Jmafull

the precious book

The Precious Book - a wonderful diamond jewellery story

FUTURE HEIRLOOMS

the

legacy Jan Maarten Asscher is a descendant

from one of the most famous diamond dynasties in history. The Asscher legacy is one of innovation, excellence and craftsmanship.

Innovation of cutting-edge diamond manufacturing technology with advanced techniques culminating in unique diamond shapes and cuts.

Excellence honed over decades of knowledge and uncompromising quality learnt through creating some of the most famous diamonds in the world.

Craftsmanship with inexorable attention to detail expressed through crowning cut, symmetry and finish.

Jan Maarten Asscher, 8 years old, inspecting a diamond circa 1970.

This remarkable heritage and legacy will be continued through the new Jan Maarten Asscher diamond jewellery collections.

Jan Maarten’s grandfather, Jacob Asscher marking a rough diamond circa 1950.

the

history The Asscher family have been passionate artisans and experts of the diamond industry since 1854.

A diamond family of incredible history.

In 1903 the Asscher’s cleaved, cut and polished the 995 carats Excelsior diamond, which at the time was the largest rough diamond ever discovered. It was found on June 30th in 1893 at the Jagersfontein mine in the Orange Free State, one of the South African Republics. It was finally manufactured by the I. J. Asscher Diamond Company into 11 exceptional polished diamonds weighing from 9 to 69 carats. The Excelsior still remains the second largest rough diamond of gem quality ever found.

The Excelsior diamond was then surpassed in 1908 when Joseph Asscher (Jan Maarten’s Great Uncle)

Far left, The King’s Sceptre with the Cross of the British Royal Crown Jewels.

Redesigned in 1910 to incorporate the Cullinan I diamond of 530 carats.

Left, Royal Imperial State Crown of Great Britain, manufactured in 1937 features the Cullinan II of 317 carats.

and his brothers cleaved, cut and polished the Cullinan diamond, which was discovered on the 26th January in 1905, at the Premier No. 2 mine, near Pretoria, South Africa. It was the largest rough diamond ever found in the world and weighed an amazing 3,106 carats.

It was expertly cut and polished into 9 important diamonds, ranging in size from 4 to 530 carats. The largest of these diamonds became known as the Great Star of Africa or Cullinan I and adorns the King’s Sceptre with the Cross of the British Crown Jewels. The second largest of these diamonds, at 317 carats, was fashioned into a rectangular cushion cut and became known as the Second Star of Africa and adorns the Royal Imperial State Crown of Great Britain.

Far left, Brooch worn by Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar of 1911, created by Garrards & Co Ltd in 1911, featuring the Cullinan V weighing 18.8 carats.

Left, Joseph Asscher in 1908 cleaving the Cullinan diamond.

The Asscher brothers discussing a polishing strategy for the Cullinan diamond circa 1907.

A visit to the Asscher diamond factory in 1911 by President FalliĂŠres of France and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Esteemed visitors to the Asscher diamond factory after 1920

A Memoir by Jacob Asscher The Cullinan diamond 1905-1908 his book is designed to inform you about the world of diamonds, and to give you a personal insight, into some of the history and mysteries of how diamonds become the sparkling gems that symbolise forever…

The

Asscher

family

have

been

‘diamond

people’

since the 19th century, and hold a very special position in the history of the important gems of the world and it is this story that will be told within these pages.

A few years ago I found, amongst my late grandfathers papers, a personal memoir about the role he played in the cutting of the ‘Cullinan’ diamond, which was at the time the finest and largest in the world. It will be my grandfathers words that will tell most of the story.

Jan Maarten Asscher

This is me at about the age of eight, sitting at my fathers cleaving bench, starting out on my journey into the diamond industry.

This is me at about the age of eight, sitting at my fathers cleaving bench, starting out on my journey into the diamond industry.

Jan Maarten’s grandfather, Jacob Asscher marking a rough diamond circa 1950.

