Seeing inside the stone
This article puts forth the notion of visual refraction to analyze the subjective and technical construction of grading certificates in the global diamond trade. Research was based on an ethnographic study of rough diamond grading and evaluation courses in gemological laboratories in Belgium and Ind...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
| Published: |
Société d'Anthropologie des Connaissances
2020-12-01
|
| Series: | Revue d'anthropologie des connaissances |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/rac/17116 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849731129474547712 |
|---|---|
| author | Matthieu Bolay Filipe Calvão |
| author_facet | Matthieu Bolay Filipe Calvão |
| author_sort | Matthieu Bolay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article puts forth the notion of visual refraction to analyze the subjective and technical construction of grading certificates in the global diamond trade. Research was based on an ethnographic study of rough diamond grading and evaluation courses in gemological laboratories in Belgium and India, as well as interviews with novice and experienced evaluators (Belgium, United States, India, United Kingdom, and Switzerland). By "seeing in the stone" the learning of gestures and procedures meant to bring order to the imperfections of natural objects, we reveal the tensions between the aspirations of objectivity and the subjective visual practices that characterize the classificatory apparatus of the diamond industry. We suggest that the visual expertise learnt by graders consists notably of recognizing and valuing the fallibility of their own sensory assessments. This apparent paradox is constitutive of the certification system and aligns with the rhetoric of exceptionality upon which the diamond industry and its markets are built. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9381e13640d34b51b98e4ff288ef3b51 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1760-5393 |
| language | fra |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Société d'Anthropologie des Connaissances |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue d'anthropologie des connaissances |
| spelling | doaj-art-9381e13640d34b51b98e4ff288ef3b512025-08-20T03:08:39ZfraSociété d'Anthropologie des ConnaissancesRevue d'anthropologie des connaissances1760-53932020-12-0114310.4000/rac.17116Seeing inside the stoneMatthieu BolayFilipe CalvãoThis article puts forth the notion of visual refraction to analyze the subjective and technical construction of grading certificates in the global diamond trade. Research was based on an ethnographic study of rough diamond grading and evaluation courses in gemological laboratories in Belgium and India, as well as interviews with novice and experienced evaluators (Belgium, United States, India, United Kingdom, and Switzerland). By "seeing in the stone" the learning of gestures and procedures meant to bring order to the imperfections of natural objects, we reveal the tensions between the aspirations of objectivity and the subjective visual practices that characterize the classificatory apparatus of the diamond industry. We suggest that the visual expertise learnt by graders consists notably of recognizing and valuing the fallibility of their own sensory assessments. This apparent paradox is constitutive of the certification system and aligns with the rhetoric of exceptionality upon which the diamond industry and its markets are built.https://journals.openedition.org/rac/17116evaluationapprenticeshipanthropology of the sensesdiamondscertification |
| spellingShingle | Matthieu Bolay Filipe Calvão Seeing inside the stone Revue d'anthropologie des connaissances evaluation apprenticeship anthropology of the senses diamonds certification |
| title | Seeing inside the stone |
| title_full | Seeing inside the stone |
| title_fullStr | Seeing inside the stone |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seeing inside the stone |
| title_short | Seeing inside the stone |
| title_sort | seeing inside the stone |
| topic | evaluation apprenticeship anthropology of the senses diamonds certification |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/rac/17116 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthieubolay seeinginsidethestone AT filipecalvao seeinginsidethestone |