The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-10-13
CUTTING DIAMONDS.
The Difficult Art of Making a
Brilliant Gem.
American Africans Superior to
Dutch LapidarieS.


any interest in diamonds imagine that
the cutting Of the stone is the most diff
cult part" said jcweler. This is
not true, however The cutting Is COM
paratively easy, but when it comes to
the polishing the most skilful work has
to be done"
The only diamond cutting and polish
ing establishment west of New York is
in Chicago, and tho Mail tells what pro-
cesses they follow out there.
sIn America we are far ahead of the
old Dutch process" said its informant.
'.IIere we use iron and steel machinery,
while the Dutch still use the crude
wooden machines. In Holland the only
object is to cut a sto3e so as to have it
weigh as much as possible. Not so
with Us. We aim to turn out brilliant
and beautiful stone. The value of a
diamond is estimated by the amount of
fire in it, and not by its weight. Not
long ago we cut four-carat stone down
TO three carats, and its value was in
creased over 800. A crude stone may
be very fine, but if the workman does
not bring out its brilliancy it is not
worth anything. A diamond il the
rough may be pure, sparkling gem,
but if placed in the hands of an unskilled
workman it will not be any moro bril-
liant than an ordinary piece of glass.
"The first process the rough stones
passes through is tn, 'cleaving.' This
is what most verybody calls cutting.
A chisel is used to cl,ave off the rough
parts, and the cleavage is made into
diamond dust. Then comes the tedious
part. Two diamonds are employed, each
cemented into the cad of stick. The
stones arc then rubbed together with a
strong pressure. This requires coasid-
cradle experience. As it can only be
done by hand, it also requires consider
able muscle. After this process the
skill Of the expert is tried. The gem
is placed in solder setting and is then
fastened to a pee, of wood about two
feet long. A steel wheel eighteen inches
pa diameter, making $500 revolutions
minute, is used as tho pol
Usher. The stone In the wood is so
arranged as to be balanced on and
against the wheel, producing only a
Blight friction. Diamond dust is used
on the wheel. An expert can tell In a
minute as sool as the polishing Of a
facet is completed. Sometimes there are
knots in the gems, and their hardness
cannot be imagined. One of our work
men was four weeks polishing down one
facet containing a knot, and on all the
others combined h was but
four days. Tho stones sometimes
contain as many as sixty facets.
The forms usually adopted in cut
ling the diam ond arc the brilliant. the
Fose anil the table. The first form
shows the gem to the best advantage.
It's composed of a principal face, called
he table, surm ounted by number of
accts which are cut upon that part of
he stone which shows above the setting,
lnd which i, called the bezel. The
pose, which is very brilliant, is fiat be-
ow, and cut into facets entirely over
the upper surface.
Our diamonds are obtainc d by imror.
ns direct from South Africa. The
American market takes the best gems
Produced in the fields.
mo gem is so little understood as
The diamond. and stones OF off colors
(nd containing flaws are easily disposed
to the purchaser. Therefore a per-
ION buying diamond should purchase
# rcli bic dealers who have regulations
which thy cannot af n to lose. The
kems are worth from $40 to 500 a
farat, and n slight shade in color will
hake difference of $50 carat.
he shade cannot be detected by the
customer and he is left OF the mercy of
he dealer.
I'VE Ind grca. field now in the re.
u:tiIg o: stones. Tn. DEch do not
Gem to bc able to get all the briIliaucy
ut of stone, and our business in dia-
bond cutting is principally in polishing
Il half-carat and even carat. Stones
hat did not seem 20 contain any fire at
VI have been turned out as brilliant as
Pould be wished"