diamonds: Whatever Happened to The Jubilee Diamond?

On a diamond internet forum today someone asked whatever happened to the much hyped Jubilee Diamond? This modified square shape was introduced to great fanfare as being the pinnacle of light performance for those preferring the square shape stone.

What may have really happened is this cutter has decided to stop manufacturing the Jubilee due to the fact that achieving this cut level is very time-consuming and not financially worth it. Cutters are paid by the carat weight piece of diamond rough they are working on and the more time they have to spend working on a given piece of diamond rough in order to achieve the specs of the Developer, the less real money they earn. Cutting a diamond to "Good" Symmetry and Polish as opposed to Excellent or Ideal Symmetry/Polish allows for more rapid turnover and completion of cutting projects and viable earnings. The developer of the Jubilee is now actively seeking a new cutting firm. With the ever increasing prices of diamond rough and decreasing profit margins at retail, we predict it won't be easy finding one.

Jubilee Diamond

The real question now becomes what happens if the production of the Jubilee does not resume or even if it does resume at a sporadic production pace. Where does such a scenario leave consumers who have already purchased Jubilees and wish to avail themselves in the future of the upgrade policy that many Jewelers and Internet vendors provide. Will they be able to do so if there are no bigger Jubilees to upgrade to? With a shrinking market and popularity due to decreased supply, will the Jeweler/Vendor honor their Upgrade Policy if they no longer have a re-sale market?

With increasing competition for the consumers diamond dollars and the growing popularity of buying a diamond from Internet diamond websites, several members of the Diamond Industry seek to re-invent the wheel by introducing new fangled shapes and marketing campaigns to sell them. Introducing a new product and making it stick is not easy.

Just to test your diamond knowledge, here is a very partial list of diamond cuts that have been introduced to the market in recent years. Can you identify them and tell if they are popular sellers?