Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-07
AN INTERESTING INDUSTRY
THE ART OF PREPARING DIAMONDS
FOR THE JEWELER.
Rough stones With Flaws Split Into
Flawless Ones-POlishing the Most
Important Process.


Among the many industries of Amster-
dam one of the most interesting Gs well as
the most important is that of diamond cut
ting and polishing. Though unknown
art until the fifteenth century. it has since
that time flourished greatly, until now at
the present day there are no less than
sixty-two firms registered as diamond COM
panies in this great city.
Wishing to see and study the practical
working of this industry. We decided to
pay visit to factory.
Here $50 to 400 workmen are constantly
employed, most Of them in the delicate
work of diamond polishing.
When the diamonds arrive first in Am
sterdam they are In the same rough uncut
state as they were when found in the
South African mines. Before reaching their
highly polished state they have to pass
through three separate and distinct pro-
diamond cutting and diamond polishing-and
when these are accomplished the stones
are ready for the jeweler.
The first process consists simply in split
ting the rough diamonds Containing flaws)
INTO several pure f1awless ones. and in this
work twelve men are constantly employed.
We visited one of these workshops, where
We found three men engaged in splitting
diamonds as they sat at a small table,
which fell the light from two windows.
one OF the men talked English exceedingly
We'll and gave US many interesting details
OF this particular process, in which no ma
chinery is used. Pulling open a small
drawer in the wooden table he showed us
beautiful uncut diamonds, all still in the
rough state. Then We watched the actual
splitting" process itself. At first sight it
looks a simple one, but we soon discovered
mat it needs great skill the part of the
workmen.
A small wooden tool is held in the left
hand into which a rough diamond has been
Hf1nlN 'WaSed' the piecoS of tJ,o
WaX-like cement lie conveniently near on
ihe table, and as a gas jet is always burn
ing there, the necessary heat is easily sup
pied In the right hand of the workman
a similar tool is held. the top consisting
also of a diamond. which later on is to
act as knife in splitting the rough dia-
mond held in the other hard
Probably most of my readers know that
nothing but diamond will cut a diamond
ana SO the diamond is extensively en-
ployed IN all the diamond-cutting factories
IN Amsterdam: A stone of 100 carats can
be split in fifteen minutes by skillfully
pressing one diamond against the other
on the spot where a flaw occurs. the dja-
mond in the right hand being used as
k tallne. Where flaw occurs a split soon
takes place, and the diamond divides into
Two stones. Should there be another flaw
IN either OF these the operation is again
repeated: until several pure, fiawless dia-
IlohdS lie on the rough wooden table. and
plished.
The second process, that of diamond cut
lihs; Is also performed without lie aid of
machinery, except in the case of the larger
stones. 1t was interesting to find that all
the work of diamond cutting is performed
py Dutch women and girls Twenty wo-
men are employed for eight hours every
day. from am. until - and then again
from pm. until g. Their wages va,
from 50 to 81 a week. and they certain.
look most respectable and capable set
of workwomen.
1t is wonderful to think of the many
thousands of diamonds that annually pass
through their hands. In one year alone
F1HD nave been cut in this one factory
Diamond splitting and diamond cutting
look somewhat alike. as the tools are yery
similar, but in reality the process Is not
the same, the great difference being that
pressure Is used in the first instance al
ways on the same spot. with the idea of
causing the diamond to split into two
stones; while in the other case 1t is used
equally on every part of the diamond in
order to give it simply a round shape To
gain this roundness is. therefore the one
leading idea of diamond cutting AS the
uiamo1tcS are cut a fine dust falls from
them into wooden box on the table, and
TINS powder Is most carefully preserved as
1t is used largely in diamond polishing
when mixed with OIL
All the diamonds to be cut are given to
the women in small packets. each packet
having the number and size of the dia-
monds it contains written plainly on the
outside After having once received these
packets the women are responsible for
their contents.
The work of diamond cutting is particu
iarly hard and very trying to the eyes. as
some of the diamonds are so small that
so OF them only weigh one carat! The
time that diamond takes to cut depends
very much on its size; a large one weigh
Ing ten carats usually takes from three to
four hours, while the smaller ones take
much less time
The third process that Of diamond polish
Ing, Is an important and lengthy one.
There are ten large rooms in the factory
entirely devoted to this work. a work too,
IN when nlachinnry plays large and i'm
portant part. Three hundred and fifty
men are here constantly employed In pol
ishing annually thousands of diamonds
Inc skilled workmen sit at long, narrow
tables with their backs to ths windows
having in front of them the small iron
wheels which revolve with such terrible
rapidlty when set in motion by the great
engine racing the windows stand appren-
tlces and less skilled workmen. whose work
is to receive the diamonds from the cutting
rooms and solder them (by aid of the gas
JeO into the top Of the small pear-shaped
tools of various sizes, these tools heinz
composed of lead and tin.
The diamond-tipped tools then pass into
the hands of the skilled workmen, who. be-
fore fastening them firmly into frames
which stand in close proximity IN the
wheels, dip each diamond into a miytIre
of oil and diamond dust. This is a most i'm
portant part of the process, for by means
OF these grains of dust the polishing is
done. -Four of these tools containing dia-
monds are then placed in position near the
wheel -four can be polished at once) and
with quick movement of the hand the
IRON disks are set in motion. The wheels
revolve 800 times in a minute and the dia
mond Is polished on one particular side
by means of the constant friction on it of
the grains of diamond dust
AS the object of diamond cutting Is SIM
ply to make the stone a round one. so the
object of diamond polishing is to give the
diamond the many sides" Ito use tech
nical expression) considered necessary nv
the Jeweler before 1t is ready for setting.
Great skill is needed in this work, for
each stone has to be resoldered a great
many times onto the top of the pear-shaped
tools and placed again and again in connec-
ton with the revolving wheels in order to
produce these sides"