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Our Workshop
A glimpse behind the scenes
At The Natural Sapphire Company we have a fully functioning workshop where we cut our sapphires and manufacture the finest custom jewelry. Our standards are of the highest quality. We maintain and manage our production full time; supervising everything from the cutting of the rough crystals to the polishing on each piece of jewelry.
The cutting process
Everything we do starts with our sapphires. We like to think that we specialize in stone cutting more than
any other step in the jewelry making process. Our sapphires are faceted and polished right here in New York. Each shape, facet and angle is carefully selected in all of our sapphires. We truly are gem cutters.

Cutting Process Diamond
The cutting process begins by selecting and sorting the various colors and qualities of the rough material.
Large inclusions are cut out of the rough sapphire for better inspection and analysis.
We pre-form our sapphire rough to the desired shape before we begin faceting the stone.
After we shape the sapphire rough, we attach it to a cutting pin with special wax for faceting.
Faceting a sapphire takes great talent and care. It takes decades to master this rare skill.
It all starts with a sketch
Every fine piece of jewelry starts with imagination. Our in-house, award-winning designers begin with hand sketching. We move through
various phases of construction and design, and the final design is given to our CAD specialists or a jeweler that specializes in
handmade fabrication.
rings
The first step of any design is the jeweler’s sketch
Computer renderings
We use the latest technology and CAD
techniques to create our custom jewelry.

Our Custom Order Settings

Computer generated images allow us to create unlimited designs and modifications without having to go through the actual manufacturing process.

Computer renderings give unlimited potential in planning for the model of the final design. We can create virtual jewelry in any metal color to preview the design before the final selection is made and produced. We do all of our jewelry designs in-house. Our CAD designers are the best in the industry!

Our Lapidary - Gem Cutting
We employ a combination of old world techniques and modern technology. We extensively study all of our sapphires to determine their optimal cutting options and use the latest 3D scanning equipment to maximize the potential of all of our gemstones. Our scanning and mapping equipment is the latest technology available in gemology.



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Detailed renderings of a blue sapphire ring with diamond side stones

From Rendering to Polymer Wax Model

Once the final design is approved, we begin the manufacturing of the jewelry piece. This next step involves using a sophisticated model building machine. We have the latest technology used in this process. See a sample video of our model building machine here.

Once we have the completed polymer wax model we can start the metal casting process.

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Completed wax models
Casting, Polishing & Setting

The Manufacturing Process

A precious metal form is cast from a mold of our polymer wax model. We then use old world crafting techniques to produce fine, handmade jewelry. There are dozens of steps in this process. Each one is carefully preformed by skilled craftsmen. Our experience in fine jewelry over 70 years assures for the highest quality standards.

Gold is melted and refined to remove impurities. It is poured into the jewelry mold to create a metal casting.
A jeweler cuts away the sprues from a ring. Sprues are small channels in the jewelry mold through which the molten gold flows during the casting process.
Jewelry is polished using a variety of techniques.
A jeweler uses a polishing wheel to apply the perfect finish to a ring.
Setting the sapphires is the final step in creating a finished piece of jewelry.


   

There are many ways to set a sapphire.

Fig A. - Diagram of a bezel setting
  Fig B. - Diagram of a sapphire mounted in a prong setting

The finished jewelry piece is truly a work of art.

This ring features a “claw” style prong setting and
two flanking half-moon diamonds.