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How This Guy Clones Famous Diamonds | Obsessed | WIRED

John Hatleberg creates replicas of famous diamonds. Watch as the conceptual gem artist takes us all the way through his process, from making molds of original famous diamonds to cutting his own versions. Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►► Want more WIRED? Get the magazine ►►…

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John Hatleberg creates replicas of famous diamonds. Watch as the conceptual gem artist takes us all the way through his process, from making molds of original famous diamonds to cutting his own versions.

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How This Guy Clones Famous Diamonds | Obsessed | WIRED

102 Comments

  1. youlittlerocket

    September 21, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    The first one looked nothing alike

  2. DangDrJay

    September 21, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    here before the juicer reacts xqcL

  3. Sultan Alhud

    September 21, 2021 at 5:02 pm

    He can’t be more jewish than he already is

  4. abitrubbish

    September 21, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    I thought I was nerdy with my micro-soldering and watch making, but this is next level.

  5. Runoratsu

    September 21, 2021 at 5:28 pm

    I think I might’ve just missed it, but… what does he make his replicas out of? I mean, yeah, he first takes a resin mold, but that‘s just for reference. But the end product? Synthetic diamond? Cubic zirconia? I can‘t imagine there are real diamonds in a fitting size and colour available to make a replica of one of the greats…

    • Manendra Madena

      September 21, 2021 at 5:37 pm

      He uses Chrystals, mentions in the first 2 mins. Hope it helps.

    • Runoratsu

      September 21, 2021 at 5:41 pm

      @Manendra Madena but… WHAT crystals? Both synthetic diamond and cubic zirconia are crystals, as well as dozens of other precious stones. “Crystals” is as specific as if you’re asking someone what they drive, and they answer “a car”.

    • radry100

      September 21, 2021 at 5:47 pm

      I think it’s his secret formula.

    • Timothy Delos Santos

      September 21, 2021 at 5:54 pm

      @Manendra Madena yeah he uses CRYTALS – the word is plural meaning he uses many different crystals that fit the criteria for the diamonds he wants to recreate and he also said that the color and the ways that crystal look is important (basically he uses different kinds of crystals )

  6. Ron Adkison

    September 21, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    A sound explanation of what the Chinese do, for every product that America makes.

    • Alex Parker

      September 21, 2021 at 6:50 pm

      do you feel clever?

  7. Daniel Alcántara Pérez

    September 21, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    You can immediately tell this guy has at least 2 cats

    • Alex Parker

      September 21, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      you look like you have three

  8. Make Racists Afraid Again

    September 21, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    “Precision” must be your middle name!

  9. ashin cyril

    September 21, 2021 at 6:00 pm

    9 min of this man talking about his passion cool btwn i liked his passsion 🙂

  10. D-9341

    September 21, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    Well, this guy is amazing. Love his dedication towards perfection

  11. Arne

    September 21, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    *pause* HELLO EVERYBODY!

  12. Lee Silva

    September 21, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    When you LOVE what you do ♥️♥️

  13. Daniel Rieger

    September 21, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    so… he makes a replica and sells it for thousands of dollars? I guess all diamonds values are fake so whatever

  14. Midgetwarrior

    September 21, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    I have no idea what he just said but cool! 😂😂

  15. whiterino666

    September 21, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    i love him

  16. Yahel life

    September 21, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    LoL what if he just sell one and they just believe it’s real 🤣

  17. Syed Ibrahim

    September 21, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    Anybody know that piano piece that started at 5:22?

  18. Cole

    September 21, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    this guy diamonds

  19. Abiyyu Panggalih

    September 21, 2021 at 10:10 pm

    Insane

  20. Jeffrey Norris

    September 21, 2021 at 10:50 pm

    I REPRESENT GOD JESUS AND EVERYONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE BIBLE THAT I WROTE

    • Jeffrey Norris

      September 21, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      Is everybody ready for MY ROYALE BLOOD? “I FEEL TROUBLE COMIN”

    • Jeffrey Norris

      September 21, 2021 at 10:56 pm

      Nobody loves me a lot has anybody been turned into pillars of salt lately let me know

  21. David Jimenez

    September 21, 2021 at 11:04 pm

    This is bill gates brother BTW

  22. Sean

    September 21, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    The question is why?

  23. Saint Blades

    September 21, 2021 at 11:20 pm

    whew chile, the math 🧠

  24. M P

    September 21, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    That’s the opinion where you can’t say suck my D…

  25. manchesterunited212

    September 22, 2021 at 12:23 am

    That first comparison was absolute dogshit

  26. Ariel Malanga

    September 22, 2021 at 1:27 am

    Do you sell replicas?

