RAPAPORT... In 1998, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the business that he inherited, jeweler and designer Peter Quijo developed a special diamond called the Qui Shape. Quijo literally did not have to travel far for inspiration as the typical cobblestones of the medieval streets of his native town, Bruges, inspired his Qui Shape design.
Furthermore, in one version, there are four facets cut in the pavilion, which, seen from the table of the stone, look like a compass reminiscent of the nearby North Sea, once the source of all the wealth bestowed upon Bruges. Many historians agree that Bruges is the cradle of the diamond industry, as the first actual cutting and faceting of diamonds occurred in Bruges in the late fifteenth century.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CUTTING ISSUESThe Qui Shape diamond is a round-sided square and comes in two forms: the Qui Shape Compass and the Qui Shape Brillo.
The Qui Shape Compass has 89 facets — 49 on the crown and 40 on the pavilion. The strong brilliance of the Compass is brought about by the extra facets at the bottom of the diamond, where the pavilion is polished with a double gradient. The curve of the sides gives the Qui Shape its special radiation. A cobblestone-shaped bracelet, set with 128 Qui Shape diamonds of 0.40 carats, which were all F color and VVS clarity, won a De Beers Diamonds International Award in 2000.
The Qui Shape Brillo has the same structure and number of facets as the traditional brilliant cut, but with the same shape as the cobblestones of Bruges. Cut from cube-shaped rough, the Qui Shape diamonds are phenomenal in that they retain on average about 65 percent of the rough they are cut from, as compared with about a 50 percent loss with the traditional round brilliant.
MARKETS AND MARKETING
Qui Shape diamonds are protected by all the necessary patents and trademarks to ensure exclusivity. They are available only in Peter Quijo jewelry sets, which can be found in the Quijo store in Bruges, Belgium.
Quijo’s idea was to create a jewelry line, including rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. These are unique, handmade pieces that are in the style of the diamond shape itself, described Quijo. The company also specializes in bespoke jewelry.
PRICING AND SUPPLYQui Shape diamonds sell for approximately the same price as round brilliant stones. Added value can be attributed to the Qui Shape diamonds due to the rough being cut by the company’s own cutter and because Quijo can select rough in better colors and clarities. Typical are stones between D and G colors and FL and VS clarities.
WHAT BUYERS SHOULD LOOK FOR
Due to selective production and distributing, Qui Shape diamonds are more exclusive than other more common diamond shapes, according to Quijo.
Qui Shape
Peter Quijo
Breidelstraat 18
8000 Brugge, Belgium
Tel: 32.50.34.1010 • Fax: 32.50.34.3714
email: info@quijo.be
www.quijo.be
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - September 2008. To subscribe click here.