(Image: Lucara Diamond Corporation/Louis Vuitton)
Cover (Image: Lucara Diamond Corporation/Louis Vuitton)

The 1758-carat Sewelo diamond is on showcase until Tuesday at the Louis Vuitton Island Maison at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, its only stop in Southeast Asia

Earlier in January, luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton announced its acquisition of Sewelô, a 1758-carat rough diamond for an undisclosed “millions” of dollars. The second-largest rough diamond ever discovered, its size is only rivalled by the Cullinan, a 3106-carat gem mined in South Africa in 1905.

The Sewelô isn’t just exceptional for its size—measuring 83mm x 62mm x 46mm, and weighing 352 grams—but also its shape, colour, formation and composition. While the diamond is largely covered in a thin layer of black carbon, initial analysis characterises it as ‘near gem quality’ with ‘domains of high-quality white gem’.

Also the largest rough diamond to have been recovered from Lucara Diamond Corporation’s Karowe mine in Botswana, groundbreaking technology went into recovering the stone. The extraction of the Sewelô was only possible with Lucara’s XRT circuit—a revolutionary laser technology that allowed for the recovery of the diamond in its entirety without crushing the diamond-bearing rock or slicing it.

Sewelô’s unique properties mean that advanced, nano-technology would also have to be used to in order to cut and polish it. Louis Vuitton is collaborating with Antwerp-based master diamond cutters, HB Company to assess, plan, cut and polish the diamonds for optimum yield. Roughly the size of a tennis ball, the Sewelô’s magnitude would allow the Maison to produce made-to-order Louis Vuitton Cut diamonds, fashioned in the form of Louis Vuitton’s monogram—the rounded four-petal flower and star-shaped motifs.

Tatler Asia
(Image: Lucara Diamond Corporation/Louis Vuitton)
Above (Image: Lucara Diamond Corporation/Louis Vuitton)

It would also allow the Maison, which only entered the high jewellery market in 2012, to carve its place in the industry, offering customers a personalised experience in line with the brand’s heritage. Clients would be intimately involved in the entire creative process, creating their very own bespoke, custom-cut diamonds.

Originally slated for an earlier local debut, Sewelô’s showcase was eventually postponed due to the circuit breaker period but is finally available for viewing now. Interested parties can see the rare gem by appointment only at the Louis Vuitton Island Maison at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands until Tuesday. This marks its only stop in Southeast Asia, with previous stops including London, Paris, Tokyo and Taipei.

Clients interested in viewing the Sewelô can make their appointments by contacting Louis Vuitton Client Services at 6788-3888.

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