Southwest Florida jeweler’s 81-faceted stone shines, sparkles like none you’ve seen before – and it’s available only from Mark Loren
(Fort Myers, Fla. – Jan. 28, 2010) – Over the years, Southwest Florida gem master Mark Loren’s creations have racked up accolades and fans for their uniqueness, but now that honor is about to get a bit more “multi-faceted.” That’s because Loren is introducing his own signature Firelight® diamond cut that makes his round stones sparkle more brilliantly than others.
“An ordinary, round diamond cut has 57 facets, or sides,” Loren says. “Our new Firelight diamond has 81 facets. The more facets a diamond has, the more brilliantly it sparkles.”
Loren’s design team not only creates new pieces, but also helps customers give old pieces new life by creating new settings or styles. About a year ago, they noticed that the older stones, particularly those dating before 1939 with more European-style cuts, that came into their shop were prettier and shone more brilliantly than newer diamonds. They saw an opportunity for improvement.
“We thought ‘these stones are better than 90 percent of the newer diamonds out there. There has to be a way to combine the best of their traits with new technology and create a better cut,” Loren says. From there, the idea for Firelight was born.
Loren and his team worked with an Israel-based diamond cutter for approximately a year to create a stone with just the right brilliance, creating several prototypes before finally selecting the design.
Firelight diamonds have a higher dome than traditional round-cut diamonds, and no shadows. Available exclusively at Loren’s Fort Myers studio, each Firelight diamond has the jeweler’s logo laser-etched in it for identification purposes, but invisible to the naked eye.
With more facets, or sides, than traditional round cut diamonds, Mark Loren’s exclusive Firelight diamonds sparkle more brilliantly in his custom creations.
Loren describes his trademark-pending diamond cut as reminiscent of a European cut, but with modern brilliance. Its many facets provide more sides for entering light to reflect off of, causing it to shine “like Firelight.”
“In today’s jewelry industry, there’s a lot of sameness,” Loren says. “You have to set yourself apart. Our clients have come to expect more from us, so we felt we owed it to them to come up with a diamond not many other people will have. When it’s combined with one of our unique settings, each piece is truly an exquisite work of art.”
And this premium diamond doesn’t necessarily come with a premium price. While the cost for stones is determined mainly by their size and quality, Loren estimates a Firelight diamond will only cost five to 10 percent more than a diamond with the same size, color and clarity, but a different cut.
“By introducing the Firelight diamond, we’re providing our customers with another way to make the jewelry they design with and purchase from us as unique as they are,” Loren says. He may eventually license the cut to other jewelers, but for now, will enjoy having a unique stone available only to his clients.
Firelight diamonds will be available at Mark Loren Designs in Fort Myers, Fla. beginning Jan. 29. The studio is located at 13351 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, Fla., 33919.
About Mark Loren Designs
Mark Loren Designs is a jeweler and has been offering custom designed jewelry, repairs and recreations of sentimental heirlooms for 25 years in Southwest Florida. His efforts have earned high praise by leaders in the jewelry industry. Loren was named one of 39 of the world’s top jewelry artists in the recently published book, Gemstones Masters: Major Works by Leading Artists. The artists in this juried collection were selected by jewelry curator, designer and president of the American Jewelry Design Council, Alan Revere.
His other recognitions include the International Spectrum Design awards, bestowed by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), are considered the “Oscars” of the jewelry-design industry—and Loren and his design team have won several over the years for “outstanding jewelry design incorporated colored gemstones.” They’ve earned two AGTA Manufacturing Honors, awarded for combining elegant use of natural colored gemstones with techniques that can be used by mainstream manufacturers. They’ve also taken home two Platinum Honors prizes and won the International Pearl Design contest. Examples of his work can be found online at www.marklorendesigns.com.
Interviews with Mark Loren are available. Contact Carolyn Rogers at 239-278-3900 or Carolyn@BriggsRogers.com to schedule.
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