how many hrs does it take to cut an rb? 8* said it takes an...

[Dancing Fire]

avg of 32 hrs to cut one.

 

[WinkHPD]

I believe that they say it takes an average of more than thirty hours to cut an EightStar, it takes much less to cut a standard round brilliant.

 

[diagem]

Are you guys talking about avaerage??

You can cut almost any brilliant diamond from as low as one hour for a 0.10 ct........

.......to months or even years.


Depends on the size of the rock!!!!! (makes sence, no?)

 

[Golden Oak]

Last night I took a couple of my clients to dinner with Richard Von Sternberg (EightStar''s CEO) and EightStar''s head cutter Allison. (This is one of the advantages of having such a great relationship EightStar along with being very close EightStars HQ). One of the topics of discussion I had with them, either last night or the day before when I was up at their cutting house evaluating a recut, was "How long does it really it takes to cut an EightStar?". The answer is complex, it depends on the diamond and it is just not the size of the diamond. They estimate an average of around 35 hours to cut an EightStar, and it takes about 1 – 2 years of training and experience before you have an EightStar qualified cutter. I was told they have completed some diamonds in around 16 hours with a very experienced cutter, but the time can also far exceed the 35 hours, for example their head cutter had spent the last week dealing with just one facet on a diamond they were cutting. If I correctly understood the technical reason for this, it has something to do with the grain direction and she had to go very slow to ensure a great polish while ensuring that it was cut correctly for EightStars strict requirements for light return. If they were just cutting an ideal cut H&A they would just get it close and that would be fine, but because of EightStars strict QC requirements on SymmetriScope performance, they can''t just stop at almost, every diamond they cut must meet the strict QC requirements and must demonstrate the EightStar pattern or they will keep cutting the diamond until it is right.

It has been my experience that there are a collection of folks out their that like to dish out “crap” about EightStar’s being overpriced and like to lump them with other well know branded H&A diamonds. IMO it is a question of strict precision and quality and this creates additional value in the product they produce. I know that EightStar is going to take as much time as it requires, to make every diamond I buy, or send to them, an EightStar diamond which means I know the quality of the product I am getting. My customers who have purchased EightStars appreciate the value that EightStar brings to a diamond that they are going to wear every day for hopefully the rest of their lives.

For those who are thinking things like “He just says this stuff because he is an EightStar dealer”. I would tell you I am an EightStar customer first, I am the one that buys from EightStar, I have access to all kinds of sources and I choose to buy or not buy from EightStar or any source. I have brokers all the time trying to sell me branded and non-branded H&A diamonds. I choose to make EightStar diamonds available to my clients because I think EightStar provides the best round brilliant out their, and I want my clients to be delighted because I want them to be my client for the rest of their lives and I want them to bring their friends and family to us for their jewelry needs.

Hope this helps answer your question.

Best Regards,

Brian

Golden Oak Jewelers
Berkeley, CA 94710

 

[Rhino]

I appreciate your convictions Brian. I would agree about the product. Very few cutting houses produce this consistency on a stone for stone basis. I think I can count on one hand the factories that do. 8*''s are one of the most beautiful H&A types on the market and I particularly like their minor facet combo''s when observed in suffuse and ambient light conditions (although they do fine in all).

Just curious ... what is your opinion on GIA''s system for upcoming Grade 1 stones where 8* combos are included but not exclusive? Are you under the conviction that 8* is the end all - be all for cut? Just curious.

BTW, here is a shot I just took of one we have here in house and thought you might enjoy this. I know Richard loves photography to. Hope you like it Rich and please send my regards to Dana too.

 

[Golden Oak]

Date: 5/28/2005 5:22:02 PM
Author: Rhino


Just curious ... what is your opinion on GIA''s system for upcoming Grade 1 stones where 8* combos are included but not exclusive? Are you under the conviction that 8* is the end all - be all for cut? Just curious.

BTW, here is a shot I just took of one we have here in house and thought you might enjoy this. I know Richard loves photography to. Hope you like it Rich and please send my regards to Dana too.

Regarding the GIA system for grade 1 stones, honestly I need to spend some time reading up and researching this topic. I honestly find the whole cut grading thing intellectually tiring. I appreciate what the AGS and GIA are attempting to do, but in the end, I am just not sure it how much it helps or confuses the trade and consumers, I guess time will tell, and I need to learn more about the what these new systems are really going to mean.

