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The Journey of
a Tiffany Diamond

Treasured from the moment they’re culled from the earth, Tiffany diamonds selected for our engagement rings never leave the hands of highly skilled artisans, who transform the stone from rough gem to refined beauty. The diamonds that we cut and polish in our own state-of-the-art workshops ensure that we honor the places and people that provide us with such astonishing beauty.

View The Film
Step One

Responsible Mining

Protecting the natural world that inspires our jewelry lies at the heart of Tiffany culture. As a long-time leader in sustainable luxury, Tiffany advocates to establish global standards for ethical diamond sourcing. Unlike other jewelers, we obtain our diamonds and raw precious metals through direct sourcing relationships, because traceability is key to ensuring that mines are operated in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

To advance rigorous and more responsible mining practices, we were early supporters of the Kimberley Process and helped found the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an organization making significant strides in establishing global mining standards.

Over the years we have actively opposed new mine development in locations of high ecological or cultural value where mining should never take place, such as Yellowstone National Park and
Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Step Two

Making The Cut

Once a rough diamond is deemed worthy of Tiffany, it is delivered straight to our own diamond cutting studio. Here is where the stone takes shape in the hands of a Tiffany expert, who follows a unique geometric plan to reveal the diamond’s natural splendor.

99.96%
99.96% of the world’s gem-grade diamonds are rejected by Tiffany.

Precision of cut is the most important factor in determining a diamond’s beauty, so the craftsperson’s technical expertise, exactitude and artistry are critical. Many of Tiffany’s cutters and polishers bring decades of experience to their craft.

From the tiniest melee to the grandest solitaire, Tiffany diamonds are cut to maximize brilliance, dispersion and scintillation. Tiffany cutters are more than craftspeople, they’re truly artists.

Step Three

Polishing

Once a diamond’s specific geometric plan is determined, it makes its way to an expert polisher at a state-of-the-art workshop. Tiffany’s workshops provide robust training programs and jobs in local communities.

We proudly hire local artisans, investing in the craft and management skills of individual workers and the economic potential of the regions in which we operate.

94%
94% of the polishers employed in our Botswana studios are hired from the local community.

At this stage in the diamond’s journey, a Tiffany polisher uses a polishing wheel sprinkled with diamond crystals to bring out the newly cut stone’s luster, symmetry and unique inner brilliance. After each facet has been thoroughly examined, a Tiffany diamond is ready to be graded.

Step Four

Grading

Next stop on a Tiffany diamond’s world tour: the Tiffany Gemological Laboratory, our diamond grading facility in New York. Every diamond is inspected to ensure the 4Cs are up to Tiffany standards. If any of the measurements are off by even a fraction of a millimeter, it will be sent back to be re-cut and polished until it has reached its full potential.

1,300 The estimated number of times a Tiffany diamond is inspected, from rough stone to finished ring.
Step Five

Setting

Finally, the diamond is ready to be set. Because every Tiffany diamond is unique, each setting is uniquely handcrafted so that the final design honors the diamond.

A Tiffany setter fashions a mounting out of platinum or 18k yellow or rose gold that gently clasps the stone at the girdle, so that light can freely enter and exit the diamond, releasing a beautiful spectrum of colors. Each prong and basket is individually adjusted to reveal the beauty of the stone, requiring great accuracy, grace and care.

Before and after the stone is placed in the finished setting, the jewelry polisher goes back over every surface with a small buffer to ensure that the gleaming precious metal is as splendid as the diamond it showcases. This attention to detail is our trademark, and is yet another way in which Tiffany treats every diamond like the work of
art it is.

A Lifetime of Happiness

Once it makes the grade, each Tiffany solitaire diamond is given a proprietary serial number, inscribed by a laser and invisible to the naked eye. This singular inscription allows it to be traced back to its Tiffany Diamond Certificate, which is backed by a Full Lifetime Warranty. Other diamond reports, including those from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), do not contain such guarantees, and even carry disclaimers. Tiffany holds itself accountable for the accuracy of its diamond grades for life, ensuring that a Tiffany engagement ring remains as special as the promise made when it was given or received.

Step Six

Ready For Its Blue Box

After a worldwide journey and up to a year in the care of Tiffany experts, a Tiffany diamond is ready for its Blue Box.

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