Green Diamonds

An Article By Jeff Corey, President of Day's Jewelers - Published this week in our e-newsletter "Jewelery 101" (Click here to sign up)

Friday, November 7th, was a day to remember for the entire Day’s family as 56 of the “greenest diamonds on earth” arrived at our headquarters in Waterville. Jean, our diamond quality control inspector, my brother Jim, a reporter from the Morning Sentinel and I met in our gem laboratory to view these true marvels of nature for the first time. It was thrilling just to know these diamonds were in Gabarone, Botswana just a few days earlier.

The brilliance of theses stones far exceeded my expectations. Each one cut to perfection with 58 exactly placed facets…. and they are pure white! So, why do you call them “green” you may ask? To my knowledge, this is the first time in history that a diamond offered for sale in America, was 100% mined, cut, polished and sold in a single African nation.

These “Made in Botswana” diamonds are the pioneers of a process called “beneficiation” which means that diamonds are cut and polished in the country where they were mined. Beneficiation creates good paying jobs for some of the poorest people on earth. Why was Day’s Jewelers selected to be the first jeweler in the U.S. to represent “Made in Botswana” diamonds? In the words of Donald Palmeiri, President of Gem Certification and Assurance Laboratory, “Day’s Jewelers is the poster child for corporate social responsibility in the jewelry industry”. Learn more about “Made in Botswana” diamonds here.

I welcome you to join us for the first public introduction of “The Greenest Diamond on Earth” during the Grand Opening Gala in our new South Portland store this Saturday evening. “Made in Botswana” diamonds will be available for sale in all 6 Day’s stores beginning this week. Since we purchase these diamonds directly from the mine, they are very well priced starting at $475. These rare beauties are truly a sight to behold.