| Judging
Craftsmanship
You can find fault with any piece of diamond jewelry if you
look hard enough. Somewhere there will be a little pit, scratch,
unevenness, or lack of symmetry. If these deviations are so
obvious that they detract from the beauty of the piece, then
the craftsmanship can be classified as unacceptable. Judging
craftsmanship is more a matter of assessing the overall effect
of a piece than of adding up all of its minor defects.
Good
craftsmanship entails a variety of skills. Just making a simple-looking
diamond ring can be a complex, time-consuming process. The
major steps involved are:
Designing the ring
Making the mounting
Picking the diamonds for the ring
Setting the diamonds
Polishing and/or plating the ring
Since
each step requires different skills, it is normal for several
people to be involved in making a ring. If the ring is cheap
and of low quality, these steps may be carried out as fast
as possible by low-paid, poorly skilled workers.
Perhaps
you're wondering how you can recognize a low-quality ring.
Even though there are no formal written standards for jewelry
craftsmanship, most jewelers would agree that the characteristics
described in the following section indicate poor craftsmanship.
For the sake of clarity, they are organized in terms of four
of the manufacturing steps (design and style were already
discussed in Chapter Twelve).
Normal for several
Patterns
are intentionally
Ring
that meets
Die-struck
mounting
Aesthetically
pleasing appearance
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