How Diamonds are Made - Cutting and Polishing a Diamond

When you go shopping for a diamond, you will see beauty everywhere. That is largely because someone cut and polished the diamonds and set them in an appropriate mounting.

Rough Diamonds

Before these diamonds arrived on the counter of the jewelry store, they went through several processes. Diamonds are mined from the earth, so when they first appear, they are dirty and rough. You might even mistake them for rocks. And hence the term “rock” when describing a diamond!

A skilled diamond cutter will take the rough diamond and cut it into several smaller pieces, after examining its shape and size, as well as the number, size and placement of inclusions (flaws). Nowadays, this is commonly done using computer imaging, making the job less complicated than the old-time cutter’s work. The cutter uses special equipment – lasers and saws.

Creating Facets

The next step is to shape the rough diamond by cutting facets, or smooth places on the surface of the stone. Again this is done with specialized equipment. The facets will reflect light, as well as allow light to enter the stone, be refracted and dispersed back out. The facets thus account for the brilliance of the finished piece. In the case of the round cut, these facets are well-standardized and defined. Other cuts may vary in their facet design, with a resulting difference in their sparkle.

The Polish

The final step in preparing a gemstone is to polish it. This is important because the smoother the facets, the more light is reflected, refracted and dispersed to bring out the sparkle of it. The cutter uses special tools and very fine abrasives to achieve the maximum smoothness.

Now, when you look at all that brilliance, you will have a greater appreciation for all the delicate work that went into its preparation.