24 Toombs County Magazine
Earl Butler unfolded the small white package and
carefully lifted the diamond with jewelry tweezers.
The pyramidal-shaped stone was exquisite. “What
color would you say this is?” he asked.
I can hardly tell the difference between a diamond and
a cubic zirconia. “Color?” I asked. “Aren’t all diamonds
colorless?”
He laid another diamond beside the first. I leaned in
closer to the two diamonds that lay against the stark white
wrapping. Side by side I could see that one was slightly
more yellow than the other. “Which one is more valuable?”
I asked.
“The color of a diamond is your personal taste,” said
Jessica Aaron, store manager at K E Butler & Company
Jewelers from 2014 through early 2019.
While it is true that “Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder,” it is also true that you wouldn’t want to pay for
a Lamborghini and drive away in a Volkswagen. “Let me
show you how diamonds are rated,” said Jessica as she
pulled out a chart with a color grade scale rating diamonds
by letters from D to Z. In 1953, I learned, the Gemological
Institute of America (GIA) established a standard by which
all diamonds should be judged called the 4Cs: Cut, Color,
Clarity, and Carat weight.
“Of the four, cut is the most important,” said Earl.
“We often think of a diamond’s cut as shape,” said
Jessica, “but a diamond’s cut grade is really about how the
diamond’s facets interact with light.” According to the GIA
website, “Precise artistry and workmanship are required
to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry and polish
deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a
diamond.”
As a history enthusiast, I subscribe to “This Day in
History” from history.com. Ironically, as I was working
on this article, the headline that day read: “1905: World’s
largest diamond found.” The 3,106-carat diamond,
christened the “Cullinan,” was found in a mine in Pretoria,
From
Antwerp...
to Vidalia
The Butlers are part of a buying group called Retail
Jewelers Organization, which allows them to purchase
from diamond houses in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp has
a rich history as a world diamond center. The Butlers travel
there frequently to purchase diamonds for their store, K E
Butler & Company Jewelers, and for their clients. BELOW
Earl selects a diamond for a customer. Diamonds shown
in the rough. A single diamond with notes on quality and
grade.
/history.com