The History of Henri Daussi

Henri Daussi Loots first founded the brand over 60 years ago in Antwerp, Belgium, as the company “Andiamond.” Diamonds are to Antwerp what oranges are to Florida, and the entirety of the local economy is based mostly on this unique and luxurious trade. So when Daussi began the company, it wasn’t hard to recruit family members to join his new venture – pretty much everyone in the family’s entire history had been involved in the diamond business at some point.

Henri, given both a passion and an exceptional talent for diamond cutting, was the master craftsman and pioneer. He engineered a cutting wheel to more precisely and uniformly cut his diamonds, producing the same results rather than the beautiful, but not always consistent method of hand cutting. This new tool also revolutionized the style of cutting. At the time, facets could only be carved onto a diamond, but not actually into it. the cutting wheel changed that. He used this innovative technology to cut the first perfect heart shaped diamond. After this, heart shaped diamonds skyrocketed in popularity, and the brand grew from a 2 man operation to a DTC (Diamond Trading Company) sightholder with 200 employees. The Daussi name quickly became known for the best, rarest, and largest heart shaped diamonds. To this day, the Antwerp outpost cuts some of the finest heart shapes in the diamond world.

This expertise and passion has been passed from generation to generation, and the Loots family tradition of cutting the world’s most brilliant diamonds remains strong today. The grandsons of the founder, Jeff and Kristiaan Loots lead the family business now. And while the cuts are still the best, the technology that creates them – and the end result – have evolved.

All Hail The Daussi Cushion

The family business is now headquartered in New York. And the cuts that make them a household name aren’t heart shaped anymore – it’s all about the cushion cut. Much like its original legacy, Daussi manage to perfect something just before it exploded as the Next Big Thing.

Cushion cut diamonds are the second most popular in today’s bridal world, just under the classic round brilliant. They even managed to edge out the hugely popular princess cut, and reign supreme over the other fancy shapes like oval, marquise, emerald, radiant and more.

And before this huge surge in popularity, Henri Daussi was perfecting not only the classic cushion cut, but engineering their own style. Every Daussi cushion is a variation on the traditional cushion cut, completely unique unto itself. They are cut to appear between 10% and 30% larger than the typical cushion cut, thanks to elongated portions, proprietary facet patterns, and a larger table. How Daussi manages this without sacrificing fire and brilliance is their trade secret. All we know is that every Daussi diamond is selected from rough to ensure it will meet brand standards. And that’s where the magic begins.

The Design Process

The first step is choosing a rough diamond to become an HD diamond. Only those that will yield those perfect cushions with both traditional and enhanced, updated cutting styles are selected. All HD rings are crafted with 14 karat gold, 18 karat gold, or platinum. Most of the designs use F color, SI clarity diamonds, except those styles that end with an “O”. Those use I color, SI clarity diamonds.

Some diamonds will be cut in the classic round brilliant style, to HD perfection. Others will get a classic cushion treatment. Still others will become famous Daussi cushion cut diamonds. These cuts range from extra elongated, to the more popular 2:1 ratio, even square shaped cushions.

After the diamonds are cut, they’re matched up by expert designers with generations of training. Every setting uses perfectly coordinated diamonds to create a totally unique look every time. No two HD rings are exactly alike. The designs use a mix of perfectly crafted prongs, regal channel set diamonds, and perfectly placed diamond pave to create the ultimate look.

Each ring starts out as a sketch, worked and re-worked until the designer is finally satisfied. Next, a collaborative team works to turn this sketch into a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model. This lets each craftsman who will work on the ring see it from every angle. Metalsmiths and master jewelers then team up to ensure the CAD is structurally sound, calculating the perfect angles for both beauty and quality that will last a lifetime.

Next, a wax model is created to use when casting the setting. It’s crafted in 18kt gold, 14kt gold, or the HD preferred platinum. While the metalsmiths are working on this aspect of the ring, the jewelers painstakingly plan their settings.

Every diamond is hand-set to ensure heirloom quality. The overall style of every HD ring, as different from each other as they are, can be described as “timeless.” Whether they’re playing with the style du jour (halos) or putting their own spin on a classic solitaire, every setting can stand the test of time when it comes to style and craftsmanship.

The Diamonds

Aside from being cut by some of the most experienced hands in the industry, HD diamonds are conflict-free. And they can guarantee this because all of their rough diamonds are sourced directly from the mines and cut in-house.

Conflict diamonds are rough, uncut diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments. Henri Daussi is proud to be a leader in the fight against conflict diamonds. All diamonds sold by Henri Daussi have been purchased and sourced through legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict, in compliance with United Nations resolutions.

The Collections

Daussi Cushion

These settings are the backbone of the brand. Every henri Daussi cushion cut diamond is created with the same exacting standards the founder established all those years ago. The cut is a spin on the traditional modern cushion cut. HD is the largest provider of cushion cut diamonds in the world, for both traditional cuts and their patented Daussi Cushion cut.

