Lodewyk van Berken
Encyclopedia
Lodewyk van Berken was a mid- to late-15th century Flemish
Jewishjeweller and diamond cutter, renowned in the industry for inventing the scaif
. The device revolutionized the diamond cutting industry and contributed to increased popularity of diamonds.
Van Berken was born in Bruges
. In 1456 he allegedly invented the scaif, a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of olive oil and diamond dust. With the scaif, it became possible to polish all the facets of the diamond symmetrically at angles that best reflected the light.
Charles the Bold became the patron
of van Berken and in the 1470s commissioned him to cut a 137 carat (27.4 g) stone that later became known as the Florentine Diamond
.
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
Jewishjeweller and diamond cutter, renowned in the industry for inventing the scaif
Scaif
Scaif is a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of olive oil and diamond dust used in the diamond cutting industry.It was invented in 1456 by Lodewyk van Berken. With the scaif, it became possible to polish all the facets of the diamond symmetrically at angles that reflected the light best...
. The device revolutionized the diamond cutting industry and contributed to increased popularity of diamonds.
Van Berken was born in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. In 1456 he allegedly invented the scaif, a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of olive oil and diamond dust. With the scaif, it became possible to polish all the facets of the diamond symmetrically at angles that best reflected the light.
Charles the Bold became the patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of van Berken and in the 1470s commissioned him to cut a 137 carat (27.4 g) stone that later became known as the Florentine Diamond
Florentine Diamond
The Florentine Diamond is a lost diamond of Indian origin. It is light yellow in colour with very slight green overtones. It is cut in the form of an irregular nine-sided 126-facet double rose cut, with a weight of 137.27 carats...
.
Legacy
A bronze statue of van Berken, holding a diamond in his hand, stands in Antwerp's diamond district.External links
- Diamond cutting. Thank you Lodewyk van Berken by Jeffrey Blancq. 21 April 2006