Our Alternative Diamonds: RT Hand Cut Diamonds

As many of our followers know, we make an effort to ensure each and every one of our handmade jewels is a unique creation: the gemstones we source, the tiny details we add to the designs, and the care and attention we give to each piece during the making process. When it comes to our gemstones, and our diamonds in particular, we pride ourselves in sourcing the most unique diamonds we can find. 

Modern technologies and lasers used in diamond cutting mean that these days many diamonds look very similar to each other. We choose to avoid using such stones where possible, favouring raw diamonds, old cut diamonds from the Georgian and Victorian eras, and diamonds still cut by hand by master European diamond cutters.

Hand cut diamonds possess a charm and individuality that machine cut stones do not, and when looking at the stones there is an immediate connection with the hands that shaped them - they remind us of a history and a skill that is in danger of being lost. We work with one of the last factories in Europe still to cut diamonds entirely by hand: a family run business in the heart of Antwerp, one of the main diamond trading centres in the world. Here’s a behind the scenes look at how they work:

The raw diamonds are mounted onto special tools called dops using a cement-like glue, then they are ‘baked’ in an oven for the glue to set in preparation for cutting or polishing.

A row of polishing brackets - the dops are inserted into the brackets which allow the cutter to hold the stone at a particular angle, then they are lowered onto a turntable covered in diamond paste that slowly polishes material away from the raw diamond crystal. There are lots of different shaped dops depending on the stage of cutting and the final shape of the stone.

The talent behind the hand cutting! We believe it’s SO important to keep these skills alive and avoid any chance of them getting lost to machine. Hand cutting makes each diamond completely unique! 

Working with the team in Antwerp, Ruth dreamed up a unique cut of diamond, she wanted to retain the integrity of the stones natural form, but with more sparkle than a raw diamond provides, thus came about the RT Hand Cut Diamonds. Each RT Hand Cut Diamond is unique and we use them in one-of-a-kind designs that showcase their individual beauty. They are individually cut from our selection of raw diamonds.