Have you ever sat on your couch, lost in thoughts, admiring your beautiful diamond ring, wondering how fascinating it looks? So many hands and minds go into making the perfect masterpiece that now rests on your finger. To honour all those craftsmen, let us today attempt to understand the technicalities involved in making a perfect diamond ring. So let us begin.

Choosing the diamond

Before the actual process for making the ring begins, the type of diamond is decided. There are two types of diamonds, naturally mined and synthetic. Naturally mined diamonds are found deep inside the Earth and need to be dug out, whereas synthetic diamonds are man-made, created in a laboratory and then sold in a market like Hatton garden jewellers. Based on the customer’s preference, the type of diamond, along with the size, shape and carat, quality, etc, is decided and then the actual process of crafting the ring begins.

Design creation

The first step involved is the design creation. Jewellery artist’s brainstorm and create handmade sketches of the design. Computer aided designs (CAD) are also used nowadays to make it easier. These designs go through a few approval stages before they are finalised. If the ring is bespoke, then the artist sits with the customer to create a design according to the preferences with on the spot additions, suggestions and recommendations by the customer.

Ring casting

Once the design has been approved by the company or  customer, then the actual work begins. In order to cast the ring, a wax cast is first made in the exact design of the ring. Special wax and carving tools are used for the same. Then a plastic cast is made of the wax cast to be reused multiple times whenever the same design is to be made. Hot wax is injected into the plastic mould and allowed to cool to hold shape. Similarly, hot metal in liquid form is put into the mould and allowed to cool. It hardens and takes the shape of the cast, which can then be removed through the process of demoulding. This is how thematic shape and design of the ring is obtained.

Sizing the ring

Next stage is sizing. Once the ring is taken out from the mould, it needs to be resized. It is still quite raw and needs to be heated and hammered in order to get the desired shape and size. Using a fine, abrasive rubber wheel, the ring is filed into shape and added a smooth finishing touch.

Polishing

Many different chemicals and surfaces are used to prepare the ring for setting. This is known as the pre–polishing stage. The ring is rubbed and abraded to get a smooth, shiny surface that makes it easy to set the stones.

Stone setting

The diamonds to be used are carefully measured and weighed according to the band of the ring and then the setting begins. Depending on how many stones are to be used, the time required for the setting stage varies. For rings such as eternity rings, multiple tiny lab grown diamonds are used and may need more time to be done.

Final polishing

Once the diamonds are set, the ring is put through a final polishing stage. Finer polishing compounds are used for this.

Quality check

For the final stage, the rings are put through a quality check under 10 times magnification to ensure high standards.
Wow, that’s quite a lot, right? So, that’s the story behind your little sparkling beauty. The next time you sit admiring it, don’t forget to thank all those hands and minds who made it possible