The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-08
CUTTING DIAMONDS.
Thousands Of Stones Prepared Every
Yaar IN Aoske~da-

as well as the most important is that
Of diamond cutting and polishing.
Though an unknown art until the ff-
tenth century. it has since that time
hourished greatly, until now at the
present day there are no less than
slxty-two firms registered as diamond
companies in this great city. Among
the more important Of these firms
stands that of Mr.. Coster'S, established
in 1913. Here $50 to 400 workmen are
constantly employed, most of them in
the delicate work Of diamond polish
ing.
When the diamonds arrive first in
Amsterdam, they are in the same rough
uncut state as they were when found
IN the South African mines 0Or so per
cent Of all the diamonds cut and pol
ished annually in Mr.. Co5ter's factory
come from South Africa). Before
reaching their highly polished state
they have to pass through three sep
arate and distinct proceSSeS-the proc
esses Of diamond splitting, diamond
cutting and diamond polishing, and
when these are accomplished the stones
are ready for the jeWeler.
The first process consists simply of
splitting the rough diamond Contain
ing haws) into several pure hawless
ones, and in this work twelve men are
constantly employed.
In this particular process no ma
chinery is used. Pulling open a small
drawer in the wooden table, one Of the
men showed US beautiful uncut dia-
mOnds 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 that
1t needs great skill on the part Of the
workman. a small wooden tool is held
in h left hand into which a rough
diamond has been firmly "waxed" at
the top. Pieces Of the wax-like cement
lie conveniently near on the table, and
as a gas jet is always burning there,
the necessary heat is easily supplied.
In the right hand Of the workman a
similar tool is held, the top consisting
also OF q diamond which later on is to
act as a knife in splitting the rough
diamond held in the other hand. Moth
ing but a diamond Will cut a diamond,
and so the diamond is extensively m
plOyed in all the diamond cutting fac
tories in Amsterdam. A stone Of 100
carats can be split in fifteen minutes
by Skilfully pressing n diamond
against the other On the spot where a
flaw occurs, the diamond in the right
hand being used as a knife. Where a
flaw occurs a split Don 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
diamonds lie on the rough wooden ia
bic, and the first process is successfully
accomplished.
The second process, that of diamond
cutting, is also performed without the
aid OF machinery, except in the case of
the larger stones. The, work Of dia-
mOnd cutting is performed by Dutch
women and girls Twenty wOmen are
employed for eight hours every day
(frOm s a. m. until Il, and then again
from 2 p. m. until 81. Their wages
vary from twelve TO twenty "guldens'
a week (frOm 50 TO So. and they GER
tainly look a most respectable and cap
able set Of WOrkwOmen. Thousands Of
diamonds annually pass through their
hands. In n year 100000 have been
cut in this one factory.
Diamond splitting and diamond cut
ting look somewhat alike, as the tools
are very similar, but in reality the
process is not the same, the great diff
ference being that pressure is used in
the first instance always on the same
spot, with the idea of causing the dia-
mond to split into two stones: while
in the other a it is used equally on
every part Of the diamond, in order to
give it simply a rough shape. To gain
this rOundneSS is, therefore. the one
leading idea Of diamond cutting. As
the diamonds are cut, a fine dust falls
from them into a wooden box on the
table, and this powder is most care
fully preserved. as it is used largely
in diamond polishing, when mixed with
oil.
All the diamonds to be cut are given
to the ONE in small packets, each
packet having the number and size of
the diamonds it contains written plain
~ on the outside. After having once
received these packets the women are
responsible for their contents.
The work Of diamond cutting is par
ticularly hard and very trying to the
eyes, as some Of the diamonds are so
small that 500 Of them only weigh n
carat! The time that a diamond takes
to cut depends very much on its size,
a large n Weighing ten caratS usually
takes from three TO four hours, while
the smaller ones take much less time.
The third process. that Of diamond
polishing, is an important and lengthy
one. There are ten large rooms in Mr..
Coster's factory entirely devoted 10 this
work, a work, too, in which machinery
plays a large and important part. Three
hundred and fifty men are here con-
stantly employed in polishing annually
thousands Of diamonds.
The skilled Workmen sit at long, mar
row tables, with their backs to the
windows, having in front Of them the
small iron wheels which revolve with
such terrible rapidity when set in mo-
ton by the great engine. Facing the
windows stand apprentices u less
skilled wOrkmen, whose wOrk it is to
| receive the diamonds from the cutting
rooms and solder them Cby aid Of the
gas jet) into h top Of small pear
shaped tools of various sizes, these
tools being composed Of lead and tin.
The diamond tipped tools then pass
into the hands of the skilled WOrkmen,
who, before fastening them firmly into
frames which stand in close proximity
TO the wheels, dip each diamond into
a mixture Of oil and diamond dust.
This is a most important part Of the
process, for by means of these grains
of lust the polishing is done. Four
of these tools containing diamonds are
then placed in position near the wheel
Qour a be polished at once), and with
a quick movement Of the hand the
iron discs are set in motion. The wheels
revolve 1,500 times in a minute, and
the diamond is polished on one partie-
ular side by means of the constant
friction on it of the grains Of diamond
DIST.
AS the object Of diamond cutting is
simply TO make the stone a round one.
SO the object of diamond polishing is
to give the diamond the many sides
Ito use a technical expressiOn) cOnsid-
cred necessary by the jeWeler before it
is ready for setting.
Great skill is needed in this work. for
each stone has to be resOldered a great
many times on to the top Of the pear
shaped tools, and placed again and
again in connection with the revolving
wheels. in order to produce these
sides"
Yellow Affair.
Washington Post.O