VANCOUVER, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A diamond ornament worth 26 million U.S. dollars outshone the lights here Friday night at the opening ceremony of a new Chinese diamond retailer.
The diamond store, located in Vancouver's Granville Street, represents the first foray into the North American market by China's Kimberlite Diamond.
To celebrate the family-run Chinese jeweler's business expansion here, the massive 25-carat diamond (rated as D-color LC-clarity 3EX-grade) was brought to the Canadian city from the company's Shanghai headquarters.
The diamond, called the Moon Goddess, was inspired by a blue moon's reflection upon tranquil water. It is set atop a cascade of 1,877 gems creating a silhouette necklace. The entire piece weighs 108 carat and is valued at 26 million dollars.
Its owner, Kimberlite Diamond, launched its retail business in 1995 and has expanded to nearly 700 locations across China.
"People here are well-adapted to all different cultures and ideas. If you see our product, there is a lot of influence from Chinese culture so we want to bring our designs to Vancouver," said Kimberlite Diamond's CEO, Kellan Dong, about opening a shop in Vancouver, which is home to about 400,000 residents of Chinese descent.
He said the company's design philosophy stems from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in Chinese history. "We want to show people the harmonious side of the Song Dynasty," Dong said.
