One of the hardest things to find info on is how to polish a real diamond by hand. Here is one of the best resources found online. I had no idea there was so much to know!<\/p>\n
Diamonds are beautiful and stunning, but many times they aren’t perfect or polished. If you want to polish a diamond by hand, you’ll need the right supplies. Diamonds have optical properties that come from the way their atoms are arranged. The most important ones for diamond polishing are the diamond’s hardness, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient.<\/p>\n
Toughness is also important when polishing diamonds by hand. You’re going to be working on your diamond with high-speed tools, so it must be tough enough to resist damage. Diamonds can scratch glass and other diamonds because they are so hard. The Mohs scale is used to measure a mineral’s hardness based on how easily it can be scratched by another material, with talc as the softest at 1 and diamond as the hardest at 10. Diamond is unofficially rated at 10 because it scratches all other materials except those listed above it on the Mohs scale — corundum (9), topaz (8) and quartz (7).<\/p>\n
Diamond has a high thermal conductivity rating of 133 W\/mK, which means it transfers heat quickly. Because of its thermal conductivity, heat will penetrate your polishing pad quickly and cool off quickly too. It also means that if you<\/p>\n
People are passionate about their diamonds,and as a result they are often very interested in what is happening to them when they come into our studio.The process of diamond polishing is not mysterious, but it is not exactly on display in most jewelry stores.<\/p>\n
And so here is a little information, in pictures, to give you an overview of the art of diamond polishing by hand.<\/p>\n
As you will see from the pictures, we start with big pieces of rough that have been mined from the earth and then cut from the crystal with a diamond saw.<\/p>\n
These rough pieces are then sorted into different categories based on their shape and quality, and then taken to the prep room for further sorting.<\/p>\n
In the prep room each piece is cut to a more regular shape. This step is done by hand on a diamond saw or on a faceting machine. Some of the rough is sorted into special shapes for making rings or other finished products where we do not need as much diamond for weight.<\/p>\n
One of my jobs (as I am sure it is for many jewelers) is to make sure that these rough cuts are exactly right before they move on to be polished. Polishing diamonds by hand takes many hours and each stone goes through several stages with different tools while it is<\/p>\n
A diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man, this is why it is used to cut other diamonds and precious stones, and why it is used in drill bits. In fact the only thing harder than a diamond is a another diamond. Diamonds are formed deep within the earth’s crust when carbon atoms under intense heat and pressure bond together to form a stone.<\/p>\n
It takes extreme patience and precision to polish diamonds by hand because they are so hard, but it can be done with some practice. Actually polishing diamonds is not that different from polishing other metals. It just takes more time and patience.<\/p>\n
More often than not you have to get a series of diamond stones that work well with each other in terms of different kinds of shaping and polishing. The first step in the process is to pick up some diamond paste and use a soft cloth or rag to rub it on your stone. This will give you a rough surface that will help remove scratches from the previous stone used.<\/p>\n
To begin polishing you must use a series of stones that work well with one another. The first stone you will use should have little or no grit so as not to dull the diamonds too quickly. You must also use enough water so that your fingers do not scratch the diamond either,<\/p>\n
Diamond polishing tools are available in many shapes and sizes. Some are expensive and some are cheap. They can be purchased online or at a local jewelry store.<\/p>\n
The most basic tool is the coleman type diamond lap. The coleman lap consists of a metal disk that has a layer of diamond on top and is attached to a handle. This tool is good for large flat surfaces such as table tops. The lap can be used on glass, ceramics and stone materials, but the diamond will not last very long on any but glass surfaces because of the other materials abrasive nature.<\/p>\n
Tumblers are another type of basic diamond polishing tool used by jewelers and others in the arts and crafts industry. Tumblers have been used for years to polish rough diamonds into finished jewelry pieces. However, tumblers are not suitable for every type of stone material because of the stones abrasive nature. Since tumblers use large amounts of rotating media with little or no pressure applied, they do not produce a high polish finish like bench stones and laps. In addition, tumblers take a great deal of time and effort to polish anything larger than a small ring stone because of their slow rotation speed (typically less than 200 rpm).<\/p>\n
Bench grinding<\/p>\n
I have been polishing diamonds for over 14 years. I started as a hobbyist just after graduating high school and never looked back. I have polished diamonds for myself, for my family and friends, for other jewelers and even for large diamond dealers. From time to time I also sell some of my work.<\/p>\n
All the pieces in my galleries are polished by hand, with no special equipment or machinery. I do use diamond pastes and compounds to enhance the results but all are hand polished.<\/p>\n
If you have a stone that you would like to have me polish, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.<\/p>\n
When you buy a diamond from us, you will always get a professional appraisal. Diamonds are graded on the four C’s – Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight. You will receive your diamond with all of these details clearly stated for your peace of mind.<\/p>\n
Treated diamonds are more and more popular nowadays as they are more cost effective than natural diamonds. Even though treated diamonds are much cheaper than natural diamonds they still have an excellent brilliance and sparkle. The treatment is carried out by subjecting the stone to high temperatures which can give it a better colour and increase its hardness so that it becomes longer lasting. There are many different types of treated diamonds available, the most popular being HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) which is used to improve the colour of a stone.<\/p>\n
HPHT treatment is carried out at relatively low temperatures between 700-800 degrees centigrade using a medium such as water or oil to transfer heat to the diamond. The higher the pressure applied during HPHT treatment the deeper into the diamond that the heat can penetrate causing an improvement in both colour and clarity.<\/p>\n
Treated gemstones have only just started to appear on the market in recent years but already they have gained popularity due to their excellent qualities when compared with natural stones. A