Canadian Master Diamond Cutter Mike Botha to Craft the Esperanza Diamond in Arkansas

PRINCE ALBERT, SASKATCHEWAN–(Marketwired – Aug. 27, 2015) – Master Diamond Cutters’ Mike Botha has been commissioned to craft the Esperanza in Little Rock during a special in-store event hosted by Stanley Jewelers Gemologist September 9^th – 12^th.

Weighing an impressive 8.52ct, the “Esperanza” was found late June at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, AR by a visitor from Colorado. The Esperanza is the 5^th largest diamond found since 1972, and Saskatchewan-based Mike Botha has been invited to design, plan, cut and polish this extraordinary diamond. Upon completion, it will be the 4^th largest (polished) Arkansas diamond- and the largest Arkansas diamond ever cut at home in Arkansas.

“It’s been a goal of ours to cut and polish Arkansas diamonds for at least the last 5 years,” said Evert P. Botha, COO of Master Diamond Cutters, “…so when I first read about it in June, I immediately phoned Laura and we decided to find a way to make it happen and get this extraordinary diamond into our American Gem Society family. It’s an honor to be working with the Stanley family, and AGS Laboratories who will be grading this spectacular diamond.

We really want the Esperanza to have a 100% American provenance- mined, cut and polished in the USA, and I can think of no better place to showcase this process than at Stanley Jewelers Gemologist.”

Master Diamond Cutters will setup a mini-factory in-store at Stanley Jewelers Gemologist to cut the ‘Esperanza’ into a custom-designed triolette shape. Once the Esperanza has been perfectly crafted and polished, it will go to AGS Laboratories for a final grading report.

Notes for editors:

High Res Images of the rough are available upon request.

About Master Diamond Cutters

Master Diamond Cutters of Prince Albert, SK is a boutique-style, family-owned diamond cutting and polishing atelier. Creators of Sirius Star®…the world’s brightest diamond they specialize in high (light) performance designs, precision diamond cutting and dedicated contract manufacturing and restoration (re-cut, repair & re-polish) services. American Gem Society members since 2010, Master Diamond Cutters are proud ambassadors of AGS and AGS Laboratories. http://masterdiamondcutters.com

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