The diamond’s cutting process has been perfected since the late 18th century. The beautiful loose diamond therefore has unseen fires and a beautiful sparkle. But which steps does a rough diamond need to go through to turn into such a masterpiece? How do these phases progress?
The diamond’s most important characteristics are clarity, colour, carat weight and cut. They are also known as the 4 C’s. Where clarity and colour are a completely natural process and the carat weight is dependent on the size of the rough stone, the cut is the only aspect which involves human craftsmanship. It is therefore this craftsmanship which makes all the difference in the loose diamond’s eventual value.
A well cut impure and yellowish diamond will still show exceptional brilliance. A very pure and colourless diamond with a bad cut would be worth a great deal less.
This first step involves carving a groove into the stone to split it in two. The aim is to adapt the mineral to a shape suitable for sawing, as well as cutting at a later stage. This also allows for errors formed during the creation process, such as inclusions and black spots, to be removed. The eventual shape of the diamond is now already becoming evident.
During the bruting process all the individual pieces of rough diamond which are left behind after splitting are made rounder. This will give them a more accessible shape for faceting. This process is done mechanically.
Faceting requires the most craftsmanship and is also the most important phase for the quality of the eventual loose diamond. Various different highly specialised professionals will take responsibility for this part of the phase. The facets are all applied manually, even though automated insights are sometimes used to get as much diamond out of the rough stone as possible.
These automated insights visualise the different steps. They take inclusions into account, as well as the maximum possible dimensions in order to minimise the loss.
This is the final step in the cutting of the actual stone, but not of the entire process. Brightening is also known as polishing and aims to do as much justice as possible to the specialists’ facet work. Each facet is therefore individually polished in order to realise the best possible shine.
The final step in the cutting process is the inspection. Diamond specialists check the diamonds and make sure they do not end up on the market if the cut does not satisfy the standard quality expectations. What if the stone was not cut properly? Then it will go back through the faceting and polishing process until the right quality has been achieved for the stone to be considered for jewellery and as an investment diamond.
How can I invest in beautiful loose diamonds? Which quality diamond will suit my investment portfolio best? Ask BNT Diamonds’ diamond experts for advice.
