Michelel LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 23/01) - Zhe Lu first polished a diamond in Shanghai when he was 14 years old.
Twenty-six years later he designed the Dene Rose cut right here in Yellowknife for Deton'Cho Diamonds.
"When I sit by the bench, I am completely involved. I concentrate on the stone because that stone is very expensive," says Lu, who came North from New York in January 2000.
It's a great responsibility, says Lu. One stone might be worth up to $10,000.
Back in Australia he worked with Argyle stones, polishing the pink diamonds which he says could be worth up to $100,000 US.
It was also in Australia that Lu says he learned the most.
"I had a teacher from South Africa and a teacher from Israel, these two guys really helped me and taught me a lot of thing. They also taught me how to design the stones," says Lu.
He then returned to China to start his own company. It didn't work out.
"I couldn't get the stones," he says.
So it was off to New York and finally the North. He likes working for Deton'Cho Diamonds, he says, because there are a lot of aboriginal people.
"When I first came to Yellowknife and I saw all the aboriginal people, they looked like the Chinese," he says.
"And then when I spoke Chinese and they didn't understand, I thought, 'What the hell?' I realized I had to speak English."
At Deton'Cho, Lu has been training Dene newcomers to diamond polishing.
"They all make excellent cutters," he says. "I've never seen people so clever at that."
He likes training, but he loves designing and polishing. Asked how he came up with the Dene Rose, Lu says, "Just by feeling."
A traditional round cut diamond has 58 facets, the Dene Rose, a variation on the round cut, has 98.
"It's a very simple cut," explains Lu, adding that the key is in the angle of the facets.
Frans Van Looy, production manager for Deton'Cho Diamonds, says the Dene Rose is very special.
"First it is a new cut, a cut that nobody has cut before. Then, it is a diamond that comes out of the land from the people here, which is what makes it really special. But most important, it is a beautiful cut. (Zhe) is very creative in these things," he says.
When Lu is polishing a stone he forgets any troubles he might have.
"Once I lose myself, I go into the stone. I really like that. I can do it 10 hours a day. Once the stone is finished, it's sparkling. It's a success. I really enjoy that, just that feeling."
Making a mistake is "very painful."
Lu explains that the most minute mistake can changes the weight of a diamond and pull it down to another price level.
"But I love to do it. All the stone are different."
Lu intends to turn dull stones into multi-faceted miracles until his eyesight goes.
"It depends on the eyes. I wouldn't do anything else. If my eyes go, I can't see the stone. That's it."
But he figures he's got another 30 years.