Jan Maarten’s grandfather, Jacob Asscher marking a rough diamond circa 1950.

the

JACOB ASSCHER STORY undreds of stories have been written about the Cullinan Diamond but there are many more, as yet, untold. “I was present at the Asscher Diamond Polishing Works in Amsterdam on the occasion of

the visit of

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll when a presentation was made by Mr Lodewijk Asscher about the making of the Cullinan Diamond. This brought back old memories to me and is why I thought it would be nice to write this down because I was there.�

Jacob Asscher, 1892 -1977

the

CULLINAN DIAMOND

ow was it possible that a diamond weighing just over 3025 carats, a gift from South Africa to the English Crown, should be in the Netherlands to be cut and polished?

At this time there was no real diamond manufacturing industry in England, or none with the level of competent cleavers and polishers who could undertake such a giant task.

I J Asscher were asked if they were prepared to manufacture the stone in England. That would have meant that several members of the company would have had to stay in London for a year or maybe longer, apart from that it would have been very difficult to set up a well equipped workshop there. So this offer was declined by the Asschers.

This didn’t leave the English much choice other than having the stone manufactured in Amsterdam.

The rough Cullinan diamond found by Captain Frederick Wells, superintendent of Premier Mine in 1905.

I.J.ASSCHER J Asscher was named after the father and founder

Henri Koe. Henri was later to be the polisher of the

of the company, which had a good reputation for

Cullinan Diamond. After this five years of polishing,

the manufacture of diamonds. In this story there

experience and in those days it was a twelve

were four principal Asschers and me, namely.

Joseph, the cleaver who started his apprenticeship at

hour

working day, it had made the man an artist.

Jacob, the youngest of the brothers. I had only been cleaving for about, three years, but in those days

the age of 12.

Lodewijk , who was still alive and present at the visit

there was such an abundance of rough diamonds

of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and was a phenomenal

that I had seen and handled more rough in that short

hand cutter, and one of the very first machine cutters.

period

Elie, was probably unsurpassed by any of his brothers

uncle, A Asscher, and of course m brother Joseph. The

as a polishing expert.

Abraham, from the age of twelve to seventeen, learned and worked under the supervision of Elie and

the

than the average diamond dealer will see in

twenty years nowadays. I learned the trade from my skill of ‘marking’ for sawing and cleaving I taught myself.

NEGOTIATIONS

J Levy & Nephews, the well known London brokers, were the representatives for the English Crown and were going to supervise the manufacturing process in Amsterdam.

My brother Abraham chuckled and replied in Dutch “Give the man a hammer and a nail” The stone had to be transported (by Joseph) via the shortest sea route (maybe they were afraid of

At first the negotiations in London were not easy. The

seasickness) to Amsterdam. The gentlemen, Asscher

stone was very impure and under any circumstances the

from our Paris office - Joseph, Lodewijk and Elie were

finished stone needed to become the largest polished

all resident in Paris at the time. Accompanied by two

diamond in the world.

Scotland Yard officers he wrapped the stone in chamois

At Court some interesting questions were asked, a Lord,

leather (put it into his trouser pocket) and travelled to

I remember his name vividly, but I shall rather not name

Calais where they were met by Mr Abraham from Amsterdam

him, asked my brother Joseph. “Once you have cleaved

who was protected by officers Pateer and Marcussen of

such a stone, can you repair it and stick it back together

the Amsterdam police.

afterwards?”

Jacob Asscher standing on the left with all the brothers.

Protracted negotiations took place.

the

preparations

n preparation for cleaving, the stone is set on

They sought comparisons with the large stones. ‘The

top of a tapered wooden stick with a cement

Jonker’ a stone belonging to H Winston in the United

head. The cement used in diamond cleaving is

States weighed over seven hundred carats, the “Woyie’

composed of the following ingredients: shellac, and

belonged to Chester Beaty. manufactured by Briefel and

resin, and some other secret ingredients. When the

Lemur in London also weighed in at seven hundred carats.

cement head is gently heated it becomes soft and sticky

Well, the Excelsior had kept the old man Asscher and

but then becomes rock hard when cool.

Joseph busy for weeks, it was murder! The first groove

Another diamond with a sharp edge (also set in a stick)

took nearly two days to cut. On a Wednesday afternoon,

is then used to make a V shaped groove in the stone that’s

I was free from the school and I witnessed the first

going to be cleaved.

attempt to cleave the stone . It split beautifully in two, and

The groove has to be made exact on the growth plane or in the direction of the octahedron. It is basically the she

both surfaces were as smooth as a mirror the pieces were then sent to London, there to be processed further.

principle as splitting wood for your fireplace, only a little costlier if you get it wrong!

