Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-10-25
DIAMOND CUTTING
Gems Sometimes Gone Over
Twice to Make Them Brilliant.
PURE STONE is VERY RARE.
Accumulated Dust ls Used For Polish.
ins--Mixed With Olive Oil Il Makes
a Very Servieeabie Paste--NothinaI 10
Wasted In Process.

ing-Mixed With Olive Oil II Makes
Very Serviceabis Paste--Nothina 10
Wasted In Process.
When a woman dons her diamonds
she seldom realizes how much labor Is
entailed in the cutting and polishing Of
the stones before they are ready to be
set and made up into ring, tiara, neck
lace or whatever other form desired.
A diamond factory does not mean
factory where imitation diamonds are
made, but place where real diamonds
are cut and polished from the rough
stones. There are four branches Of the
trade; therefore in factory the men
are divided into cutters, settlers, polish
ers and polishers' laborers, who assist
the polishers. .
Perhaps it would be better to start
from the very beginning" said the
manager Of factory to Pail Mall
Gazette reporter, land then you can
see how the stone looks as IL passes
through the various processes. Here
re-the rough stones. They do not look
like flashing diamonds? No; as the or
binary person would say. they seem
just dull, dirty looking gray particles
OF stone. That is the rough diamond.
The first thing to be done is to cut the
stone, and to do this the cutter decides
whether he will cut 1t by hand or ma.
chinery."
In this particular factory the stones
were all cut by hand until compare
lively recently, but now. machinery is
used, which renders the process much
less laborious. 1t is really case OF
diamond cut diamond, as by rubbing
two stones against each other one
gradually assumes the shape desired
and the requisite thickness. The cut
ter has long stick, on top of which
is a brass cup in which he puts a GER
tain kind of cement. In this he imbeds
the rough stone; the cement must be
heated first, and the cooling process
s most primitive, as the cutter merely
bows on the hot cement and tries it
against his lips to see If 1t is cold
enough to commence cutting. L
Does not. that burn your mouths?
the cutter was asked. ,.~..a
well, l suppose 1T does" he said,
but 1t merely dries the lips, and one
can always use something to minimize
that. With the new machine the cool
ing is done by dipping the stick in
water" Which certainly seemed the
better way.
On the way diamond Is cut great
deal depends, because the cutter de-
cides which way stone is to be taken,
and If it is done in the wrong way the
value of the stone is deprecated. If "A
flaw is at the back of the stone its
uster is much dimmed. Pure stones"
said the cutter, "are very rare, and Of
course perfectly pure stone is ex-
tremely valuable Taking up the two
sticks in which he had placed two
rough diamonds, he proceeded to cut
one by hand that Is to say. he slowly
rubbed one against the other, the
minute particles falling into box in
the bottom Of which was a very fine
sieve through which the dust fell into
an airproof box.
IL the stone Is large one this hand
cutting is very laborious, as it requires
Il great amount Of strength to cut it.
and naturally the process is rather
slow. BY the machine it is really the
same process, except that one stick is
held in place by the machine, which
reyolves rapidly, the cutter holding the
other stick IN his right hand. Zach
side Of the stone has to be cut sepa.
rately. 1t is generally the back or
pointed part oe the stone which is cut
first, the fiat side being treated next.
"What becomes of the diamond dust?'
WELL" said the cutter. sit is used for
polishing Mixed with olive oil. il
makes a paste which is put on the plate
used by the polisher. Inferior dia-
rnonds are ground down to dust also.
so that nothing is wasted"
The setter now takes the diamond
and puts it into mold composed or
tin and lead. which is brought to
white heat, and when the diamond IL
slip,ed into this the mold is immersed
in water for the purpose Of cooling 1t.
The. setter has to so place the stone
that it will be at the proper angle for
polishing, be it the side, back or front.
Looking at diamond, one sees fat
surface In the middle Of the stone,
This Is calico the table or top part OF
the diamond The back or pointed part
is called the culet When both these
are made the facets have to be cut
Altogether there are sixty-four facets,
no matter what size the stone may be.
To the naked eye 1t is absolutely inl'
possible to discover these facts, they
are so minute. but the poisher can see
them without magnifying glass. Hi'
eyes are SO trained to the work that hs
makes the facets SO many on top, so
many at back and so many at the
sides. The mold is held in position by
a metal holder, the diamond being
barely visible through the mold, and,
although the stone Is only lightly plac-
ed on the revolving plate. the high
e,ood NJ which IL rnvOiveS IL sufficient