Now a second-generation family business, Dayekh has seen it all. The adventure began in West Africa where the company founder, Hassan Dayekh, began his career mining riverbeds. In 1975, after 20 solid years of hard work, he moved to Antwerp, Belgium and opened an office importing rough diamonds. Just a few years later he became famous around the globe for polishing one of the world’s greatest diamonds ‘The Challenger.’
Weighing a massive 295ct it gave birth to four diamonds of exceptional quality, which the Hoge Raad voor Diamant diamond lab stated was the largest diamond they had graded up to May 1983.
The eventual wearer is the only person in the entire world owning that particular design
However, the itch to go downstream and explore new adventures would not go away, and soon the company began crafting and creating its own jewellery as well. The first showroom was set up in Beirut, Lebanon; the retail space followed suit in Antwerp. It opened as a small 50sq m store, but only 10 years on, it now boasts a 200sq m diamond jewellery boutique in the heart of Antwerp’s diamond district.
A historic achievement
Having polished diamonds of all the shapes, sizes and colours that nature provides, it became clear that to build a proper brand Dayekh needed a unique selling point. This gave the company the motivation to work with the greatest polishers of Antwerp to develop new shapes with the challenge of scientifically devising a cut with a better light performance than the traditional round brilliant. These efforts gave rise to the ‘D Brilliant Cut,’ which achieved a perfect score in the light performance tests conducted with third-party firetrace equipment. This is truly a historical achievement and a true masterpiece in its own right. Shaped on the pattern of a lotus flower of 105 facets, the ‘D Brilliant Cut’ has made Dayekh jewellers of choice for Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, as they regard this perfect diamond on par with the perfection of its automobiles.
Company connections
Having been in the Antwerp diamond trade since 1975, the company’s trading partners and connections are vast and numerous allowing it access to a large selection of diamonds, from the rough to the polished. Through the company website customers can place an order for any type of diamond and should Dayekh not have that particular diamond in stock, it can quickly be found on the world market through its extensive network of both traders and large scale manufacturers.
Safe investment
Since the economic crisis began in 2008, gold has become an attractive safe haven and still will be for a long time to come. Likewise, diamonds are becoming an equally attractive investment due to a plethora of factors, such as the scarcity of new mines being found and the dwindling supply of existing mines. This, combined with an increased demand from the booming Asian economy, has created a strong undercurrent for a long-term rise in prices and has made diamonds a safe bet as a medium-to long-term investment vehicle.
Dayekh also serves as consultant to match a portfolio type to the wishes of its clients. Some wish to invest specifically in large or rare diamonds, whereas others may have different preferences. Once decisions are made, Dayekh’s network steps in to fulfil the demand.
From the start Dayekh had an interest in making unique, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewellery. This is due to the fact that instead of creating a certain design to which stones are found and set, the company finds a unique stone and builds the design around that stone. The eventual wearer is the only person in the entire world owning that particular design. Everything is handcrafted and there is no mass production by the company, so that customers know that whatever they wear from Dayekh has been made with many hours of passionate and thoughtful care.