Once the groove is deep and sharp a blunt metal blade is inserted into the groove, it should fit about halfway in. A short sharp hit with a metal hammer or stick will then split the stone. Today a lot of cleavers use wooden hammers for cleaving but neither my brother nor I ever used one, and touch wood, have never had any accidents.

Some weeks before, my brother Joseph sought advice from the old cleaver A Asscher and...the rascal (that was me). Is it actually possible to cleave a stone that weighs over three thousand carats? Are human hands actually capable of such a feat?

Some five or six years before they had some experience in cleaving the ‘Excelsior’, a rough diamond weighing more than nine hundred carat. This stone belonged for the biggest part to the London Rough Syndicate, today known as the Diamond Trading Company (part of DeBeers) The Asschers also had a substantial interest in the stone.

Table and tools that were made specially for the job.

The studio specially installed for the polishing of the Cullinan.

“Are human hands actually capable of such a feat?�

Curiosity: All the polished stones (from the Ecelsior) became blue and white, as beautiful as can be, but two pear shapes, each weighing twenty-five carats, turned brown, in my fifty year career I have rarely witnessed such a thing.

Back to business, Joseph gave me the following tasks.

The factory when it first opened in 1907

1) Create and manufacture an extra sturdy cleaving table.

2) Construct a cleavers box with a sliding side wall, which would drop this large stone to the required level so the sharp pieces of rough used to make the groove, would be at the right height.

3) Fabricate cleaving sticks to hold this massive stone in different sizes.

Of course at the same time, all of the other polishing tools had to be manufactured and given the unusual size of the stone it gave the polishing expert A Asscher the necessary headaches.

Firstly the polishing disc had to be four times the normal size and four times as heavy, discs usually run with a spindle under and above and are kept in place with two blocks of hardwood. In those days nobody had found a way to make the axle run smooth in anything else but hardwood, but with such a large heavy disk, imagine if the wood were to split. It would send the disk flying across the workshop, tools, diamonds and all!

more than a thousand carats would have to be fitted

In the machine room was an old-fashioned fitter, Master

into such a cup filled with lead. This would then have to

Chardon. To him go all the honours for creating a

be fitted and lowered onto the polishing disk countless

construction in phosphorus bronze with at its centre,

times. A rough estimate put the total weight at about

a spindle on which the disk ran as smoothly as in the

fifteen pounds. Under no circumstances could one drop

hardwood. And then there were the polishing clamps and

the clamp with the stone onto the polishing disk, this

the large cups to hold the stones etc.

would have meant disaster! A lifting construction was

A rough diamond of a hundred carats was not a

made with a counterbalance weight, but, in the end not

rarity, and set in a cup made of copper filled with solder,

used. Henri Koe ably assisted by his brother Salomon,

that was quite a task to handle because of the weight.

handled the clamps as if they were of feathers. Within six

After cleaving (the Cullinan), a piece of diamond weighing

weeks all preparations were finished.

The factory again when it reopened in 1945 after the war.

the

big job starts

was a very young diamond marker, designing the

was the reply. And so I did...

best use of the rough. At just sixteen years old, after

When I arrived at the workshop I found some of my

countless discussions of where to cleave this

beautiful rolled cleaving cement heads were burnt to a

piece of rough to best effect, I was given the Cullinan to

cinder. Everybody in the room knew that in order for the

mark - there was no one else.

diamond to settle into the cement not only did the cement

Exactly according to the grain or growth lines I drew a

have to have the right temperature, but also the diamond.

line. Once the line was on the stone we concluded that

Well how could they heat both the stick and the stone to

the black imperfection, in the diamond jargon called

just the right temperature? They did have a clamp to hold

‘a fly’, was just under the first line. There are two ways

the stone but God forbid if someone dropped it?

to correct this; wipe the stone clean and do it all over

My brother said “Jaap, (Jacob) you do it”

again or more practically, draw a second line about one

I replied “OK”

millimetre apart. Now the impurity was exactly in the

Several weeks before I had already thought about how

middle of the two lines and that’s were the first groove

to do this job. Even when I made all the cement heads

would be made.

