Rifle Floorplates with Diamonds

[Mike Dubber]

I'm in the process for engraving a pair of John Bolliger Custom Rifles for a client who is having them built for his wife and daughter. The client requested a theme with subtle hearts and a with birthstones mounted in gold crosses on the floorplates. Most of the work on both rifles is progressing on schedule, but I wanted to finish the floorplates first.

I suggested to the client that in place of traditional color gem birthstones that we use birthstone diamonds instead. First, mounting gem stones in steel might have presented setting problems - they tend to be more brittle on the edges and softer in general for such an application. Then, during the process of bluing, heat, French gray and immersion in chemicals, they could change color, or degrade in some manner.

As they say, diamonds are forever! They are "10" hard, not affected by heat or chemicals, and I felt confident that they could be set permanently in the steel. Color diamonds occur naturally in nature, they are rather rare, and the colors range so much that it would be difficult to find five matching stones as they are used in this application. However, diamonds can be colored by radiation - referred to as "irradiated diamonds." The process does not change the composition or the value of the diamonds. The fact is that all color diamonds that occur in nature as a result of radiation and heat over time.

So these are irradiated birthstone diamonds, color matched and sized (2.5mm VS2) and set with with prong work in the steel plates.

 

[John B.]

Thanks for the info, Mike.
Great work for the lucky ladies.

 

[monk]

totally cool idea as well as the work.

 

[Mike576]

Looks beautiful! Also a good lesson in steering the client in in a slightly different direction which will be better overall for both parties.

 

[Big-Un]

Learned something new about "radiated" diamonds today, thanks Mike.

 

[JMiller]

I like how you incorporated the hearts by using the border inlay, it all works together.

 

[Mike Dubber]

Looks beautiful! Also a good lesson in steering the client in in a slightly different direction which will be better overall for both parties.

Way back in the 70's when I was in my first years at the jewelry bench the street talk was that irradiated diamonds gave off radiation and were dangerous to wear. That wasn't true, but the pubic resisted buying them because of the bad publicity. Early on, when diamond radiation treatment experimentation started, it really was true....treated diamonds gave off a small amount of radiation.
Currently, there are far more refined ways of changing diamond colors, from black to a rainbow of colors, as well as increasing visual clarity by removing imperfections, filling voids with glass, and other methods of improving the color and clarity of diamonds.