Marcel Tolkowsky

Marcel Tolkowsky ( born December 5, 1898 in Antwerp, † February 10, 1991 in New York City ) was a Belgian mathematician and renowned gemologist. He established based on scientific studies of brilliance and play of colors of diamonds are polished for diamonds, which applies to the present day, especially in North America as a standard.

Life

Marcel Tolkowsky was born in 1898 in Antwerp, his ancestors were involved leader in the processing and trading of diamonds for several generations. He studied engineering at the University of London and published in 1919 as part of his PhD in mathematics with the book " Diamond Design. A Study of the Reflection and Refraction of Light in a Diamond " a mathematical analysis of the optical brilliance and play of colors of diamonds, which is considered the first scientific study in this area. He laid the foundations for a diamond shape, which is regarded as Tolkowsky Ideal cut diamond or to the present day, especially in North America as a standard in ground engineering. In 1940 he emigrated to the United States where he worked as a designer and diamond dealers until 1975. He died in 1991 in New York City.