is also a "twinned diamond crystal," according to Judy Colbert, research librarian at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. It is made up of “two opposing parts, each having the same crystal shape. The two sides are oriented at 60 or 180 degrees to each other, so the twin looks like a flattened triangle."
"Twins are a challenge for diamond cutters," she said in an email. "Twins are usually so superficial...

Fashion Jul 5, 2022 0 108 Add to Reading List

"Sophisticated" diamond shape gains wider audience.

Macle. Maccle. Maacle. Smudge. It's no wonder that few people know what this particular type of diamond is; even the experts disagree on how to spell it. Over the centuries and the countries where twins have been used, the spellings differ, and this continues today, between companies and sometimes, even within them.

But they do agree on one thing: a twin is a form of rough diamond used to produce unique, striking, and sophisticated jewelry.

ImageA twin, which is a form of rough diamond used to produce jewelry. "They were probably first used in jewelry in India around 2,500 years ago, when diamonds were first discovered at Golconda," said Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds.Credit ...Orasa Weldon/GIA

"They are aimed at an inherently sophisticated client," said Sally Morrison, public relations manager for natural diamonds at De Beers Group, by telephone from New York. “It's understated, understated luxury. People may not know what they are, but you do."

And lately more people know them too, she said. said.

"We're seeing more and more designs using rough diamonds in their natural state," Ms. Morrison said. use in the consumer market of rough diamonds in their natural state. They have a gleam and shine, but they are not shiny like a cut and polished stone would be. They are part of a general tendency to celebrate things as the earth made them rather than after many human interventions. »

Twins have been around forever. "They were probably first used in jewelry in India around 2,500 years ago, when diamonds were first discovered in Golconda," said Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds in the St. James area of London, in an email. Today, he said, twins “are found in all mining production around the world. They can be attractive to discover, especially if they have tumbled for millions of years along a river bed and acquired a natural shiny patina. »

ImageThe De Beers Light Rays double crown ring has two yellow macles. The ring has a total of 8.53 carats and is part of the Alchemist of Light collection.

What else sets macles apart? Greg Kwiat, the managing director of Kwiat, a 115-year-old family brand based in New York, knows all about them. “The term maccle describes a specific type of rough diamond. It has a flat, triangular shape,” he explained in an email. "They occur naturally in the earth and are different from the more classic octahedral shape of rough diamonds."

A twin is also a "twinned diamond crystal," according to Judy Colbert, research librarian at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. It is made up of “two opposing parts, each having the same crystal shape. The two sides are oriented at 60 or 180 degrees to each other, so the twin looks like a flattened triangle."

"Twins are a challenge for diamond cutters," she said in an email. "Twins are usually so superficial...