My brother gave the marked stone to the older cleavers to set the stone in the cleaving stick, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed because I sort of counted on the honour of doing that job myself.

But youth is indifferent and in the workshop I worked on the cleaving blades and also had a beautiful Flobet .22 rifle and I really enjoyed shooting with her.

Itmusthavebeenagoodhourorsolaterwhensomeone came to see where I was hanging out. “Has the stone been set yet” I asked. “No they haven’t managed it yet”.

I reloaded my rifle and pulled the trigger, bulls eye!

“Nice shot don’t you think” “Shouldn’t you go and have a look in the cleaving workshop?”

“Nah” I said, “If they need me They know where to find me” “Don’t be so bloody stubborn and go and have a look”

The Cullinan marked and ready for grooving.

Jacob carefully grooving the Cullinan.

“Has the stone been set yet?�

away the groove) were prepared. This was a very expensive exercise, but given the task ahead, that didn’t seem to matter.

Joseph Asscher was a strong man, somewhat thickset, like Tommy Burns the then middleweight boxing champion.

An

hour

after

commencing

the

cleaving

process

both his hands were swollen. Rest? No that was not an option. A day and a half later the groove was ready.

My brother Joseph thought that the special knives made by Herder were a little too long for this job, so he asked me to shorten one of them. But how on earth do you quickly shorten an hardened steel blade. Use a grinder?

Heat it and saw through it and then harden it again, much too complicated.

I knew exactly what I had to do. I went to the workSticks with shellac tops ready for holding the Cullinan.

for the job I concluded that to set the stone would not

shop and placed the blade in a heavy vice, and with all my strength gave an almighty hit with a sledge hammer! It broke in exactly the perfect place.

be easy. Normally one would build a cement head for a

(On the 10th February 1908 in the presence of both

cleaving stick by heating small pieces of hardened

John & Alexander Levy, all of the Asscher brothers, and

cement and slowly build it up to the required size, in this

witnessed by Hendrik Wertheim, Notary, the Cullinan was

case I had poured them into shape.

ready to be cleaved)

One of my sticks had not been used, it had a head the

Two minutes later the blade was placed in the groove,

size of a champagne glass. I made a hole in the centre. I

Joseph hit it with power! The stone d idn’t split. The blade

took some strips of leather from my pocket and wound

flew through the room. Blade broken! Was shouted. “No

them three times around all my fingers, on both hands,

not at all!’ I said “that’s just where I shortened it”. I gave

then took an old fashioned spirit burner and a gas burner.

him another blade slightly thicker this time and said,

By gently heating both stone and cement I managed

“Give it a good old whack!” Again he hit it with enormous

the job within ten minutes.

Amongst many tests we had done beforehand was an experiment with a grooving machine. It made an amazing screeching noise and to make a groove in a stone weighing one carat, took one hour!

To make a groove in the Cullinan an enormous amount of scherp (sharp edged pieces of rough diamond to scrape

explosive power. “Crick” was the sound the stone made, it split into two, and both faces were as smooth as a mirror.

The black inclusion was now in both pieces as intended.

Joseph drank two or three brandy and soda and grinned with satisfaction. Up to the present he is the ‘Undisputed World Champion’ in the cleaving of large rough diamonds!

Jacob cleaves the Cullinan

“Give it a good old whack!”

the

rest of the stones

n weighing the resulting two pieces of rough

an weighs 317.4 carats) The other pieces of rough were

they were found to be - 977.5 carats and 1038.25

cleaved a month later.

carats respectively plus 6 carats of splinters The place to make the second groove was not as convenient

In all there were 9 principal pieces of rough which were polished, plus 96 small brilliants..

as the first. It took two and a half days. The pieces of sharp

To keep the return of the stones to London a secret,

suitable for making the groove for cleaving, were dwindling

polishing continued in the specially erected workshop for

quickly. I handed the used pieces to ten or twelve polishers

a few more days. If I remember correctly Henri Koe then

to repolish into useable sharps.

took a well deserved break in the South of France. (All

The second cleaving blow was like the first, almost

the work was signed off as finished on the

13th

October 1908)

a mirror.

