London Jewelers and Grandview Klein Diamonds have unveiled a 63-carat natural rough diamond that will be transformed into a 20.26-carat D Flawless Old Mine Cushion-cut diamond as part of London Jewelers’ centennial celebrations. The announcement was made during JCK Las Vegas on May 29.
The final polished weight of 20.26 carats was selected to commemorate the retailer’s 100th anniversary. The rough diamond was showcased during a private event attended by Mark and Candy Udell, owners of London Jewelers; Moshe Klein, Chief Executive Officer of Grandview Klein Diamonds; Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group; and Don Gaetsaloe, Permanent Secretary of Botswana’s Ministry of Minerals and Energy.
The diamond will be cut and polished in Botswana, its country of origin, by Grandview Klein Diamonds through the ORIGIN De Beers Group programme. The initiative tracks a natural diamond’s journey from rough to polished through verified provenance and documentation. According to the companies, each stage of the stone’s transformation will be recorded, providing visibility into the cutting and polishing process.
The finished diamond is expected to be a D Flawless natural diamond, a grading classification denoting a colourless stone with no internal imperfections visible under 10x magnification. Once completed, the polished diamond will weigh more than 20 carats and be fashioned from a single rough crystal.
“For 100 years, London Jewelers has been built on craftsmanship, resilience, family, and relationships that span generations,” said Mark Udell. “What began as a modest storefront in Glen Cove has grown into something far greater than a jewelry business. This extraordinary diamond represents our history, our family, and the future still ahead of us.”
The diamond will be cut in the Old Mine Cushion style, one of the earliest known diamond cuts. According to the companies, the project combines a newly recovered rough diamond with a historic cutting style that reflects the retailer’s heritage.
“We are cutting a new diamond in an old style because we honor our past, but we are shaping the future,” said Scott Udell.
The project also highlights the longstanding relationship between the Udell and Klein families, who have worked together for decades. Grandview Klein Diamonds will oversee the cutting process in Botswana.
“To be entrusted with cutting a diamond of this importance in honor of London Jewelers’ centennial is one of the greatest honors of my lifetime,” said Moshe Klein. “There is deep history between our families, and with a stone like this, that trust means everything.”
“There was only one partner we trusted to bring a stone of this importance to life,” added Mark Udell. “Moshe Klein and the team at Grandview Klein Diamonds.”
