When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

What do you do with one of the world's largest rough diamonds? – You chip away at it -- for some 47,000 man hours, and then turn it into one lavish neckpiece, featuring 11,551 diamonds.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Diamond in the rough – The rock, named the Cullinan Heritage, was discovered in 2009 at the Cullinan Diamond Mine in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The mine is where the majority of the world's most famous diamonds have been discovered. The stats? It's a 507.55-carat Type IIA rough diamond, coveted for its extreme clarity and flawless quality.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

A cool $35 million – In 2010, Hong Kong's largest jeweler, Chow Tai Fook, acquired the Cullinan Heritage. The company successfully bid $35.3 million for the 507-carat rock. It's the highest sale price ever achieved for a rough diamond.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

A sparkly little family – Chow Tai Fook cut the Cullinan Heritage into a family of 24 smaller D color, internally flawless diamonds. The process of achieving a technically perfect cut and polish lasted three years.  

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

It's all in the details – The design process took a team of 22 people and 47,000 hours to make.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Many shapes and sizes – "It was challenging -- all 24 of the small diamonds came in many different shapes. I had to find a way to achieve optical balance," Wallace recalls. "You'll notice I juxtaposed all the marquise-shaped diamonds on one side and all the pear-shaped diamonds on the other side."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Trial and error – Chan says many experiments in design were required to create the final piece. One particular 104-carat diamond stood out. "It reminded me of a European church I had visited many years ago. I was attracted by the ceiling of the church because I felt its energy going upwards, almost pulling me up to the dome," recalls Chan. "I felt it again when I saw the petals of the light in the stone -- the infinite reflections of light. It bloomed in my heart like a flower of my dreams. And it inspired the necklace's design." The piece was later named "A Heritage in Bloom."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Defying gravity – "Gravity was one of the challenges I faced designing the necklace," Chan says. "The necklace would get pulled by the weight of the stones and the structure. I had to fight gravity and find the perfect proportion for each style. It took repeated experiments."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Bling bling bling – Chan also incorporated hundreds of mutton fat white jade beads and green jadeite, 598 pink diamonds and 10,953 white diamonds, in addition to the 24 main diamonds from the Cullinan Heritage, in the final piece.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Shades of jade – "The mutton fat white jade beads are like the shape of prayer beads," Chan says. "I think of prayers beads as something that transcends cultures and religions."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Invisible connection – "I polished the mutton fat white jade beads to perfect roundness, hollowed them out, and placed titanium parts so they could be connected throughout the piece invisibly," Chan explains.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

When East meets West – "I set a diamond inside each bead so the humility and the smoothness of jade - a symbol of the East, embraces the power and sparkles of the diamond - a long celebrated love of the West," Chan says.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Fluttery symbolism – Chan felt it was important to have strong symbolism running throughout the piece. "I placed butterflies and bats on the necklace. Butterflies stand for everlasting love in Chinese culture, and bats symbolize happiness."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

The perfect color combination – "The green jadeite and pink diamonds are used to bring the piece to life. It took a long time to hand pick the right color and quality of jadeite," Chan recalls.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

"A Heritage in Bloom" – The final piece is uniquely modular and can be worn in 27 different ways. The number is significantly rooted in the Chinese concept of eternity. 27 is the cube of 3, which represents infinity in Chinese culture.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

An easy wear – This is another way to wear the necklace. Chan says the necklace feels almost weightless.

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Transforming a masterpiece – When Chan first began to design the necklace, he didn't think about it being worn 27 different ways. "I had just wanted it to be worn in 5 ways but got carried away. I am happy with the result."

When "dripping with diamonds" is an understatement

Chow Tai Fook estimates that the market would conservatively value all the finished materials united in "A Heritage in Bloom" at $200 million. The jeweler says it has no immediate plans to sell it.