How Is Diamond Jewelry Made? Unveiling the Craft
If you’ve ever wondered how jewelers craft diamond pieces, it’s a fascinating process. Join us as we explore how diamonds are made naturally from the carbon-to-diamond process to give them that sparkling shine against your skin. We’ll also discuss the lab-grown diamond process and the step-by-step method to craft these marvelous gems into stunning wearable art.
Understanding Diamonds: Nature’s Marvel
Natural diamonds form deep below the earth’s surface. Billions of carbon atoms bond under intense heat and high pressure over millions of years to create an individual diamond. Like snowflakes, no two diamonds have the same pattern.
A pattern of cubic crystal lattice forms as each carbon atom bonds to four other atoms resulting in the hardest natural substance known to us.
Natural vs. Lab-Grown Diamonds: Origins and Impact
Advancements in technology have allowed scientists to create diamonds known as laboratory-grown diamonds (LGDs). One type of LGD is made by applying molten carbon to a tiny diamond seed, which bonds to the seed and grows a larger diamond. Another LGD method starts with diamond seeds, which the lab exposes to superheated gases that form plasma. Carbon atoms in the plasma stick to the seeds and crystallize, forming a larger diamond.
A one-carat LGD takes three to five days to produce, and labs make them in large batches. This increase in availability makes them less expensive, and unlike natural diamonds, forecasts have LGD values dropping over the long term.
The Creation of Diamond Jewelry: A Detailed Process
When making diamond jewelry, manufacturers use either casting or a handmade process. Both methods result in a high-quality piece. Casting allows the jeweler to make many rings from the same cast, which saves consumers money. Handmade pieces can be replicated but take much longer, making them more expensive because of their uniqueness.
Casting Technique: Crafting the Perfect Setting
A skilled craftsman can carve a design out of wax. Modern 3D printing and computer-aided design software can also create a cast from wax. The jeweler then encases the wax model in plaster and bakes it at a high temperature to evaporate the wax, leaving a cavity imprint of the ring.
The jeweler pours hot molten metal into the mold to produce a raw casting. Then, the jeweler removes the metal parts and begins polishing them before assembling the ring.
Precise measurements of the diamond allow the jeweler to customize the head of the setting to provide a perfect fit for the stone. The jeweler finishes the ring with fine polishing and buffing to give it luster.
Handmade Technique: The Art of Personal Touch
The traditional handmade technique may vary depending on the metal type, stone used, mounting, design, and the skill of the jeweler. First, a jeweler creates the band from a metal bar, using a bending machine to work the metal into a ring based on the wearer’s finger size.
Next, they close the band by soldering the same metal as filler. Then, the jeweler places the ring in acid to remove excess material before rounding out the ring.
The jeweler crafts the setting from the same material as the band. This requires a deft touch as the jeweler hammers the metal into a cup shape before soldering the setting to the band.
From Rough to Radiance: The Transformation Steps
Rough diamonds must first undergo cutting, shaping, and polishing.
Diamond Cutting and Shaping: Unveiling the Brilliance
First, a diamond must be marked to determine the most significant yield with the fewest imperfections. Cleaving the diamond uses another diamond as a cutting tool, the diamond cutter scores a line showing where to cleave. Then, the cutter strikes a steel wedge into the groove to cut away the unwanted portion.
Sawing comes next, either manually or with a laser saw. Today, more diamond cutters use laser saws because of their precise nature, but with this method, the rough diamond loses more weight than conventional sawing. After sawing, the stone undergoes a girdling process that shapes it. Mounted in a lathe, the stone spins, and the craftsman uses another diamond to press against the spinning stone, gradually shaping it.
A lapper or blocker then takes the diamond for faceting. A typical brilliant-cut diamond has 18 main facets and 40 standard facets.
Polishing for Perfection: Achieving the Ultimate Shine
Once faceted, the diamond is boiled in hydrochloric and sulfuric acids to remove dust and oil. At this stage, the diamond is considered finished and polished, ready for installation in jewelry.
Setting the Stone: Where Metal Meets Diamond
The jeweler carves out a small seat in the ring’s cup to set the gem. After placing the stone in its seat, the jeweler secures it by pressing the prongs to keep the diamond in place. Lastly, they polish and buff the ring to give it luster.
The Distinctive Beauty of Colored Diamonds
The rarity of colored diamonds adds another layer of beauty to this magnificent gem. Colors include yellow, blue, pink, green, red, brown, and black. However, the color of black diamonds consists of the facets that block the light, causing them to look black, not from foreign materials.
How Are Colored Diamonds Made, and How Rare Are They?
Colored diamonds result from deposits of noncarbon materials in the diamond. The color varies depending on the foreign deposits. A nitrogen particle inside a diamond will turn yellow, while boron causes a diamond to turn blue. Pink and red diamonds are the rarest and least understood but are believed to result from a rare change to their atomic structure.
Ethical Considerations and Sustainable Choices in Diamond Jewelry Making
Not every diamond source operates with the same ethical principles. You’ll want to find a jeweler that only works with reputable sources.
What Are the Benefits of Choosing Lab-Grown Over Mined Diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds eliminate ethical dilemmas. They take very little time to make and offer stunning beauty, the same as authentic diamonds. However, their value diminishes because of the increased availability compared to natural diamonds.
Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing in the Jewelry Industry
When considering ethics and sustainability, key factors include sourcing diamonds from conflict-free regions and prioritizing fair labor practices. Other considerations include minimizing waste during production and using recycled materials whenever possible.
Find the Finest Diamond Jewelry at Americash Jewelry & Coin Buyers
At Americash, we buy the finest jewelry and have an expansive selection of diamond pieces at competitive prices. We invite you to shop our diamonds online or visit our Westmont showroom to speak with a diamond expert.
Diamond Ring by Jeffrey Beall is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0
