An Introduction to Psychology of Culture diversity.pptx
Diamond Faqs - How Are Diamonds Cut_
1. Diamond Faqs - How Are Diamonds Cut?
Diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man. On the Mohs Scale of Hardness they
score 10, which is the top rating. Nothing scores higher. So how on Earth are diamonds cut?
Cutting is the process which transforms the rough gemstone into a certain shape. Cutting allows the
luster and color to be brought out, and gives the gemstone its fire and sparkle. But in its journey
through the cutting process to become a sparkling faceted gemstone, a rough diamond can easily
lose up to 60% of its weight!
Most cutting techniques were developed centuries ago. They are still used today because they are
the most effective way of cutting a diamond, although some of the tools have been refined into
precision instruments over the years! And for every diamond cut, a skilled cutter will use several
processes to get the desired shape.
Two of the most common ways of cutting a rough diamond include cleaving and grinding.
Cleaving is an ancient technique and it involves a great deal of skill. A diamond cutter will inspect the
rough stone carefully, sometimes for days or even weeks if it is a significant or priceless gemstone, in
order to find a point of weakness. A chisel is placed at this flaw and tapped with a hammer to fracture
the diamond at this point. Medieval diamond cutters used harder diamonds to cleave rough
gemstones, using oil to lubricate the cutting and polishing process. This practise is still used even
today.
If the cleaving goes badly, the diamond will be damaged or even completely destroyed. But if it goes
well, it will split into smaller workable gemstones.
The smaller gemstones can be cut into round shapes using diamond coated saws. From this point,
other shapes, such as heart shapes are cut. Facets are then added to the diamond using more
minute saws.
Grinding is the process by which the facets are finished and polished. This is done using the scaif.
This is a polishing wheel infused with olive oil and diamond dust, originally developed 1456. It is so
important to the industry that some have described it as essentially creating a retail market for
diamond jewelry. The scaif allows every facet of a diamond to be polished at precisely the best angle
in a very short time.
These days coating cutting tools with diamond dust to improve their performance is commonplace.
Cutting and polishing machines are powered with electricity and the faceting process is guided by
computers. Nonetheless, little has changed in the diamond cutting process over the centuries and it is
still the skill of the cutter, rather than the shape of the diamond which gives a diamond its value!
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