The main stone was now ready for polishing. This

Travelling via Calais and Dover the stones were presented

task was performed by Henri Koe, assisted by his brother

to HM King Edward by my brother. I, aged only 17, was too

Salomon. Within nine months, three months earlier than

young to accompany them and enjoyed passing some of

foreseen, the brothers finished their Herculean task and

the time they were away with my favourite rifle!

the finished principal stone weighed approximately 530

In recognition of polishing The Cullinan Diamond the

carats and is now in the Royal Sceptre. (This is Cullinan 1

Asscher brothers were presented with a silver bowl by

- ‘The Star of Africa’, Cullinan 2 is in the Imperial Crown

King Edward.

Jacob Asscher, Diamond Cleaver

The Imperial Crown

The Royal Sceptre

featuring Culinan ll.

featuring Culinan l.

When all teh stones were cut and polished, the Star of Africa weighed 530 carats and the Cullinan ll weighed 317,4 carats.

530.2

The nine principal pieces of rough which were part of the original Cullinan.

94.4

317.4

63.6 6.8

11.5

8.8

4.4

18.8

the

POSTSCRIPT

y grandfather was a remarkable man. Not just a

and a man of many facets.

diamond Cleaver, who at the tender age of

As a child I saw him every week but it was not until I found

sixteen played an integral part in the cutting of the

the text , on which this memoir is based, that I realised

Cullinan Diamond but he was also a Photographer, Boxer,

the extent of his talents and what it was to be a real

Marksman, Fiddle Player and Bon Viveur. A true eccentric

Diamond Man.

the

influences

1854 IJ Asscher founded company

1854

1870

arts & crafts bespoke excellence craftsmanship

art nouveau expressionism decorative innovative

1893 Excelsior diamond discovered at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa

1880

1890

1900

art deco modernism simplicity geometric

1905 Cullinan diamond discovered at the Premier mine in South Africa

1910

1920

1930

1940

2008 Jubilee cut diamond rediscovered by J M Asscher

2008

jubilee 1854

excelsior 1893

Cullinan 1905

h e r i ta g e

Craftsmanship heirlooms

our

Diamond

excellence

cut

colour

It is the precision and artistry of the cut that decides the

Most diamonds look colourless. There are many

maximum amount of light the diamond will reflect. The

subtle shade differences. The whiter the diamond,

better it has been cut, the greater will be its brilliance,

the more valuable it becomes. In the chaos of extreme

sparkle and fire. When a diamond is cut to an excellent

temperature and pressure that created diamonds,

grade, light is internally reflected from one facet to another

traces of elements such as nitrogen and boron could

and dispersed through the diamond crown to create an

have been incorporated into the diamond’s atomic

amazing theatre of light. Our diamonds are the ultimate in

structure. It is these traces that give a diamond its

cut perfection. Excellent for polish, excellent for symmetry

colour, or lack of it. Our diamonds are bright and near

and excellent for overall cut grade.

colourless projecting a magical rainbow of light.

Too shallow

Excellent

clarity

Too deep

carat

Thanks to nature, every diamond is unique. Each one

A diamond’s weight is the simplest of its characteristics

possesses its own individuality. This could be due to

to measure, and from the earliest times has been used

minute traces of other minerals trapped during the

to calculate one aspect of the value of a diamond. The

crystallization process. These natural characteristics,

carat is a unit of weight which is divided into 100 points.

called ‘inclusions’ are better described as nature’s

A quarter of a carat is 25 points. A half carat is 50 points

fingerprints. The number, colour, nature, size and position

and a one carat is 100 points which weighs 0.20 of a

of any inclusions determines the clarity of a diamond.

gram. Our diamonds will range in size from a quarter of

The fewer the inclusions, the rarer the diamond. Our

a carat and up to one carat plus.

diamonds are only slightly included and therefore the blemishes are very difficult to locate with the human eye.

0.25 ct

0.50 ct

0.75 ct

1.00 ct

4.1mm

5.2mm

5.9mm

6.5mm

J M Asscher diamonds will all be independently certificated by the International Gemological Institute (IGI).

This diamond report will show excellent cut, excellent polish, excellent symmetry, a minimum of G colour, a minimum of SI2 clarity and the relevant carat weight.