Today we are going to delve into one of the goldsmith techniques: diamond plating! If you are thinking that we will talk about precious stones, emeralds, rubies and topaz, unfortunately you are wrong, diamond plating is a technique with a misleading name: it has to do with diamonds, but not so much.

Let's go in order. We visited Michele, a friend who has been working in diamond cutting for many years and we visited his laboratory in Arezzo, just outside the center. He showed us his machinery and explained the whole process.

(Michele and Marco - Winter 2018)

Let's start with the basics: diamond plating is a goldsmith technique that serves to make jewels shine by removing a small part of the silver on the surface and thus creating a mirrored side that reflects the light.

How is it done? You need a lathe - a traditional machine that works by rotation - to which you apply an empty horizontal cylinder. On the outside of the cylinder you roll up the chain to be diamond-cut and inside the cylinder you make a coolant flow.

The chain is generously wetted with water, the coolant inside the cylinder freezes the water and the wrapped chain. What is this step for? The frozen chain remains compact and rigid, if worked without ice it would break and risk breaking.

At this point 5 diamond tips (here they are, finally!) are placed next to the chain, natural or synthetic stones can be used. In Michele's case natural stones. The lathe is turned on and the diamond tips remove a few millimeters of chain to create the mirrored surface mentioned above. The removed material is a shaving of ice and silver, which can then be refined and fully recovered.

The chain is washed at room temperature to be thawed and on to the next side! Consider that a chain can be diamond cut on 2, 4 or 8 sides.

Michele - simply Cuma for his friends - is 40 years old and has been doing this job since '98. A year ago, the company where he worked for over 20 years became his.

“The best thing about my job,” he says, “is seeing my customers satisfied and always having to learn new things, because every chain has to be treated in its own way. The worst thing is dealing with really thin chains or those that are badly made, which always risk breaking.”

The profession of diamond cutter is very much in demand in the goldsmith sector - which as you know in Arezzo is one of the main sectors! - because there are not many people who know how to do this type of work, Michele says that with a little good will in a year you can learn.

The most valuable advice you've received?

“First learn to work well, then learn to work fast!”