The principle attraction of any diamond is its eye-catching sparkle. Or is it?

Some designers have been turning that notion on its head by specializing in diamonds largely devoid of the brilliance and fireplace generally anticipated of the stones. Portrait-cut diamonds — skinny, flat stones which can be minimally faceted alongside their perimeters and have a clear glasslike look — are gaining a following amongst a clutch of designers and purchasers drawn to their uncommon attract.

“The portrait minimize, additionally known as a lasque, is among the many oldest types of diamond chopping,” stated Beth Bernstein, writer of “The Trendy Information to Vintage Jewelry.” “It originated in historical India and obtained its identify from the observe of putting portraits beneath the gems to reinforce their look and defend them.”

Later, the identical approach was utilized in Europe. “Royals and aristocrats would fee jewels with portraits set underneath skinny slivers of diamonds, whether or not as standing symbols or tokens of affection and loyalty,” she stated.

Vishal Kothari has devoted a complete assortment to portrait-cut diamonds for VAK, his Mumbai-based jewellery model that reinterprets motifs from Indian artwork and structure with a contemporary eye. The fashion’s Indian origins first attracted him, and he stated he “progressively fell extra in love” when he found that the shallow profile allowed him to realize an impact he couldn’t create with different diamonds.

“As a result of the stones are flat, I can use a skinny wire, making them appear like they’re floating towards the pores and skin,” he stated. “You see little or no steel in my designs.”

He has utilized that almost invisible setting approach to diamonds in each tier of his assortment, from excessive jewellery designs, like floral earrings composed of clusters of triangular diamonds ($42,000), to dainty studs ($2,600), usually combining them with accents in coloured stones — ruby, spinel, sapphire — or rose-cut and full-cut diamonds.

The novelty of the minimize and its delicate character appeals to lots of his purchasers, he stated, together with members of a number of royal households which have commissioned items with portrait-cut stones. And a diamond choker that converts to a tennis bracelet has grow to be one among his greatest sellers. “Everyone has a full-cut diamond tennis bracelet. You’ll find it wherever on-line,” he stated. “However when it’s performed with portrait cuts it’s a bit cooler, and you may put on it wherever, just like the Tube in London, with out attracting consideration.”

Anup Jogani, a Los Angeles gem supplier who works primarily with high-end designers and focuses on uncommon, untreated stones, stated he had witnessed a surge in requests for portrait-cut diamonds, together with fashionable stones and vintage diamonds taken from sources like watches. He considers them to be a connoisseur’s alternative: “It’s a diamond for a diamond’s sake, not flash and sparkle.”

Potential consumers, nevertheless, shouldn’t count on a cut price simply because portrait-cut diamonds aren’t well-known; they’re “across the similar value” as their extremely faceted counterparts, Mr. Jogani stated, although the slim profile of the stones give “a a lot larger look per carat.”

With their rising reputation, extra choices in portrait-cut diamonds are coming to market. Grace Lavarro, founding father of Jewels by Grace, a retailer that gives classic, vintage and its personal modern items on-line and in its Los Angeles atelier, stated she had famous that extra selection was accessible: “Up to date portrait cuts are available actually cool, funky shapes — kites and hexagons and cushions — whereas most vintage ones could be barely irregular in silhouette.” And whereas many vintage stones had a brown forged, she stated, “you’ll find a better coloration, like D, E and F, in modern stones.”

Ms, Lavarro stated one among her prime issues in choosing a portrait-cut gem was whether or not a stone was freed from inclusions, or imperfections, as a result of the minimize reveals nearly each flaw at a look. However that crystal clear visibility makes such gems good at retaining mini-mementos inside view. For instance, a latest Jewels by Grace locket ring that includes a portrait diamond that may slide upward so gadgets could be added or eliminated with ease.

Yoram Finkelstein, the founder and proprietor of GemConcepts, a diamond chopping facility in Ramat Gan, Israel, has labored extensively with diamonds utilizing cuts that have been developed prior to now, together with portrait-cut stones. He stated he often experimented together with his personal jewellery designs, though he didn’t copy classic kinds. For instance, in a single ring, he layered a portrait-cut diamond atop a pink diamond measuring one-tenth of a carat, giving the mix a sort of mysterious attraction. “The probabilities with these stones are infinite,” Mr. Finkelstein stated.

As soon as she might get her palms on them, Kelty Pelechytik, of Edmonton, Alberta, explored the probabilities of portrait-cut diamonds, making them a major a part of her model’s output.

She stated she waited a 12 months for a gem supplier to ship her first parcel of portrait-cut white diamonds, and as soon as she obtained them, in 2018, she integrated them into all method of items, together with hoops and eternity bands.

Her modern interpretations of lover’s eyes, a jewellery style relationship from the late 18th century that featured miniature pictures of a single eye or set of lips, have confirmed notably fashionable over the past 12 months, she stated. Purchasers submit {a photograph} of an eye fixed or lips, then Robyn Wealthy, an artist in Frankston, Australia, renders it in enamel on a gold floor, and Ms. Pelechytik units it underneath a transparent portrait diamond.

The jewels, which vary from about $4,300 to $15,000, are sometimes romantic presents or keepsakes, however Ms. Pelechytik stated she additionally had made items to honor deceased mother and father and “many individuals fee them of their kids and pets as effectively.”

Some designers have been longtime proponents of the portrait minimize. Eva Zuckerman stated she had used portrait-cut diamonds “since Day 1” of her decade-old wonderful jewellery model Eva Fehren, a time when the fashion was so uncommon that she “collected and coveted them for years and years.”

Whereas the New York-based designer views the diamonds as “extraordinarily lovely with a particular luster,” she stated the truth that they defied expectations was a part of their attraction. “I feel there’s one thing fairly irreverent about utilizing a diamond that isn’t minimize in a solution to maximize its sparkle,” Ms. Zuckerman stated. “I feel it’s a bit of rebellious.”

She initially used portrait-cut gems for small hoops that hug the ear, pendants and stacking bands, however has expanded their use to extra extravagant designs, like a pair of shoulder-grazing stiletto earrings. “We’ve gotten gutsier with scale,” Ms. Zuckerman stated. “Now I really feel extra empowered to take dangers as a result of I’ve seen that there’s an urge for food for them.”

In 2019, Ms. Zuckerman even selected a hexagonal portrait-cut diamond, formed to her specs, for her personal engagement ring. “I really like them for therefore many causes, however a part of it was the wearability,” she stated. “I take advantage of my palms on a regular basis, and portrait-cut stones are low profile and understated.”

She doesn’t thoughts that the minimize ensures that the gem is just not simply identifiable. “Most individuals won’t acknowledge it as a diamond,” Ms. Zuckerman stated. “But when , .”