The Diamond Debate: Industry Unites for First Time to Define ‘Famous Diamonds’

LONDON, November 15, 2011 -

Diamonds were the talk of the Tower of London on Tuesday 8 November at a private dinner held - with Her Majesty’s permission - to mark the start of a three-day summit where, for the very first time, global authorities including Rio Tinto’s Tom Albanese, Cartier’s Arnaud Bamberger, Christies’ Jewellery specialists David Warren and Raymond Sancroft-Baker and senior figures from the Gemmological Institute of America, De Beers, the major auction houses, other leading experts and other major collectors have been brought together as a specialist council to spearhead the search to discover as-yet undocumented rare diamonds and ensure they are showcased to an international audience.

The talks are being hosted by Robert Procop, a former Crown Jeweller and leading international authority on diamonds and gemstones, to mark his recent succession from Lord Balfour as Editor-in-Chief of Famous Diamonds, the definitive guide to the world’s most important diamonds and chronicle of the stories behind them.

Robert Procop commented: “For the first time, we have a team of the world‘s leading diamond experts - people who have mined, cut, classified, bought and sold these gemstones - joining me to embark on a quest to identify Famous Diamonds. I am delighted to say that we already have several exciting new additions which will be published in the next edition in 2012.“

With over 100 diamonds in the world at 100 carats or more, the criteria for Famous Diamonds must necessarily extend beyond size to focus on the rare qualities and historical provenance of these extraordinary gemstones.

For the first time, Procop has called on these experts to unite in the international “treasure hunt” for these rare and important diamonds which are housed, often hidden, all over the world - and, interestingly, not necessarily where there is the greatest concentration of wealth.

“The Golden Jubilee” (the world’s largest faceted diamond) is in the King’s Royal Palace in Thailand, whilst “The Centenary” has recently returned to the Sultan of Brunei’s possession after spending years in a London safety deposit box, the Incomparable is hidden in the US and “The Light of Peace” in the Middle East.

High resolution images available upon request.

www.robertprocop.com

For further information and images please contact The Communication Group plc
Francesca Tarrant/Caroline Parrish
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