There hasn't been a major innovation in setting diamond solitaire jewellery since the standard six claw setting was invented in 1886. Since then, jewellers around the world have been asked the same question; “can you make this without the claws?”
Of course, under traditional jewellery manufacturing processes, this was never possible.
Until now.
The Floeting® Diamond is a winner in the prestigious globally recognised 2022 Red Dot Design Award for Product Design in Essen, Germany. Over its history the Red Dot Design Awards have recognised outstanding and innovative design excellence across industries and countries.
Floeting® was awarded for its launch collection of diamond studs, pendant necklace, and solitaire ring. Praised for its minimalist perfection, the product is described by the Red Dot team through "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s dictum about perfection being achieved when there is nothing left to take away... The focus is on sparkling diamonds, set in a way that the entire attention is drawn to the brilliance of the gemstones. Almost invisible, the bezel is remarkable for more than one reason."
The Floeting® Diamond allows the diamond to be appreciated in its entirety, and in doing so leaves no room for faults so has been engineered right down to the micron-level. The Floeting® Diamond setting is engineered from a specialist titanium alloy in a leading specialist micro engineering facility.
Titanium offers seven times the strength of platinum, which is the strongest of traditional precious metals, with only one third of the weight. Our testing of titanium diamond settings in comparison to traditional precious metal diamond settings confirmed that titanium settings have a 20x greater tolerance for impact, and 10x more wear durability than traditional precious metal settings.
New Zealand’s leading science and engineering Institute, Callaghan Innovation, has conducted rigorous independent testing which confirms the superiority of The Floeting® Diamond’s specialist titanium setting in comparison to traditional precious metal claw settings.
In a side load test undertaken at a 50° angle, The Floeting® Diamond was proven to be over 20% stronger than a traditional setting. In a side load stress test undertaken at a 90° angle, the traditional setting showed signs of extreme deformation at 77N. In comparison, The Floeting® Diamond was completely unaffected at 77N, proving it to have 50% greater stress resistance than a traditional claw setting.
Further strength testing in-house comparing a traditional claw setting and The Floeting® Diamond setting against standard IEC 60068-2-31:2008 was undertaken. This test mimicked the scenario of a ring dropping repeatedly onto a hard surface from over a metre high. In the traditional precious metal claw setting, the diamond came loose after only 298 drops. The Floeting® Diamond, however, remained secure in its setting after several thousand drops. This testing reinforced Callaghan Innovation’s results of The Floeting Diamond’s setting being stronger and more durable than traditional precious metal diamond jewellery settings.
The specialist titanium Floeting® Diamond settings have been beautifully paired with precious metals including 18ct gold and platinum. The combination allows the wearer to appreciate the diamond’s bright white reflections with the precious metal band of their choice. All with absolute confidence in the security of the diamond.
We believe that only when you are willing to go beyond the point typically deemed ‘too difficult’, that true innovation is born. We’ve learnt through experience that with perseverance, passion, and creativity, something which was once thought to be impossible can become possible.
Our values have been key to our journey with The Floeting Diamond, which showcases our passions as designers and craftspeople. We aim to create beautiful jewellery that's admired and treasured for generations, for us this is not where the design and creation stops. While respecting tradition, we understand we are not bound to it. We believe a bit of curiosity and looking beyond what is expected, is where one will find the best opportunities for creativity.
Without these values we wouldn’t have been drawn to pushing the limits of traditional jewellery design and diamond setting. We refuse to be confined by what is typical within the jewellery industry, instead we are forever looking to break boundaries and discover what is truly possible.
There isn’t anything in this world more pure, more elegant, and more radiant, than a perfectly cut diamond. Which is exactly why we’ve spent more than a decade developing a setting which showcases this. Partnering with one of the world’s leading diamond cutting facilities, who are certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council, we ensure not only the beauty of a diamond but that it is ethically sourced. This facility works hard to conduct ethical diamond sourcing practices and even have the technology to track a diamond throughout its entire journey: from mine to finger.
Altering the cut profile of a diamond would typically compromise the light return, scintillation and sparkle of the diamond, as well as potentially creating an appearance of inclusions. But after spending more than a decade of dedication and collaborating with one of the world’s leading master diamond cutters, Mike Botha. This allowed us to invent and patent a diamond cut which sets a new global standard for diamond jewellery. Using the latest in laser engineering technology, we fashioned a diamond cut which doesn't compromise a diamond’s light return. Not only does the patented Floeting® Diamond cut not obstruct the diamond or compromise its light return, but it in fact maximises it. Secured in a setting free of claws or clasps, and with incomparable scintillation and sparkle, the wearer is invited to admire the diamond in all of its beauty.
The quality of a diamond's cut effects how it is graded. If any light return is deducted or perceptions of inclusions are created as a result of the cut, this would have a negative effect on the final grading. Our revolutionary diamond cut saw American Gem Society Laboratories create a new grading standard, specific to the cut. The Floeting Diamond has achieved the highest and most coveted cut grade a diamond can receive: Triple Zero Ideal. An AGS Triple Zero Ideal grading is only given when a diamond’s cut quality factors (light performance, proportions and polish and symmetry) exist at the highest possible levels, making the maximum contribution to the diamond’s beauty and value. The AGS Triple Zero Ideal grading is the brand standard for the patented Floeting® Diamond.
Each Floeting Diamond above 0.5ct is supplied with an independent AGSL certification and has a unique number identification laser engraved on the girdle of the diamond. As well as this, a certificate of craftsmanship authenticating the high standard and quality, and a 10 year warranty, is supplied with each Floeting Diamond jewellery purchase.
Ian Douglas has been constantly asked if he can create diamond jewellery without the claws or enveloping metal around a diamond. In fact, jewellers around the world get asked this all the time. Of course, under traditional manufacturing processes this isn’t possible. Being naturally curious and always eager to push the limits of jewellery design, Ian has now invented a way to do exactly that.
Ian Douglas has been in the jewellery industry for almost 50 years, beginning his career as a New Zealand jewellery Apprentice of the Year to then becoming many New Zealander's family jeweller, through the business he started with his wife Christine Douglas and then later joined by Chris Benham. The creative team has won or been a finalist in over 20 national and international design awards. Ian is a former EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and Chris Benham is a former winner of the Jewellery World Awards (previously JNA) Award for Young Leader of the Year from London Stock Exchange Listed UBM Asia.
"I stepped back from the traditional mindset of how to make jewellery and put all conventions aside. I went back to basics.
I imagined a hand, naked except for a loose diamond floating upon it. The challenge then was how to connect the two, throw the conventional away and begin to dream of artful simplicity that forms a connection between the diamond and the hand. The Floeting Diamond was born.
I hope you love it as much as I do."
- Ian Douglas, Inventor of The Floeting Diamond
