Gems, jewelry… Who didn't take their breath away when they saw them? And which of the young ladies or ladies would not like to have several, if not unique, then expensive jewelry in their jewelry box? And diamonds are "girls' favorite friends." Who and how produces these amazing crystals, the edges of which reflect and refract light, striking people with their splendor?
Kristall Jewelry Factory
It is wrong to talk about a plant in a single copy, there are several such plants. Let's focus on Smolensk as one of the oldest and largest enterprises producing unique collections and high quality stones.
Smolensk factory was opened in 1961. This was the birth of the diamond processing industry in the USSR. Later, six more production facilities were created, which were controlled by the Kristall jewelry factory. New equipment was mastered, new forms of cutting were developed. Therefore, Smolensk is called the "Capital of Diamonds of Russia": modern technology and first-class products have made the company a leader in the country.
Modern approaches and traditions
This is a strategically important company that actively contacts and competes with foreign firms and takes its rightful place in the global diamond community.
The range is very rich: rings, earrings, pendants, cufflinks, bracelets and other products. The company produces premium class jewelry crystals - various colors, cuts, weights. Smolensk craftsmen can make a stone according to a customer's sketch.
Russian-cut diamonds are unique Yakut stones. All of them must pass quality control, which meets international standards. The cut of crystals is both standard and fancy. Yes, and the size of jewelry crystals varies: from 0.01 to 100 carats and above. Craftsmen from different countries work here, new technologies are created, which makes it possible for the company to always be on top.
Creating a copy of the Grand Imperial Crown
The main symbol of the power of the Russian monarchs is the Great Imperial Crown, in 2012 it turned 250 years old. Her insurance price is $100 million.
Smolensk masters in honor of this date decided to recreate the symbol of the Russian throne and statehood. About 60 jewelers undertook to make a replica (copy). The replica is similar to the original, but will cost more. In its manufacture, gold was used instead of silver, more than 11,000 diamonds (half as many in the original), 74 pearls. A rare rubelite stone crowns the crown. She weighs over 2 kg. Now it is part of the exposition of the treasury of the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation. So Smolensk jewelry crystals helped to recreate the historical treasure of Russia.
How a diamond turns into a diamond
Crystal, jewelry from it is not so easy. The diamond itself in its original form is just a beautiful hard mineral, similar to ordinary glass. To make it shine with all its facets, jewelry processing is needed. The price of a mineral is directly related to the quality of processing. Jewelry crystals can be obtained by sometimes losing half of the stone.
Several centuries ago, they tried to mathematically calculate the proportions of the cut, giving light overflows of the stone and refraction of color. In 1919, 20-year-old mathematician Marcel Tolkowsky completed the calculations and published a book. It is on his book that the craftsmen who produce Russian-cut diamonds are guided. The classic brilliant cut consists of 57 facets, it is she who gives the “play of stone”. The cost of the product depends on several indicators:
- The shape of the cut. Round is considered classic, in addition to which fantasy shapes are used, which allows you to create unique jewelry.
- Color. There are colorless forms and forms that have shades of varying intensity. Shaded diamonds are rare in nature and highly valued.
- Clean. The crystal "grows" for a long time, and in the process of growth, various inclusions may appear in it. There is a classification by frequency groups: the fewer defects, the more valuable the stone.
- Weight. Measured in carats. Weighs one carat0.2 g. The cost of one carat is taken from the calculation, and jewelry crystals show the total weight.
A diamond is believed to bring good luck. It has always been considered the stone of winners. This is the talisman of Julius Caesar and Napoleon. Diamond began to be processed late because of its extraordinary hardness. Only in the 15th century did the first attempts to cut it appear. Today we have a dream crystal: a masterpiece of jewelry created by human genius. And when you look at it, it seems that there, somewhere in the depths of the shimmering crystal, lies a mystery that we cannot unravel.
