The Contour of Luxury Spring/Summer 2020 Issue | Page 189

You were impressively known as the #1 sapphire salesperson
in the world, having sold precious gemstones to upper tier jew-
el houses such as Graff Diamonds, David Morris, Bouche-
ron, Chaumet and of course,Van Cleef  and Arpels, in
Paris, which unquestionably positions you as an
authority. What would you suggest that a
precious gemstone consumer look for
when purchasing gems such as a
sapphire and a diamond?
For colored stones such as rubies,
emeralds, and sapphires, you look
at the shape that you like.  Then the
color, crystal, and the purity.  With dia-
monds, you have to know the grade of the
color. D is the whitest color and, therefore, the
best.  Then, look at the proportion of the shape
(the recut of the stone to see if it’s perfection or
not).  Also, look at the grade of the crystallization
and the inclusions.