Little Diamonds Get a Terrific New Life

 

 

I run into clients all the time with small caches of tiny diamonds. Sometimes they’re loose. Sometimes not.

Often, the diamonds are set in some ancient—and out of date—piece of jewelry.

How About Some Inspiration?

What do you do with them? Well this Santa Barbara Jeweler has lots of ideas, dive right in and find your inspiration.

Re-using Very Tiny Diamonds

My client had a plastic bags of tiny diamonds and wanted a three bangle stacking set. She likes black, so one of the bangles was created in oxidized silver. She also went with black diamonds for her white gold bangle. They not only pop wonderfully, but were less expensive.

Redesigning Unworn Tennis Bracelet Diamonds

One day Mary Jane called me. “Calla,” she said, “I’m not wearing my tennis bracelet anymore and I remember your mantra, ‘Wear it Don’t Warehouse it!’”

Let’s do something with my diamonds.”

 

We made her a white gold cuff bracelet. She wanted a bold, wear it everyday, informal design.  First we decided on an ideal width. In discussing texture I found out she liked the hammer finish. The width we chose complimented another piece she loved. Mary Jane’s diamonds are channel set in yellow gold for a nice pop of color.

Yay, Mary Jane, for using your unworn diamonds!

Use Bezel Settings to Space Your Gemstones

We made this bracelet to utilize family opal. Since the opal came from more than one ring, they weren’t perfect matches. Using popped up bezel settings to separate gemstones in a piece, allows you to have a bold piece of jewelry, yet keep it casual and use the number of diamonds and gems you have without needing to add more.

Sometimes you just have a few beloved diamonds, but you want them to get some good love. Bezel setting the above emeralds really highlights them. This Etruscan style is a wonderful way to frame gemstones. This pair of earrings would look wonderful with diamonds as well.

We used diamonds from different rings, both older cuts, to create this wonderful ring. I am a fan of using hand engraving and the milgrain edge on the bezel with older cut diamonds.

Using Different Sized Small Diamonds

Small diamonds that don’t match in size can be used most successfully with the pave style of setting. It’s French for paving a road. We pave set the diamonds into the design we are making. I set the larger diamonds in the center and graduate smaller diamonds outward from the center. This works in pendants and rings.

Different sized diamonds can work well in stacking rings with shapes. The rings above have bezel-set larger gems and flush set smaller gems in the marquis shape design.

Using freeform designs in rings, pendants, etc nicely uses different shapes of smaller diamonds. A bonus with this type of design is the fact that you can also use subtly different colors of diamonds. If one is a but grayer, it can nestle in the lowest position.

I can’t help myself. I love this ring so much. When using different sizes and colors of diamonds, the differences are de-emphasized by varying the texture and introducing oxidation, (blackening) to the piece. Adding an uneven edge to the piece, making it read as more freeform and artistic is quite helpful.

Using Tennis Bracelet Diamonds to Make a Cross

We used tennis bracelet diamonds to create this beautiful cross. We had some leftover diamonds and made reversible diamond stations on the chain. There was another pretty diamond unused in her collection and it went into the center of the cross.

Wear it Don’t Warehouse it!

The moral of the story is not to let your old diamonds sit unused in the dark, dusty, corners of your jewelry box.

Your Personal Jeweler
Calla