The story of the Liberty Star Diamond begins shortly after the tragic events of September 11th.  That horrible day in history was weighing heavy on my mind as I left U.S. soil on my way to Belgium to buy diamonds for my store in Spokane, WA.  With the nation on a high alert for terrorism, it was difficult for me to concentrate on buying diamonds.  I found myself in a small café drawing patriotic symbols on napkins to give myself a sense of security.  I then thought to myself, “I purchase my diamonds from the world's foremost diamond cutting houses, why can’t I memorialize the great nation that offered me a humble living with something that is revered?"

I started drawing diagrams of a diamond and incorporating cuts or facets to resemble a star in honor of the American flag.  To my pleasant surprise, as I continued stripes appeared.  How amazing, Stars and Stripes!  After three years of working with some of Belgians finest cutters, a great deal of development, and patent pending, this beautiful stone offered a perfect five sided pentagon on the largest portion of the stone called the table.  Now having created a one of a kind patriotic diamond.  The next step was how to create a mounting.  I started working with my own goldsmith in which we developed a five-prong mounting that captured the stone perfectly.     

Thanks to the inspiration of our military and America’s will to persevere, the creation of a diamond that captures our spirit has been created.  In holding to this respect of country, I would like to offer the Liberty Star, first and foremost to the people who deserve to be adorned by her…  Our military.  This stone with 76 facets in honor of our country’s inception also brags of our country’s pride with a star, stripes and a 5-sided pentagon to forever memorialize our nations pride.  

For those of you with high-speed internet, please view our Liberty Star Presentation.
View

Not many farm boys grow up to be master jewelers: Firefighters perhaps, maybe policemen, or even schoolteachers, but jewelers?

Raised in a farming community 60 miles south of Spokane, Mark Webb abandoned his rural roots to attend Eastern Washington University. With his teaching degree in elementary education in hand, he headed off to the big city. But a funny thing happened along the way to the chalkboard. Webb became a diehard gemologist whose pursuit for the perfect diamond has him crisscrossing the globe and regularly exploring Belgium's antiquated back streets.

"I came to Spokane to find work as a teacher, and a friend of mine said I should apply for a management job at a jewelery store over in the old U-City. I thought, `Sure, why not? I don't want the job, but I could use the interviewing experience.' And they hired me!" exclaims Webb. He speaks quickly, directly, and it's plain to see that, given his constant level of enthusiasm and zeal, he would have made an excellent teacher. But 22 years ago, and six months into what was to be a temporary stint at Michael's Diamond Center, he was "hooked, totally fascinated." So fascinated, in fact, Webb delved further into the world of gems. He completed coursework at the world-renowned Gemology Institute of America and became certified to identify and grade diamonds and colored gems.
Webb is able to secure the most brilliant diamonds - those with the most clarity, the finest cut, the clearest (i.e. least) color, in as many varieties of carats as he or his clients wish-thanks in part to a little serendipity.

"I met this gentleman who was a jeweler in Florida; he was born in Belgium, raised and trained there. He was going over to Antwerp to buy some diamonds, and he asked if I would like to come along." For the uninformed, Belgium is the backbone of the diamond world; 85 percent of all rough diamonds arrive in Antwerp for cutting. "There are families who have been diamond cutters there for over 600 years." These families are institutions in and of themselves, and without the VIP invitation from the Belgium expatriate living in Florida, Webb would never have been permitted into their hallowed circles. "Most jewelers, and certainly the chains, have to travel to New York to pick out their diamonds. But by the time they've arrived in New York, 200 other buyers have already pawed over and picked out the superior stones," while months earlier Webb was sitting alongside a cutter handpicking freshly cut diamonds.

He travels to Antwerp at least three times a year and other places as well. Amber jewelery from Lithuania, natural yellow diamonds from the Argyle mines in Australia, bountiful Tahitian black pearls, freshwater pearls from the Biwa Lake in China, and a variety of exotic beaded necklaces from Bali and Turkey grace his display cabinets. But diamonds remain his primary pursuit. They were the stones that first tempted him from his original career plans. And they've been seducing him ever since.
Webb has one of the largest diamond collections in the region, which includes a wide variety of sizes. Because of his insider status with the elite Antwerp gem cutters, Webb is able to provide the very best diamonds at the lowest price for his clients - no middleman means no unnecessary markup. Not surprisingly, many of his new clients, throughout the U.S., as well as internationally, learn about him from satisfied clients' word-of-mouth.

Along with his assistant, Jerry Luce, who boasts over 35 years in the jewelery arts, Webb can design and manufacture in his store original creations; or take existing pieces and alter, redesign, or merge them into entirely new and unique pieces.