Maarten de Witte is an original member of the team that set out to revolutionize the way diamonds were bought and sold with the creation of Hearts On Fire the Worlds Most Perfectly Cut Diamond®. He began his career in diamonds over 25 years earlier as a pioneer apprentice at the American School of Diamond Cutting – the first fully accredited trade school of its kind in the U.S. – eventually becoming its Director.
Diamonds may seem a strange attraction for a boy from Illinois, but Maarten perfected his art and pursued his aspirations from a hometown base in Urbana. In 1983, he earned admission to the prestigious American Gem Society, first as Registered Jeweler, then as Certified Gemologist for more than the past 20 years. Along the way, his academic interest in the diamond trade led to a BA in African History as well as an MS in Minerals Geography from the University of Illinois.
At Hearts On Fire, Maarten quickly earned a top sales position on the team that launched the first consumer branded diamond in the US. Since that time, Maarten has demonstrated and lectured on the art of fine diamond cutting throughout the US and around the world. He has authored and implemented in-store, regional and national sales-training seminars, has served as technical editor of numerous marketing initiatives and newsletters, and played the lead role in creating the award-winning Hearts On Fire consumer video – the Heart, the Art, the Fire.
Maarten’s favorite achievement is being known as the Diamond Wizard. On the Hearts On Fire website – www.heartsonfire.com – he engages consumers in personalized dialogue, providing factual and anecdotal information about diamonds while answering their wide range of questions.
“I believe that there are many factors which affect diamond beauty and value. True magic only occurs when beauty is pursued and expressed with intense emotion. We are passionate about perfection. It’s the difference you can see in all our diamonds.”
