NAJ Chair polishes diamond in '100 Years of Brilliant' celebration

10 Jun 2019

On 27th May 2019 Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) celebrated "100 Years of Brilliant" and invited representatives from various dignitaries, celebrities and authorities around the world to attend and polish a diamond in recognition of the 'brilliant centenary'.

The event recognised 100 years since Marcel Tolkowsky made one of the greatest inventions in Belgian history. Marcel, an Antwerp diamond polisher, wrote the mathematical formula enabling a polisher to get the maximum brilliance from a diamond; the brilliant cut. The brilliant cut has 57 facets arranged with mathematical precision and is generally considered the most successful diamond cut in the world, and often the most requested from consumers.

The event played host to Project 57, where 57 invited guests took it turns to polish a commemorative exceptional brilliant cut diamond called 't Steentje', that will be displayed in the Diva diamond museum.

This was a beautiful way to recognise something which is so iconic to the Jewellery industry.

Harriet Kelsall, NAJ Chair

Harriet Kelsall, NAJ Chair, was one of the 57 to attend the milestone event and polish 't Steentje' in recognition of Marcel Tolkowsky's invention. On her experience in Antwerp, and collecting a trophy in recognition of NAJ's contribution to the celebration, Harriet said,

"This was a beautiful way to recognise something which is so iconic to the Jewellery industry. I was honoured to attend the event on behalf of NAJ and collect a 100 Years of Brilliant trophy.

"We're very grateful to AWDC for inviting us to play a small part in this significant event, and we look forward to 100 more years of brilliance and continued good connections with our friends in Antwerp."