Crafting a cut diamond from the rough stone takes skill and artistry. Because of a diamond's hardness special tools, techniques and technology are also required to make a beautiful faceted gem.
In 1375, the first guild of diamond cutters and polishers was created in Germany. The guild developed a way of cutting rough diamonds, the point cut, sometime during the second half of the 14th century. This new cutting method reduced waste by following the natural shape of the raw diamond.
There are five major steps to cutting a diamond: planning, cleaving (or sawing), bruting, polishing and final inspection.
Planning involves figuring out how to get the most money from a rough diamond. Diamond manufacturers scan rough gems to get a 3-D view of the stone. Inclusions are looked at as well and help determine the best way to cut the diamond.
The second step is making individual diamonds from the rough stone. The process of separating diamonds from a rough gem is cleaving. When a diamond saw or laser is used to cut the rough diamond into pieces it is called sawing.
Also known as girdling, bruting is the next step in creating a finished diamond. The process involves two diamonds spun in opposite directions to grind against each other and create a round shape.
Next it is time to create the facets of the diamond. This process is known as polishing and is done in three steps—blocking, faceting and polishing.
The last step of the process is the final inspection. During this stage, the diamond is cleaned in acids and studied to see if it meets standards.
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