The third step in our Jewelry Creation Process:

Design and Creation 

 

Each diamond is unique in its own way and we are dedicated to designing fine jewelry that celebrates the beauty and facets of each gemstone. Discover how we bring ideas to life and the journey our diamonds take as they transform into exquisite pieces of fine jewelry.

 

Starting with an idea

New ideas can come from our craftsmen and sometimes from our clients on bespoke pieces. When clients come to us with a request, it usually begins with a discussion on what they have in mind. We work with you to figure out what is important, whether it be the design or the size and quality of the diamonds. Our team is eager to spend as much time as you need to discuss different ideas and designs to make sure we understand what you have in mind. 

 

Hand Sketches and Diamond Selection 

Following the creative brainstorm our team hand-picks a selection of diamonds and draws multiple sketches of the piece of jewelry, bringing the design to life. We take our time here to ensure that the selected diamonds’ qualities are maximized in the final design. 

 

Digital Design Rendering

Once we or the client (for bespoke pieces) are happy with the sketch, we then move on to a digital render of the design. The CAD, which stands for Computer Aided Design, is used to create a digital render of the piece so we can ensure that the metal and jewelry fit perfectly. We also use this step to review how the piece looks from all angles and make adjustments if necessary.

 

 

It's important to keep in mind that the digital rendering will appear much bulkier than the final piece of jewelry. This is because the CAD is used to create the mold we will use to pour the gold into. Once the gold pieces are molded, we shave and polish off the metal to ensure the piece is fine and delicate, and which is why the prongs appear much larger and the width thicker in the CAD. 

 

3D Printing

 

 

A plastic rendering of the design is printed using a 3D printer to create a plastic version of the jewelry piece.

Then, we use a special wax to form around the plastic piece to create an identical wax mold. This wax mold is where the gold is poured into and what we use to form the gold pieces in the next step.   

 

 

Making the Gold Piece

At 64Facets we mostly use 18K gold, which is a mix that is composed of 75% gold and 25% other metals. We use this mix because 24K gold is too soft to safely secure the diamonds, while platinum is too hard for many of our more intricate settings such as the small pave. 

 

 

The 24K gold pieces and other metals are weighed to ensure we have the right mix and then we melt them together in the furnace to create our own 18K gold. The liquid 18K gold is then poured into the wax mold we made and as the gold cools, it becomes solid. 

 

 

As shown in the picture, the hardened gold piece from the wax mold is not shiny and is bulkier than the original design. This is so the diamond can be easily set into place and once the diamond is set, the extra gold will be shaved off to ensure a delicate and smooth finish. 

 

Fine-tuning the Gold Pieces 

The craftsmen will then check that each setting fits the diamonds perfectly. This process is very intricate and requires precision as these minor adjustments are usually 1/10 of a millimeter. Our goal for each piece is to ensure optical symmetry and to maximize the beauty of each unique diamond so we take our time to carefully secure each diamond and fine-tune the gold by shaving off metal and moving the prongs. 

 

Assembling the Pieces

To set the diamonds into the gold piece, we start by laying the piece of jewelry onto a wax stick to ensure that it stays in place. 

 

 

The diamonds are set into the small holes on the gold piece and then the prongs are pushed in using a pen-like tool with a wax tip to ensure the diamond is steadily and safely set. 

 

The jeweler here is pushing the small prongs down over the diamonds, in a micro pave setting.

 

Shaving, Polishing and Buffing 

Once all the diamonds are properly set into the gold piece, we then proceed to shave off any unnecessary metal using a filing tool. We then polish every prong to ensure the jewelry is perfectly smooth and glistening with no bumps or flaws. 

 

 

All of our jewelry is made to be worn comfortably while being exceptionally high quality so you can relax knowing it won’t snag onto any fine materials such as silk or cashmere. We put on the final touches at this stage and make sure we fix any imperfections. 

 

Final Quality Control 

 

At every stage of the production process, there are very strict quality checks in which everything is double-checked by several craftsmen to ensure no mistakes are missed. These steps of quality control are never compromised and this is why our jewelry pieces take around 4 to 6 weeks to complete. We perform a final quality check at the end and this will determine if the jewelry can be sent to our stores and customers. 

 

Once the jewelry passes the final check, it is passed onto our store or securely sent to the customer and the process is completed. 

For the next steps in our creative process, read more about how we assess the quality of our diamonds, and style our collection.