Words From Hearts On Fire Master Cutter Brian McHardy

Goldstein's is very fortunate to have Hearts On Fire Master Diamond Cutter, Brian McHardy, in our store this week.  Today is Brian's last day with us and it has been an amazing experience watching Brian at his cutting wheel.

Brian has 45 years experience as a diamond cutter and is the fourth generation of his family to work in the diamond industry.  His roots go back to South Africa.  His great-grandfather was the general manager of the Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa when the Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905.  The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough diamond ever found.

Brian joined Hearts On Fire in 1996 at its inception.  In attempting to craft the World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond, they looked at how they could improve on traditional cutting methods.  Brian says that one innovation has been mounting the cutting wheel directly on top of the motor.  It was at the point of moving to direct drive that Rolls Royce got involved, providing vibration-free turbine motors.  The cutting wheel floats on an electric field.

While Hearts On Fire's cutting facility looks much like a NASA space center, Brian says that advanced technology has not replaced basic ingredients like olive oil and diamond dust that have been used in cutting diamonds since the 1550's.  The diamond cutter has not been replaced by robots because robots are not sensitive to touch.  It still takes master cutters like Brian to complete the process of crafting a finished diamond from a rough stone.










Brian says his favorite part of his job is seeing a diamond find its way onto a girl's finger.  "Diamonds are so symbolic.  They are the only things that will last forever.  They formed when the earth formed and they will be the only things left when the earth is gone.  They are so rare.  At Hearts On Fire, we believe a diamond deserves all the attention it takes to make it perform its best, making them the World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond."