Know the Material: Diamond Cut

There are a number of finishes that can be applied to jewelry and we use a variety of those options in our pieces depending on what works best. These specific finishes are the most well known and are created by tools: polished, matte, and hammered. In this post, we are going to look at a lesser understood finish, diamond cut.

This particular finish gives a little extra sparkle to a few of our pieces, for example, our satellite chain that we use in pieces like our Olympic Rings have diamond cut sterling silver beads. Other examples are the circles and ovals in our Cat’s Eye earrings which are entirely diamond cut. These pieces stand out due to the extremely small angled cuts that have been placed into the metal. These cuts create variation in the metal that catches the light at different angles and reflects its rays that make the piece glitter.

It is referred to as “Diamond Cut” because these marks are created with diamond headed tools and remove the surface layer of the material. This is particularly striking on plated materials when the surface metal is removed to reveal the base metal. For example, if a plated gold piece was given a Diamond Cut finish the sterling silver would peak through to enhance the sparkle effect. So when you are browsing our selection, in person or online, and see something that is super sparkly you know exactly why and how! To get even more sparkle, check out our diamond nugget that hangs from a diamond cut satellite chain (N166MS)!