In answer to your question, “Am I under the conviction that 8* is the end all - be for cuts”? Ha, on the surface such a simple question, and the simple answer is no, of course not but the real answer is more complex. Not every beautiful diamond needs to be an EightStar. So, why we choose EightStars? First and foremost they are consistently very beautiful diamonds, secondly every diamond they cut demonstrates a constant level of quality so our clients and we know what we are getting and we know how the diamond is going to perform in different settings and lighting conditions. The third reason we choose EightStar is because of whom we are, we primarily work with small local artists and designers of quality fine jewelry and of course our own in house custom work. We are extremely lucky that EightStar is a local to us, all the diamonds are cut about 30 min away from our location, and they are a premier diamond-cutting house. For the clientele that value what we bring to the table, this relationship is a win-win experience for everyone (the client, EightStar, other local designers, and us). Would we work with EightStar if they were not local? I would like to think so, with EightStars it is a question of exposure to their Diamonds, and there are just not that many EightStars out there to see.

The picture looks great, BTW if you don''t mind, send me a PM on your photography technique, as you know taking a good picture of a diamond or jewelry freaking hard to do, I would like to understand your technique better. My primary problem with pictures of diamonds or any gem is that is a 2d representation of something that has depth, requires stereo vision and you need to be able to twist, turn and spin the gem in 3d to appreciate the real beauty of what was produced. For example, I have a 1.01 ct RB H&A diamond that scores a 1.2 on the HCA, sound great right. This diamond is a great looking diamond, but it lacks depth when compared to an EightStar of the same size, color and clarity. If I take a picture of this diamond it you will see a well-defined arrow pattern, when compared a picture of an EightStar, (unless you know what to look for) you would be hard pressed to tell the difference based on a 2D photo. If it were only so easy as just looking at a picture of a gem, my life would be much easier and less expensive, I hate to think of the time, shipping charges, insurance costs and piece of mind that has been wasted because of the difficulty of communicating attributes of diamonds and gemstones and that pictures can only tell you a little bit about real quality of any gemstone.

Best Regards

Brian
Golden Oak Jewelers
Berkeley, CA 94710

 

[Dancing Fire]

i can''t say which is a better preformer.the 8* vs the H&A cut.i have compare the 2 type,my wife''s H&A vs SIL''s 8* both are the same size.i will say they''re different style cuts.SIL''s 8* was cut by Allison Von Sternberg,GIA cert polish/VG symmetry/EX.my wife''s was recut by infinity,AGS cert ideal 0. i have seen a total of (5) 8*

 

[strmrdr]

Does it really matter how long it takes to cut one?
There are other cutters out there that take the same care in cutting their diamonds.
Wether it takes 1 hour or 30 its the resulting diamond that matters not the hype behind it.

 

[Golden Oak]

Date: 5/29/2005 3:33:45 PM
Author: strmrdr
Does it really matter how long it takes to cut one?
There are other cutters out there that take the same care in cutting their diamonds.
Wether it takes 1 hour or 30 its the resulting diamond that matters not the hype behind it.

Perhaps it does matter to the original poster, and maybe others, outside of yourself, are interested in how long it takes. I know I had my reasons to ask EightStar how long it took and I found the reasons very interesting, so I thought I would share since someone asked. (I know I am feeding the trolls, sometimes I just cant hold back

) I am sorry you think it is hype, and you have made it clear don''t appreciate the value that EightStar offers, that is OK you are not required to buy one. For us and our clients who have purchased EightStars, it is a question of beauty and quality, we find them beautiful, and EightStar has set a quality benchmark for all the diamonds they produce, they cut to that benchmark regardless of time it takes and they refuse to produce a product that does not meet those standards. Perhaps a discussion of the top cutting houses and what they do to produce and ensure that they have a consistent quality product would be of interest? As Rhino stated above "Very few cutting houses produce this consistency on a stone for stone basis. I think I can count on one hand the factories that do.". That doesn''t sound like hype to me, hell he doesn''t even sell EightStars. I know that this might be a shock, but not every one values the same attributes, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

In the big picture, most things just don''t matter with the exception of the health and happiness the ones you love and perhaps world peace, but since this is a forum that is mainly about the mental masturbation of diamonds, asking and answering question about a topic that at least 2 people had some interest doesn''t seem like that bad of a thing.

Best Regards,

Brian
Golden Oak Jewelers
Berkeley CA