Editor’s Note
This article highlights the launch of “The Beauty of Diamond: Hardness 10” at a major industry conference, underscoring its significance within the professional gemology community.
On November 13, 2019, “The Beauty of Diamond: Hardness 10” (abbreviated as “The Beauty of Diamond”) was officially released at the 2019 China International Jewelry Academic Exchange Conference. The conference was jointly organized by the Gems & Jewelry Trade Administration of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC), and the Gems & Jewelry Association of China (GAC). Hundreds of diamond industry experts, scholars, and practitioners from China and abroad attended the exchange. At the book presentation ceremony, Professor Wu Yabin and Mr. Jin Yan, Assistant to the President of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, jointly presented sample copies to representatives of NGTC and GAC.
“The Beauty of Diamond” is translated from the English work “Hardness 10.” The author, Eddy Vleeschdrager, is a gemologist of the Belgian Diamond High Council, former Chairman of the Diamond and Gemstone Cutting Association, and an expert in diamond and gemstone cutting, bruting, and polishing. The book has been the top-selling book in Europe in the diamond trade and processing category for many years. The “Encyclopædia Britannica” specifically introduced it under the diamond category. Before the Chinese edition, the book had already been published in Dutch, French, and English. The Chinese edition of “The Beauty of Diamond” contains over 1.3 million words and more than 2,200 exquisite images, providing detailed and rich content that faithfully presents the original work to Chinese readers.
The book was co-translated by Professor Wu Yabin, Executive Dean of the Global Value Chain Institute at the University of International Business and Economics, Standing Director of the China International Trade Association, and Director of the China Diamond and Gemstone Exchange (Macau), and Mr. Lin Qiang, President of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, Vice President of the Gems & Jewelry Association of China, Vice Chairman of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, and recipient of the Order of Leopold II Officer of the Kingdom of Belgium. After a year and a half of translation and proofreading, the book maximally retains the professionalism and accuracy of the original work. At the same time, attention was paid to adding artistic elements in design, typesetting, printing, and binding, making the book itself a rare and collectible masterpiece with both reference and collection value.
At the new book release ceremony, Professor Wu Yabin expressed his views on the diamond industry:
“The Beauty of Diamond” was printed by the Artron Culture Group and will be published and distributed by the Cultural Development Press. The book is divided into 11 chapters: Chapters 1-2 tell the historical legends of diamonds and evaluate world-famous diamonds from an appreciation and historical perspective. Chapter 3 introduces the characteristics of diamonds from multiple angles, while also covering diamond identification methods, the development of synthetic technology, and the application of diamonds in different industries. Chapter 4 details geological overviews, exploration, and mining processes, introducing exploration methods and mining techniques in different environments, as well as the extraction and sorting of rough diamonds. Chapter 5 introduces diamond-producing countries worldwide, including over 30 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, detailing each country’s mining history, industry status, and major diamond companies. Chapters 6-10 focus on diamond processing techniques, including cleaving, sawing, bruting, and polishing, comprehensively explaining different process technologies while introducing equipment used by diamond dealers. Chapter 11 focuses on analyzing diamond trade, including the historical evolution of trade, the rise and fall of diamond centers, diamond markets and evaluation factors, while also introducing professional knowledge such as absorption spectroscopy and diamond certificates, and detailing diamond exhibitions from a practical perspective.
