Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-11-07
DIAMOND CUTTING.
The Various Processes which Go to Make
Perfect Gem.

The Various Processes Which Go to Make
Perfect Gem.
In looking about a 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 most sought after.
When the boss cutter has made ac-
curate record of his rough diamonds
he divides them into groups of four or
five, and gives a 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 a clever
substitution is managed, and once in a
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 liue of cleavage is made
with another diamond; the edge of an
old razor is placed in this notch, and
with sharp blow of the hammer the
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 in the brilliant" cutting, which is
h, a
generally practiced here, the exposed
surface is slightly fattened. while the
underside runs to the apex of pyra-
mid. In this way eight or ten facets
are made.
From the cutter the stono 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 a ten-carat stone as broad as your
thumb nail, or tiny spark not bigger
than two pinheads. Now and then a
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 a scratch
appear 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 a
ten-minute bath in sulphuric acid
leaves the surface clean and brilliant.
Diamonds pendant from pearly ears. or
shining on snowy Threats never look so
beautiful as they look upset and heaped
together upon oiled paper at the dia-
mOnd cutter IN. Y. Sun.