Exceptional, Rare Diamond Sparkles at Blakemans

If you’re struggling this Christmas to come up with that one exceptional gift for the person who has everything, stop by Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry on Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers.

The high-end jewelry retailer has something you won’t find at any other jeweler in Arkansas. And no, it’s not Cassie, a 13-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever owned by Josh Blakeman that serves as the unofficial store greeter.

Blakeman’s has recently joined a very short and exclusive list of independent jewelers that carry what is known as an Exceptional diamond, making available one of the most exquisite diamonds in the world to the Northwest Arkansas market.

The stone is part of a relatively new collection from the largest diamond producer in the world, London-based The De Beers Group of Companies.

The Exceptional diamond is part of the Forevermark brand, a division of De Beers that was launched in 2008. The company began marketing the Forevermark domestically in 2011. That product, described by a Forevermark U.S. spokesperson as the “diamond brand of choice for discerning consumers,” is inscribed with a unique identification number. The markings are 1/5000th of a hairline deep, carved by De Beers’ proprietary technology and invisible to the naked eye.

Less than 1 percent of the world’s diamonds are eligible to meet the Forevermark standards of quality, according to De Beers, which is backed by the experience and expertise of mining diamonds for more than 125 years.

In late 2012, De Beers began tantalizing selective consumers with the Exceptional collection, described as the rarest of rare diamonds.

Erin O’Grady, a spokesperson for Forevermark U.S. in Stamford, Connecticut, said they are typically at least 5 carats when polished, and there are only about 50 in the United States.

“De Beers has to mine about a million rough diamonds before they can find one Exceptional diamond,” O’Grady said. “So it’s a fairly lengthy process. We aren’t getting new ones every day.”

Blakeman’s was one of the first jewelers to become a Forevermark retail partner with De Beers. Today, there are approximately 400 retail locations where consumers can find those diamonds, but just three in Arkansas. Besides Blakeman’s, Roberson’s Fine Jewelery in Little Rock and Newton’s Jewelers in Fort Smith also carry Forevermark diamonds.

Blakeman’s, however, is one of just 17 locations in the U.S. that has an Exceptional diamond for sale.

O’Grady said Blakeman’s, which uses the marketing tagline “Where Arkansas Gets Engaged,” was chosen as an Exceptional location for several reasons, including its diamond sales volume and its commitment to the Forevermark partnership.

“We want an Exceptional jeweler to have the kind of clientele that would be interested in purchasing a larger diamond such as this,” she said.

Wow Factor

Don Blakeman and his wife, Lynn, established their jewelry store in the basement of their home in Fayetteville in 1987. Almost 30 years later, it’s truly a family business. Their sons, Ben and Josh, also work for the company, which has been in its current location in Rogers for a decade.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to do business in Northwest Arkansas and have the opportunity to offer an item like the Exceptional diamond to someone local,” said Ben Blakeman, a graduate gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. “It’s really neat for us to have a stone like this.”

Blakeman’s received its Exceptional diamond — a 5.26 carat, oval-cut stone — in mid-October. It’s being offered for $164,900 and is available as a loose diamond or in a finished piece of jewelry.

In terms of price, Blakeman said the product is certainly on the “upper end” of what the store would offer as part of its regular inventory.

In terms of interest level, he said having an Exceptional diamond for sale is invaluable.

“The ‘wow’ factor is incredible,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun for us to show our customers coming in for a jewelry repair, just to say, ‘Hey, do you want to see something incredible that you won’t see anywhere else?’”

Blakeman said another unique aspect of the Exceptional collection is that each diamond is accompanied by a customized booklet that visually documents each step in the life of the diamond, from the rough to polished stages, and includes significant dates along the journey. Each diamond also comes with a silicon mold of the diamond in its rough form.

Other perks for Exceptional diamond owners include a trip to the De Beers headquarters in London to pick up the diamond, and a meeting with the master craftsman who hand-cut it.

Guests are also given a private tour of The Crown Jewels and dinner with the CEOs of De Beers and Forevermark in the Tower of London.

“Once you get to this level, it does make an investment-type diamond,” Blakeman said. “There are collectors of art and wine and all kinds of different things, and for someone that wants a long-term, auction-type of diamond, the Exceptional is a great option and a great choice.”