Inlay jewelry is created by placing jewels into channels cut into the object. Turquoise and diamond inlay jewelry The shape of these channels corresponds to the shape of the gemstones attached, which are normally secured in place with glue. The glue can later be heated to remove any residual moisture or trapped gas, restoring the piece to its full beauty. Diamond inlay is similar to pearl inlay in that it involves taking a jewel and setting it within another stone. However, diamond inlay requires more skill and precision than pearl inlay because you are working with much smaller stones that are very difficult to handle without proper equipment. Modern diamonds can be used as the source material for inlaying jewelry. They are often selected with care by a professional appraiser to represent different quality levels- from perfect white diamonds, to slightly colored diamonds, to black diamonds. Inlay work starts with a rough block of some kind. This could be a natural rock, but it usually takes the form of a polished stone to make mounting easier. The mount is then filled with colorless glass or plastic and polished until only the inlay is visible. The entire process may require several refinishing steps to get just the right amount of luster on the inlay. The term "diamond inlay" covers a wide variety of objects mounted with gems of various colors and qualities.