Behind the Scenes - How an Engagement Ring is Made

Follow the fascinating steps involved in making one of our ethically sourced stunning Solitaire Diamond Ring.

We’ve all seen beautiful Diamond Rings, but have you ever stopped to consider how they’re made? At Diamond Heaven we know all there is to know about making diamond jewellery from start to finish, and now you can learn just how we go about creating a beautiful Soliatire Engagement Ring, along with the wonderful skills involved, courtesy of our master jewellers.

Stage One - The Wax Stage

Believe it or not, each piece of jewellery starts life as a block of wax, and from this the first design is carved. Traditionally this was done by hand, but today it is far more common for a purpose built machine to be used, as they can deliver maximum precision.  

Stage Two - Creating A Master Mould 

Now that we have the wax version of our ring, we can use it to form a mould for the metal that will soon take its place. This stage is often referred to as ‘lost wax casting’. The wax model is placed inside a metal flask, and then covered with a material called ‘investment’. Investment is a type of plaster, which sets around the wax model.  

The flask is then placed in a kiln where the original wax model will be burnt out, leaving us with a plaster cast, ready for molten metal to be poured in. At Diamond Heaven we use a range of different metals for our rings, including platinum, palladium, yellow gold & white gold. The flask can be spun in a centrifugal machine or placed on a vacuum while the metal is poured in, to ensure that it is distributed evenly. The flask is then cooled and the plaster washed out, leaving the first metal cast of the ring.

Stage Three - Cleaning The Casting

This metal cast will now form the basis for the engagement ring, but there is still some work to be done before it’s ready for the diamond. If any size alterations or adjustments are required, they will also be done at this stage while there is the most metal to work with.

The ring will then need to be buffed to remove any rough edges and irregularities to ensure a smooth finish, and it will also need to be polished to give it the beautiful mirror shine we are all familiar with.

Stage Four - Setting The Diamond

Undoubtedly one of the most important parts of making a solitaire engagement ring, is setting the diamond itself, and the size of the diamond will dictate the height of the setting. Sometimes our customers may request that the diamond is set quite high or low, and we will always do what we can to accommodate special requests, but ultimately safety does come first, and our jewellers will ensure that the diamond is secure and safe to wear before releasing it to the customer.

Before the diamond can be set into place, the metal claws of the ring must first be pushed out, and the diamond positioned loosely at the appropriate height. Once the jeweller has found the perfect position for the stone, they will make a mark on each claw to record its location, and then drill out a small indentation. This allows the claws to clip smoothly over the diamond and fix it in place. Once the stone is set, the claws can then be filed down and burnished to give them a rounded finish on top of the diamond.

Stage Five - The Final Polish

Once the setting is complete and any remaining marks have been buffed out of the ring, it will then receive its final polish, which takes part in three stages.

First, the ring will be polished using a rough mop; this will take any remaining marks out of the ring and will smooth the surface out. Secondly, the ring will be polished with a rouge mop to give it a shiny mirror finish. Finally, the ring will be placed into some water in an ultrasonic cleaner; this will remove any dirt from the ring and diamond by running a low electrical current through the water. This ensures that the ring is thoroughly clean and ready to wear.

Once all these stages are complete, the ring is given its final quality checks before it is packaged up, ready for its new owner.

The Finished Ring - The Stunning Classic Four Claw Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring 

We hope this guide has given you a better idea of how our high quality diamond jewellery is made. In this example we have shown how we make a solitaire diamond engagement ring, but we also offer a full range of Engagement Rings and other diamond jewellery options, including pendants, earrings and bracelets.

If you’d like to choose your own piece of handmade diamond jewellery, take a look at our online shop, or arrange a consultation with one of our experts.