Modern cushion cut diamonds are an updated take on what is one of the oldest cutting styles for diamonds: the rose cut. Rose cut diamonds originated in 16th century India, when diamond cutters used the best technology at the time to maximize a diamond’s size.

These cuts feature up to 24 triangular facets, arranged in a pattern that resembles rose petals blooming (hence the name). And while the large base was then thought to be the best use of the diamond’s surface area, the relatively low number of facets left a lot of brilliance behind. The Old Mine style sought to improve that, upping the number of facets to a maximum of 58 in the 1700’s. This style was the spotlight of most Georgian and Victorian jewelry, and with its high crown, small table, and large, flat culet, it is still a very different look than the modern brilliant cuts we see in today’s pieces.

Next, the Old European cut eliminated the culet facet, and opened the door for the modern brilliant cut diamond, which started dominating the diamond scene in 1919. Today’s cushion cut diamonds are, for the most part, modified brilliant cuts, with the same facet patterns as their round brilliant cousins.

Daussi changed all that with their own proprietary cushion cut. Using advanced technology, the brand maximizes the table facet, cutting it larger than the average cushion shaped diamond, and giving their diamonds a much bigger appearance, with a totally unique facet pattern. This special cut stacks up next to other modern cushion cut variations like the X factor cushion cut and the Crushed ice cushion cut.

The Daussi cushion collection showcases these diamonds. Every setting is crafted specifically for your center diamond, should you choose a Daussi cushion or a more traditional cushion cut. Because the rings are built around the center stone of your choice, every one is customizable for the exact look you want. Whether that’s an elongated cushion or a square shaped. Even the most dramatic ratios of length to width can be accommodated with a Daussi cushion setting.

Daussi Brilliant

Using the same age-perfected techniques, the brand creates stunning round brilliant diamonds too. This line features the same blend of contemporary style with old world craftsmanship. Whether it’s a diamond-accented solitaire, or one of the collection’s many amazing halo settings, attention to detail on every one is the highest priority. This tradition of greatness comes largely from the brand’s roots in the diamond capital of the world. A mix of styles makes up this collection, with accent diamonds studding every setting in prong styles, channel set styles, and modern pave. The rings are brilliant in 18 karat gold alloys, or in platinum, and as always they are custom created specifically for you and the center stone of your choice.

Daussi Fancy Colors

Again, the name of the collection is its best descriptor. The fancy colored collection uses candy colored diamonds to mesmerizing effect. The rich, vibrant colors of these fancy yellow cushion cut diamonds are the perfect compliment to the bright white accent diamonds in each of the halo settings. Each of the brand’s most popular halo styles, those with split shanks, double halos, twisted diamond bands or just a simple micropave halo and band get a dose of color with the center diamonds. Two beautiful bands also call this collection home, with smaller (but still significantly sized) fancy yellow cushions trailing around the finger.

Daussi Bands for Her

This collection features a stunning variety of wedding rings in every shape, size and color. Looking for a delicate blush wedding ring? Rose gold and pale, fancy light pink diamond eternity bands call your name. Close, but you want something a bit brighter? Why not try the same look, but with white diamond pave instead. Fine tune your look further by choosing the perfect width band and size of diamonds – whether you want shared prong or three rows of micropave, Daussi has it. The line uses incredible combinations like black gold and cognac diamonds to create twists on the eternity band like you’ve never seen before. The same goes for their black diamond and rose gold wedding rings. Vibrant fancy yellow diamonds stun in every shade of gold imaginable, and every setting style, so you can create piles of stackable wedding rings in technicolor.

The brand’s signature stand-out style makes an appearance too, with bands unlike the usual fare you see at wedding ring stores. Daussi’s broad, 8 row micropave bands are a huge, bold statement. Their shared prong diamond eternity bands look like the diamonds float on a string of white, yellow or rose gold. Their miniature channel set diamond bands are so neatly arranged they look like they were carved that way. Diamond pave X rings, vintage inspired bezel set beauties, and gemstone and birthstone eternity bands add character to the collection.

Every band in this collection is stunning on its own, but when paired with a Daussi engagement ring and even a few other rings from this collection, the result is breathtaking.

Daussi Bands For Him

The gents are not left out when it comes to HD brilliance. These bold and contemporary styles feature black diamonds, brushed gold, and popular ring silhouettes. Each band is available in a  variety of widths to fit every guy’s particular style. And every wedding ring can be customized with meaningful engraving.

Spotted in Daussi

We aren’t the only Henri Daussi fans. In-the-know jewelry lovers call Daussi rings their own. Bachelorette star Emily Maynard opted for a non-traditional approach to her bridal set when she got engaged to Tyler Johnson in 2014. Instead of one large diamond engagement ring, Emily skipped straight to the modern bride’s favorite part: the stack! She chose two Henri Daussi bands, including a gorgeous ring with large cushion cut diamonds and a vintage inspired eternity band to mix into her beautiful variety of rings.

The Sweetest Thing blogger Emily Gemma rocks a Daussi set, with a lovely halo style cushion cut engagement ring and a thin diamond band, plus a gorgeous textured diamond band to round out her trio.