For my diamond, I went for a classic design and wanted to juxtapose three different aluminum finishes, raw, brushed, and sandblasted. I first designed the diamond with a lion cutout in the style of medieval heraldry. I also designed a vinyl stencil that allowed me to mask the inside of the diamond so I could sandblast just the outer perimeter. I then cut the diamond from 1/16 inch aluminum and cut the stencil from blue vinyl. I applied the stencil, sandblasted around it, and brushed the back of the diamonds. I finally used the fiber laser to engrave the postprocessing steps on the back of the diamond. Overall I am happy with how they turned out and like the contrast between the three aluminum finishes.

Cost Breakdown:

• 1/2 sq ft 1/16 inch aluminum – $5 wholesale
• 5 hrs at $15/hr – $75

Total cost $80 or $40 per diamond