The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1889-11-15
THE DIAMOND CUTTERS.
HOW THEY WORK AND WHAT THEY
EARN IN NEW YORK CITY. ,~.

EARN IN NEW YORK CITY. SOC.
|! one Hundred Men Who Make High Wages
IL, the Nice Work-Something About the
| Method .f Grinding and Polishing the
| Beautiful Stones.
The fifteen diamond cutting concerns
of New York polish 10000 carats Of
rough diamonds each year, rather more
than the annual output of the Brazilian
mines. One hundred skilled workmen
are employed in the trade, and the
bosses say that the diamond cutters of
New York are the best in the world.
The business has grown up within ten
or fifteen years, but already most of the
apprentices are native Americans. A
clever lad beginning the trade at IS may
become a skilled workman in five or six
years The best diamond cutters under
favorable conditions earn from $40 to
soo week, These are better wages
than those earned by any save the most
famous foreign diamond cutters. Work.
nen here are more intelligent and trust
worthy than those of Holland, France
or England, the chief diamond cutting
countries of Europe Theft is common
abroad. but unusual here.
KEEPING THE RECORDS.
In looking about diamond cutting es-
Enlistment one would hardly suspect
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 workman, butsome simple
precautions are taken When 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
rircst and costliest stones are of sky blue,
pink and black. Ordinarily, however,
the pure water colored diamond without
tint OF flaw is most sought after.
When the boss cutter has made accu-
rate record Of his rough diamonds he
divides them into groups of four or five
and gives a group to each workman.
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 prac-
ticed. A cutter is seldom permitted to
polish stone belonging to any one but
the boss. Doubtless the workman would
be careful to avoid confusion, but mis-
takes might arise. Now and then clever
substitution is managed, and once in
long while outright theft is committed
The first work done upon the rough
diamond iscleaving Thestone is placed
i'll peculiar cement that suftens 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, and with a smart
h!3w of The hammer the diamond is split.
Ufcourse, when diamond can be worked
whole it is not split. After cleaving comes
cutting. The diamond is placed in a
little mass ct cement on the end of a
stick, and scraped with another diamond
similarly inbedded. The cutter h;.s; six
points presented to him. and he begins
with the one that seems most promising.
His choice decides which shall be the up
per surface of the diamond, for in the
brilliant cutting. which is the most
difficult and the one almost generally
pri;f.:ticed here, the exposed surface is
sk 1iiy il:tttened, while the under side
rt ito the apex of Il pyramid In this
way el%sll oi ten facets are uHiae
FROM tie cutter the stone goes to the
grinder oi 'oiisher, who patiently turns
ii and turns it until the swiftly whirling
wheel llascllt upon the surface fifty y-eight
tiny facets These fifty eight facets APP
peal upon every diamond cut as a brill
ian: whether it be a ten carat stone as
bread as s'o;ir thumb nail. or a tiny spark
moi ;igser than two pin heads Now and
then Il stone is spoiled in the polishing;
sometimes one is found that cannot be
made to shape itself into the fifty eight
facets. The wheel on which the stones
are polished is Il soft iron disk lined with
iMaumerable curved rays running from
center to circumference. This is sprinkled
with diamond dust and sweet oil The
moinent Il scratch appears on the wheel
the diamond must be removed to some
other part of the surface.
The finished stone comes from the
Ni1SSi SoNGlSet NllL SlllulllJ Oll, DuU IL ucll
minute bath i'll sulphuric acid leaves the
surface clean and brilliant Diamonds
pendant from pearly ears or shining on
snowy throats never look so beautiful as
they look unset and heaped together
upon oiled paper at the diamond cutters.
Nothing is wasted az he diamond cut
ter's Boort, which the name given to
diamond clippings that cannot be pol
ished, is placed in a steel mortar exactly
like an old fashioned churn and brayed
into powder forthe polisher Not single
carat is lost, for the mortar is dust proof
and the pestle fits SO close that the parti-
cles cannot rise from the bottom.
Sometimes stones are injured in the
setting. Perhaps an accidental blow
breaks a brittle corner, perhaps too much
heat clouds the surface. Diamonds thus
injured, however nay be repaired. AS
a matter of far .he diamond is almost
indestructible. it loses nothing by long
wearing and acids cannot injure it, The
prevalent idea that soap and water dim
the luster of the diamond is IL mistake.
New York Sun
n.