    • David Ferrer

      September 22, 2021 at 7:41 am

      He literally said he does commission pieces

  27. SUP richie

    September 22, 2021 at 2:48 am

    If it ain’t real it’s phony. Love my gems that are real

  28. Kathryn Carter

    September 22, 2021 at 3:57 am

    Cool

  29. BobbityBob19

    September 22, 2021 at 4:24 am

    I don’t see the value in diamonds at all. Most people wouldn’t know the difference just looking at them. Maybe its the smugness of having something of perceived value.

    • Miriam Meenattoor

      September 22, 2021 at 11:24 am

      They’re super rare? Also each cut diamond is a piece of art? What’s the point in art then? It’s essentially just paint on canvas?

    • BobbityBob19

      September 22, 2021 at 11:39 am

      @Miriam Meenattoor yep, just like each piece of cut glass is a piece of art, but much cheaper than diamonds and yet look the same.

    • gun10ck

      September 22, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      @Miriam Meenattoor They’re not rare so much as regulated to create that illusion.

  30. iLLeag7e

    September 22, 2021 at 4:35 am

    bling bling

  31. CurseTheDarkness

    September 22, 2021 at 5:21 am

    I love seeing passionate people who are good at their jobs.

  32. NinjaMatul

    September 22, 2021 at 6:14 am

    Let’s protect this man at all costs. Knowing the diamond industry it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets into an “accident” if he ever finds a way to make these replicas more easily and more scalable.

    • David Ferrer

      September 22, 2021 at 7:39 am

      Lmao the man has clearly been doing it for decades. They aren’t worried about him. Plenty of massive cutting edge labs are out creating lab made diamonds but they are gonna be worried about a guy who makes replicas with crystals.
      Ever been to a diamond expo ? You won’t believe but guess what kinda vendors are there ? 😳 oh that’s right lab grown diamond manufacturers

    • NinjaMatul

      September 22, 2021 at 10:55 am

      @David Ferrer Sure, whatever you say, taking-this-weirdly-personal guy.

  33. Dan

    September 22, 2021 at 7:44 am

    Imagin someone trying to sell him a fake Dimond

  34. Dan

    September 22, 2021 at 7:47 am

    He gives such a positive vibe

  35. Mac

    September 22, 2021 at 7:50 am

    This guy definitely has bodies in the basement.

  36. SD B

    September 22, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    Sooo…just thinking….maybe they could replicate the kohinoor and return the stolen item back to India? I mean how long does it take for the moral compass to align correctly.

  37. Mavourneen

    September 22, 2021 at 12:30 pm

    I likked the comparison to flowers, followed by opposing their beauty as ephemeral versus long-lasting

    • krishna murli

      September 22, 2021 at 12:49 pm

      ‘;

  38. dingus153

    September 22, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    I honestly have no idea how this dude works with such a messy workstation

  39. Tom

    September 22, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    I wish I had this amount of talent and passion about anything.

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    September 22, 2021 at 2:52 pm

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    September 22, 2021 at 3:04 pm

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  42. Riss A

    September 22, 2021 at 3:44 pm

    SO interesting! I love Wired!

  43. Mirface

    September 22, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    Is he Jewish?)😅

  44. Jenna

    September 22, 2021 at 7:26 pm

    He seems so sweet 🙂

  45. llwyd anwyl

    September 22, 2021 at 11:41 pm

    didn’t really get many close ups of the diamonds

  46. Edge

    September 23, 2021 at 1:11 am

    Why not? The whole gem industry is all about owning a piece of rock nobody else has.

  47. Alejandro AD

    September 23, 2021 at 1:38 am

    This gentleman is a genius! It is always great to see those who put so much love and effort into what they do that they end up creating master pieces such as these replicas. Great job Mr!

  48. candy floss

    September 23, 2021 at 2:55 am

    John Hatleberg, what did you think of the replica necklace used in Oceans 8?

  49. Godspeed Rides

    September 23, 2021 at 5:33 am

    Absolutely perfect. 👍😃

  50. TesserId

    September 23, 2021 at 9:32 am

    That chrysocolla sample is stunning. Not only is it a very large one, the richness of the color is exceptional. Common pieces, small enough to fit in your palm, would go for $30 to $40 and have an irregular texture. I wouldn’t even dare to try and put a price on the one shown here. It’s surely 4 figures or more.

