Reclaimed diamonds are any diamonds that are being put to use for a second time, basically they are being recycled. Instead of having diamonds sitting around in jewelry that is outdated or not being worn, they are given a new life. Many people don’t know how easy it is to reuse diamonds, gemstones, and precious metals. Below is an example:

STORY:

My customer had nine diamonds from an eternity band gifted to her by her parents. The ring broke in an accident years ago and has been lying around in a drawer for a decade! She has a jeweler in her home town who removed the diamonds from her broken ring.

Next, she contacted me and told me what she had in mind for them. After mailing the diamonds to me we went over a couple of designs and decided on this simple 18k yellow gold arch. – It also matches the two rings she previously commissioned from me. The diamonds in these two rings were also “reclaimed” from another broken eternity ring gifted by her family. I made two rings out of them, one for my customer and one for her daughter.

PROCESS:

I made this piece with a combination of wax carving and fabrication. My first step was to line up the diamonds and inspect them. During this I found that two were cracked. Depending on the type of crack, this isn’t always a death sentence for a small diamond as you can often cover it up with the setting. However, some cracks cannot be covered or weaken the structure of the diamond so much that it cannot be used. When I found this, I simply contacted my customer and explained the situation. It is not uncommon for diamonds that have been removed from a broken setting to have some damage as well. I let my customer know this and gave her these options: We could shorten the necklace to 9 diamonds instead of 11 and I could return the broken diamonds to her. Or, I could go ahead and try setting them, and let her know what the cost would be to replace each diamond. We decided to go with the second route, the diamond with a very small crack was set without any further damage and the crack was hidden. The more damaged diamond chipped during the setting process. As we discussed I found another matching diamond to replace it with and added the cost to the final price of the necklace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are “reclaimed diamonds” considered to be better for the environment?

While diamond mining is not one of the worst types of mining for the environment, operations with poor regulations can be devastating to the local eco system. Mining operations can lead to soil erosion, water and soil contamination, release of chemicals into the air, deforestation, and relocation of local communities.

Another alternative to new mining of diamonds is to buy lab-created diamonds. Lab created diamonds are diamonds, they have the exact same chemical makeup and structure of a naturally grown diamond. Instead of being baked in the Earth for millions of years, these diamonds are created more quickly and in a lab under simulated conditions. (colored gemstones are also being made synthetically!)

Whether natural, reclaimed, or lab-created they all shine equally bright in my eyes and I’m happy to supply whatever your heart desires!