Lodewyk van Bercken

Lodewyk van Bercken (also known in French as Louis de Berquem)[1] was a mid- to late-15th century Flemish[2] jeweller and diamond cutter, renowned in the industry for inventing the scaif.

[2] He is credited with inventing the scaif, a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of olive oil and diamond dust.

[2][3] Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy became the patron of van Bercken and in the 1470s commissioned him to cut a 137 carat (27.4 g) stone that later became known as the Florentine Diamond.

A bronze statue in commemoration of Lodewyk Van Bercken's contributions to the diamond industry, can be seen at the beginning of Meir Street in Antwerp, Belgium.

[6] The statue depicts Lodewyk Van Bercken holding a diamond in his hand with a baby angel floating above.