Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, but they don’t just pop out of the ground ready to be admired. From start to finish, it takes about nine months for diamonds to become one of the most durable and beautiful gems in the world, but you probably don’t know all the steps that go into making them. We do, and we wrote a guide to tell you all about it! Read on to learn more about what happens during each step of the diamond scanner!
The Diamond Facet
The first step of turning a rough diamond into a gemstone worthy of being set in an engagement ring or worn on a necklace for national television’s favourite reality TV star involves cutting it. First, diamond cutters use machines called diamond scanner to analyze a stone’s measurements. Then, they put on safety goggles and make several small incisions on a diamond with high-powered lasers. This allows them to see where they need to cut to bring out its true sparkle; after all, nobody wants diamonds that look like giant chunks of coal!
These days, some jewelers have begun using 3D diamond scanner. They capture thousands of snapshots of a diamond and then send them to your computer screen, allowing you—the consumer—to visualize how dazzling your prized possession will be when set in jewelry. Using these fancy gadgets has proven beneficial because customers are more likely to buy diamonds if they’re able to try them before they buy. Since sales representatives no longer take home 90% commission rates as was common practice just 10 years ago (that number is closer to 60% now), using diamond scanner makes sense financially.
The Girdle
Before a diamond can make its way to your ears, fingers, or toes, it has to be cut and polished. This stage of diamond making relies on both man and machine. If you look at a raw diamond that’s just been pulled from its mother rock (over 95% of mined diamonds are still rough), you’ll see that it’s encircled by a thin layer of minerals called the girdle. Since its surface area is often uneven, it makes sense to remove some material first before moving on to polishing. The girdle is normally removed using something called a diamond saw or a diamond scanner. A diamond saw uses an abrasive disc with teeth that spins very quickly—it cuts through diamonds like butter. A diamond scanner uses a laser beam to burn away diamonds. It takes longer than a diamond saw but doesn’t require as much manual labour since all you have to do is move a laser around until it hits every part of the diamond. Most companies use both methods when cutting diamonds because they offer different benefits: lasers are more precise but slower, while saws are faster but less accurate.
The Crown
The cutting step, one of three in what’s known as the Crown Jewelers Process, can be a tough one for jewellery makers. The diamond scanner makes it possible to do an incredibly precise job with your cut and maximize your stone’s potential. Take a look at some amazing cuts on Rough Diamond Scanning that have been graded by GIA and you’ll be amazed by what people have done with them! For example, take a look at these four diamonds—all of which are princess cuts that were given a GIA certificate: At First Sight: Princess diamonds get their name from their resemblance to classic princess-cut engagement rings. Diamonds like these are rectangular and cut into smaller rectangles within rectangles so they fit nicely together. They also boast square corners, which gives them more sparkle than other shapes. Imagine how much more gorgeous diamonds like these would be if they had perfectly angled corners and edges! That’s where diamond scanner come in handy. With a diamond scanner, jewelers can see precisely where they need to make adjustments before sending out their stones for grading. This allows them to make any changes necessary to ensure that their finished product meets or exceeds industry standards—and doesn’t fall short of customers’ expectations.
The Pavilion
Once diamonds have been processed into rough stones, they are taken to The Pavilion—one of Rio Tinto’s 50-story diamond sorting factories. There, a rotating diamond scanner assesses each stone’s quality and symmetry. This tool looks at 72 parameters that include colour, clarity, carat weight and imperfections (called carbon spots) that can make a diamond appear yellow. To be considered gem quality, a stone must score well enough to be placed into one of three categories: Very Good Cut; Good Cut; or Poor Cut (these labels are defined by GIA). Diamond Making Process were introduced by Rio Tinto in 1985 when management sought to place more control over how stones were cut and further improve product quality. Since then, The Pavilion has reduced diamond rejection rates from around 30% to less than 1%. Today, an estimated 99% of all diamonds leaving Yarrabee are top quality goods. That may seem like an obvious win for both customers and suppliers—but it wasn’t always so clear. In 1995 we thought [diamond scanner] would slow down cutting times and cause delays in getting diamonds out to customers, says Rothwell. But once we saw that production could increase dramatically while still maintaining high standards for diamonds, we realized it was a very smart move.
