23 Jun Maison Mazerea Unveils The ‘Grace Diamond’ In Honor Of Princess Grace Of Monaco
June 17, 2022—
Maison Mazerea, a new luxury diamond brand, has dedicated a unique one-of-a-kind fancy colored diamond in honor of Princess Grace of Monaco. Called the “Grace Diamond,” the Fancy Vivid Purplish-Pink gem is part of an exclusive collaboration with the Princess Grace Foundation.
The Grace Diamond is one of that last five diamonds from the exhausted Argyle Mine in the remote northwest part of Australia. During its 15-year operation, which ended in 2020, the Argyle Mine produced more than 90% of the world’s pink and red diamonds, among the most valuable and rarest gems in the world. The square-radiant-shaped, 1.79-carat, fancy-vivid-purplish-pink diamond was originally called the Stella Diamond. It was purchased in 2021 by Burgundy Diamond Mines, a Perth-based diamond mining company that owns the Maison Mazerea brand.
“It is entirely appropriate that an illustrious star such as Stella should be renamed and transcend into the timeless nobility of the Grace Diamond,” said Peter Ravenscroft, CEO of Burgundy Diamond Mines.
Ravenscroft said the Grace Diamond will be exhibited in successive jewelry designs by some of the world’s leading or emerging designers, under the Maison Mazerea brand. For its debut appearance, Maison Mazerea has partnered with renowned Place Vendôme jewelry designer, Lorenz Bäumer on a jewel called “La Vie en Rose,” which is expected to be unveiled at an event in Paris on July 1 and in New York sometime in November.
“As we work with the Princess Grace Foundation and selected jewelry designers on future jewelry pieces to showcase the Grace Diamond, we will pay enduring tribute to both Princess Grace and to the historical significance of this stone,” Ravenscroft said.
Maison Mazerea is named after Jules Cardinal Mazarin, a 17th Century Italian Cardinal, diplomat, and politician who served as the chief minister to King Louis XIV of France. He amassed one of the most valuable collections of jewels and diamonds of his time. Eighteen diamonds, known as the “Mazarin diamonds” became the foundation of the French Crown Jewels.
Maison Mazerea is described by Ravenscroft as “the world’s first Haute Diamanterie brand,” which he describes as a new term that is reviving traditional approaches to diamond preparation from the 17th century.
“Think of Haute Joaillerie and Haute Horlogerie as parallels. Both talk of unique creations made with the highest quality materials and the highest levels of craftsmanship with exacting attention to detail,” Ravenscroft told Forbes. “Haute Diamanterie is about authenticity, craftsmanship and individuality. Maison Mazerea will not be the only house to be able to claim the standards of Haute Diamanterie, but it is certainly leading the way.”
The purchase of this rare pink diamond from the Argyle Mine and the partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation are part of a broader strategy to use Maison Mazerea as the sole source of Fancy yellow diamonds from the Ellendale Diamond Mine in Western Australia, owned by Burgundy Diamonds.
Burgundy also took ownership of the cutting and polishing facilities and experienced team from Argyle Pink diamonds operation. Each diamond from the mine will be cut and polished by the diamantaires in Australia “in a unique way, using heritage-inspired cuts and faceting that maximize the natural beauty of the stone, regardless of the natural imperfections that they may include,” Ravenscroft says.
These diamonds will then be sold exclusively through Maison Mazerea.
This vertical integration of mining, cutting and selling rare fancy-colored diamonds serves as the foundation of this “end-to-end” strategy being developed by Burgundy.