The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-05-05
SPLIT, CUT AND POLISHED.
The Flaws In the Gem Decide The
Number of Parts Into Which 1t Must
Be spIit-The Difference Between
the Roses and the BriIiiants.

The Flaws In the Gem Decide the
Number of Parts Into Which 1t Must
Be SpIit-The Difference Between
the Roses and the BrilIiants.
The first of the three processes
through which the rough, uncut dia-
mond has to pass Is that of splitting
the stone. Men are employed at this
task, which is all done by hand with
out the aid of machinery. 1t is not
lengthy process unless the stone con-
tains a great many flaws, for an or
binary diamond weighing about ten
carats can generally be split in fifteen
minutes. The object is to divide the
rough, uncut diamond containing flaws
into several pure, fawless stones, and
in order to do this strong pressure is
exerted on the weak spots caused by
flaws by means of a diamond tipped
tool, which is held in the right hand
1t is an old and well recognized prfn-
ciple that nothing but diamond will
cut a diamond" In the left hand is
held a curiously shaped little frame
into which the rough diamond now to
be split has been firmly fixed. Great
pressure is then used on the weak spot,
and in a few moments the diamond
splits into two portions.
Should there be any more flaws in
either of these sections the process is
repeated until several pure, f1awless
diamonds lie on the rough wooden tables
of the workmen, ready now for the
hot Of
process, like the first, is almost entirely
performed by hand, but by women and
girls instead of men. Only in the case
Of very hard, difficult stones is ma
chinery necessary, and then men are
employed to use it.
The work of diamond cutting is a
delicate and difficult task, very trying
to the eyes, too, for some of the dia-
monds are so minute that 400 Of them
or more may weight only half carat.
Each worker is responsible for the
packet of diamonds she receives at in
tervals from the forewoman, and If by
accident she loses one of the precious
stones she has either to find it again
or refund its value. The tools employ
ed in diamond cutting are very similar
in appearance to those used in diamond
splitting. In both cases diamonds are
used as knives, after having been firm
ly fixed into the tip of pear shaped
tools. The women hold in the left
hand the rough diamond they wish to
cut, which has also been firmly fixed
into a wooden frame. Little jets Of
gas are always Kept burning on the
various tables ready to be used at any
moment when melted wax is neces-
sary.
The only real difference in the two
processes of diamond splitting and dia-
mond cutting lies in the fact that
whereas the men who split the dia-
monds use pressure on one spot only
(where the flaw occurs) the women de-
vote themselves to rounding the whole
stone and carefully cutting off all an
giles to be seen on its surface by means
of the sharp diamonds they hold In
their right hand. Occasionally they
have very large diamonds to cut which
take great deal of time, but an ordi-
nary stone weighing about ten carats
would not take so very long.
When the diamond has been sufi-
ciently cut and rounded, it is then
ready for the third and last process,
that of polishing. This work requires
a great deal of time and skill and is
performed entirely by machinery, a
steam engine supplying the motive
power for all the iron disks. The
process consists in giving to the round
ed diamonds what is termed in technt-
cal language their necessary "sides."
All diamonds are divided into two
classes, "brilliants" and "roses," al
though the only real difference between
them lies in the number of sides they
individually possess after having been
polished In one of the many diamond
factories A brilliant must possess
ifty-eight sides Ia few years ago the
lowest number was sixty-four for there
are fashions in diamond cutting), but
rose need only possess twenty-four
Sides
Another, though slight, difference be-
tween them is that brilliant is point
ed at both ends, while rose diamond
has one end fiattened and the other
pointed When the diamond is ready
to be polished it has first to be soldered
into pear shaped frame made Of zinc
and then dipped into a preparation Of
oil and diamond dust before being
fastened, with three others, into a
strong frame placed in close proximity
to an iron wheel.
This little disk is then set in motion
by connecting it with the great engine,
and the wheel Immediately turns at
the rate of 1000 revolutions to the
minute.
As it revolyes the four diamonds set
in the adjacent frame are gradually
polished by means of the friction pro
duced on their surface by the particles
of diamond dust still adherlng to the
oil into which they had been previous
ly dipped.
Only one portion Of a diamond can
be polished at once, and consequently
when this part has been dealt with the
stone has to be resoldered, so that an
other portion of its surface may be
subjected to the friction of the wheel.
The process of resoldering takes place
about twenty times In the case Of
every brilliant before it can be consid-
cred to be thoroughly polished.-Ex-