Ponahalo Diamonds

Forevermark diamonds have made their distinct impression in the diamond industry for their exceptional quality and high standards. Less than a percent of the world’s diamonds are worthy of becoming Forevermark diamonds. With standards that are so high, one wonders about the largest Forevermark diamonds in the world - the two larger ones of the five Ponahalo Diamonds. Named by Jonathan Oppenheimer, the Head of the Chairman’s Office for De Beers Group, the word ‘ponahalo’ means appearance or vision in the Sotho language spoken by the tribal people belonging to the Venda tribe in South Africa, which is where the rough diamond was mined. The Ponahalo rough diamond was cut in five smaller diamonds; each was then inscribed with a Forevermark and identification number. The three smaller diamonds weigh about 12, 5 and 4 carats.

Discovered in 2005 in the De Beers Venetia mine and aptly named, the two stunning emerald cut diamonds took eighteen months each to cut and polish into the spectacular gems they are by the Steinmetz Diamond Group. Weighing in at approximately 70.87 carats and 102.11 carats respectively, both the stones carry the Forevermark insignia and the unique Forevermark identification numbers. Being such exclusive pair of diamonds, Steinmetz chose the inscription of the diamonds to be prefixed with the number 316 depicting carat weight of the original rough stone from which these two magnificent gems were cut, following their individual carat weight, which is why the diamond weighing 70.87 carats carries the number 316070, while the larger diamond weighing 102.11 carats is inscribed with the number 316102.

The Ponahalo diamonds, which formerly fashioned the centrepiece of an exquisite pendant crafted by the internationally celebrated jewellery designer Kevin Friedman of South Africa, were auctioned and sold by Steinmetz at Christie’s, the world’s leading art business in New York on October 15, 2008 to a Dubai-based jeweller. As Forevermark is a global consumer diamond brand that does not only stand for quality of the diamonds, but also for the assurance of integrity in sourcing the gems as well as benefiting the social environment from which they are sourced. To take this promise a step further, a portion of the proceeds that were acquired from the sale of the Ponahalo Diamonds was donated to the Diamond Empowerment Fund - a non-profit, international organization co-founded by Russell Simmons which funds education programs in African countries.