    • the lonely ghost

      September 24, 2021 at 6:50 pm

      He has (or used to have) his own YouTube channel. I remember it because I used to watch it all the time. I remember him saying that he paid $30,000 for that piece

    • TesserId

      September 25, 2021 at 7:59 am

      @the lonely ghost Thanks. I would totally watch that channel if it can be found.

  51. TesserId

    September 23, 2021 at 9:33 am

    I’d like to know more about the material used. Or, is that proprietary?

    • Kenna Livia

      September 27, 2021 at 1:02 pm

      youtu.be/cBd8mbXsWbM I love seeing passionate people who are good at their jobs.

    • Rita 25 y.o - check my vidéó

      September 27, 2021 at 1:02 pm

      youtu.be/cBd8mbXsWbM I love seeing passionate people who are good at their jobs.

  52. abhi4u20

    September 23, 2021 at 9:49 am

    Oceans 15

  53. Jezza Lenko

    September 23, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    ……Swaps out original with drop dead replica

  54. Anthony Martin

    September 23, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺
    To

  55. Mi housebox

    September 23, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    He’s just a crazy resin lady that likes shiny plastic, nothing more. SMFH

    • rtd1791

      September 24, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      Rewatch. You missed a crucial detail. Resin is a mock-up.

  56. Nicola Slater

    September 24, 2021 at 2:11 am

    You have a tyin

  57. Tommy James

    September 24, 2021 at 3:03 am

    Adam Sandler looks different here.

  58. James Kirk

    September 24, 2021 at 3:23 am

    Ok but I wanna know the story behind the Egyptian death mask he has displayed so prominently

  59. Watching You!

    September 24, 2021 at 10:23 pm

    facinating. thank you.

  60. Chris Kelly

    September 25, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    Genuine question: What is the purpose of replicating a diamond? Why would someone who has a Diamond want a fake version of it?

    • Dane

      September 26, 2021 at 1:26 am

      Most likely to put the replica on display, and the original I storage; for safety.

  61. Ricardo Arias

    September 25, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    Ok I’m

  62. HEAVEN BOUND

    September 27, 2021 at 2:52 am

    In the beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth. God Said Let there Be Light and there was Light AND GOD SAW THAT THE LIGHT WAS GOOD..

  63. Francesca Arco

    September 27, 2021 at 11:45 am

    John is actually the uncle of one of my best friends. I hope I can meet him someday, my friend’s family is so amazingly kind and fun.

  64. Phillip J

    September 27, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    I assume it’s a little museum theater. Things vulnerable to theft of high value never go on display instead they keep it in a vault and use high quality replicas.

  65. Abraham gomez

    September 28, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    This is just silly to cut a replica diamond and using the same angles as the original gem is, I’m sure he isn’t cutting synthetic diamonds because of the faceting machine he uses which couldn’t withstand a diamond of any kind. so he is probably cutting quartz or another material with different optical properties. So even if all the angles are the same the gems will look completely different because of how light reflects differently because of the angles and the gems optical properties. I’m not sure what took him so much time to cut those gems although I respect his dedication you can make a better replica by just replicating the cut and facets by eye and not take month to cut a gem that would take only three days to cut and finish

  66. ĐARKツZAID

    September 29, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    your video of solving the rubik’s cube was 100 percent working and it was awsome.Thanks for showing such a amazing content

  67. Mister Banshee

    September 30, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    I really want to order a custom gem off of him lol

  68. kim jong un

    October 1, 2021 at 8:04 am

    this guy’s forehead is a whole airport

  69. Mrcutieluvsu01

    October 1, 2021 at 9:38 pm

    I don’t like this guy. He’s cis and white

  70. kenz

    October 2, 2021 at 11:58 am

    It is brilliant if you think it is brilliant. It is just a stone.

  71. Tandiamonds

    October 3, 2021 at 10:15 pm

    Diamonds are an insane rip off. There’s way more diamonds then gold. Gold is so much cooler

  72. 2degucitas

    October 4, 2021 at 3:31 pm

    I have a lap machine and have been polishing stones, just semi precious. Cabochons. I’ve been fascinated (pun intended) with precious gem cutting. Maybe someday I will learn.

  73. AnalogOsprey

    October 5, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    This guy’s drawing plans and sketches are the type of thing I would love to have in a book print

  74. smiley

    October 6, 2021 at 7:30 am

    Amazing person

  75. Deer War Veteran

    October 6, 2021 at 10:32 am

    i love people who do incredibly niche jobs but are absolute masters at it, and are just full of passion

  76. crazyd3uces

    October 6, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    It’s already perfect but I take it and make my version of perfect. Wow. Wisdom for life there.

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