More about...

JEWELLERY WORK
This brief description is not extensive, but it just intends to give you a general overview.

		At the start... the idea, which inspires sketches. On the basis of these, a precise drawing is made, which puts down the shapes and the volume of the future jewel, defines the places where stones will be set, their size, their shape, the way they will be mounted in the setting.
		Stones are selected and prepared - colour, purity, weight and size - so that the composition is as perfectly balanced as possible.
		The volume of the jewel is worked on according to the drawing : the mount is made, then it is prepared for setting (pre-polishing).
		Setting includes all the techniques and operations needed to add the stones to the setting.Depending on the jewel and the desired effect, one or several setting methods are chosen.
		The finishing touches, essential for giving the finest purity of line and the maximum sparkle : polishing, with special brushes, and finishing. They are all carried out by hand.

 

THE FOUR CRITERIA WHICH DETERMINE THE QUALITY OF A DIAMOND

These four criteria are the cut, the weight, the colour and the purity.

Cut

It means here the way the diamond was cut, its geometry and the facets.
What is a good cut ? A cut which allows the diamond to reflect a maximum of light giving incomparable fire and sparkle.

Some indications :
- When a diamond is cut according to harmonious proportions, light is reflected from one facet to another and is sent out from the top.
- When a diamond is cut too thick, part of the light escapes out through the base.
- When a diamond is cut too flat, the light escapes before being reflected from another facet.
N.B. : the SHAPE of the cut of the diamond does not have an incidence on its quality. Choice here is purely a question of taste.

The most common shapes of cut for a diamond are the following(See illustration) :
Brilliant / Round
Marquise / Navette
Pear
Emerald cut
Oval
Heart shape
Princess
Baguette

Weight

In carats. 1 carat = 0,20 g.

Purity

Purity describes, in absolute terms, absence of any crystallisation, particularities and internal " defects " in the diamond.

International standards have been established to classify diamonds according to their degree of purity (See illustration) :

Pure under magnification : designates a diamond which, when examined by a skilled professional, magnified 10 times, observed in natural light conditions, with an aplanatic and achromatic magnifying glass, is absolutely transparent and without inclusions.

VVS1 - VVS2 (very very small inclusions) : tiny inclusion(s) extremely difficult to see with a magnification x 10.

VS1 - VS 2 (very small inclusions) : very small inclusions which are difficult to see with a magnification x 10.

SI 1 - SI 2 (small inclusions) : tiny inclusion(s) easily visible with a magnification x 10, invisible to the naked eye examined from the side of the crown.

PI -First piqué : inclusion(s) easily visible with magnification x 10, difficult to see with the naked eye when examined from the crown side and not affecting the brilliance.

PII - Second piqué : large and/or numerous inclusions easily visible to the naked eye, when examined from the crown side and slightly affecting the brilliance.

PIII - Third piqué :large and/or numerous inclusions very easily visible to the naked eye, when examined from the side of the crown and distinctly affecting the brilliance.

Colour

The best quality of colour for a diamond is an absence of colour, absolute transparency (" totally white "). See illustration.

Colour scale :