The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-11-14
DIAMOND CUTTING.

EOEAoCC O0ms
In looking about q diamond cutting
establishment one would hardly sus-
pect the precious character of the
material in use. The floors are bare,
the windows are open, and any one
may enter by the door unchallenged.
Much is trusted to the honesty of the
workmen. but some simple precau-
tions are taken. When a diamond
cutter receives an invoice of stones he
carefully studies each one, and takes
note OF its color, size. weight, and
shape. The whittier ones look like bits
OF clear alum, the darker like clouded
quartz. The rarest and costliest stones
are of sky blue, pink, and black. Or.
dinarily. however, the pure water
colored diamond without tint or flaw
is mostsought after.
When the boss cutter has made &C.
curate record of his rough diamonds
he divides them into groups of four or
five, and gives group to each work.
man. From that time forth the man to
whom they are intrusted is responsible
for the stones. He returns them each
night to the boss and the progress of
the work is carefully noted. In this
way it is made extremely difficult for
fraud to be practiced. A cutter is sell
dom permitted to polish a stone be-
longing to any one but the boss.
Doubtless the workman would be care
full TO avoid confusion. but mistakes
might arise. Now and then clever
substitution is managed, and once in q
long while outright theft is committed.
The first work done upon the rough
diamond is cleaving. The stone is
placed in peculiar cement that softens
easily and hardens quickly. A little
notch on the line of cleavage is made
with another diamond; the edge of an
old razor is placed in this notch, rad
with u sharp blow of the hammer. tho
diamond is split. OF course when q
diamond can be worked whole it is not
split. After cleaving comes cutting.
The diamond is placed in little mass
of cement on the end of stick and
scraped with another diamond SINH
larly imbedded. The cutter has six
points presented to him and he begins
with the one that seems most promis-
ing. His choice decides which shall
be the upper surface of the diamond,
for 10 the brilliant" cutting, which is
the most difficult and the one almost
generally practiced here. the exposed
surface is slightly dattened, while the
underside runs to the apex of pyra-
mid. In this way eight or ten facets
are made.
From the cutter the stone goes to
the grinder, or polisher, who patiently
turns it and turns it, until the swiftly
turning wheel has cut upon the sur
face fifty-eight tiny facets. These
fifty-eight facets appear upon every
diamond cut as brilliant. whether it
be ten-carat stone as broad az your
thumb nail, or tiny spark not bigger
than two pinheads. Now and then q
stone is spoiled in the polishing; some
times one is found that can not be
made to shape itself into the fifty-eight
facets. The wheel on which the
stones are polished is soft iron disk
lined with innumerable curved rays
running from center to circumference.
This is sprinkled with diamond dust
and sweet oil. The moment scratch
sppear on the wheel the diamond must
be removed to some other part Of the
surface.
The finished stone comes from the
wheel covered with gummy oil, but
ten-minute bath in sulphuric acid
leaves the surface clean aud brilliant.
Diamonds pendant from pearly ears. or
shining on snowy threats never look %
beautiful as they look upset and heaped
together upon oiled paper at thu diR-
mond cuttsr' IN. Y. Sun.