What Is Used To Cut Diamonds?

Diamonds are one of the hardest known substances on earth. The hardness of a diamond is what makes it so difficult to cut, requiring the use of specialized tools and expertise. Still, diamond cutters have refined the art of processing a diamond from a rough stone straight from the mine to a sparkling jewel that carries very high value. So, how are diamonds cut?

Using Diamonds To Cut Other Diamonds

Diamonds are cut using other diamonds. This is the oldest technique that is still used even today. The thing about this precious stone is that it’s too hard and cutting it will require a substance of similar or greater strength. Since only a few substances are harder than diamonds, cutters use a special saw impregnated with tiny diamonds. Diamonds are crystalline minerals and the only way to cut the stone is to split it along the weak crystal direction. The special blade comes in handy since some of the tiny diamonds will have enough strength to spilt the diamond along its tetrahedral plane, its weakest point.

One downside of this technique is that any slight mistake may result in the stone shattering, and in the process, a rough diamond worth thousands of dollars could easily become worthless. Any cutter using diamond saws will need high precision and accuracy throughout the lengthy process if they are to achieve a perfect cut.

Cutting Diamonds With Lasers

Recently, diamond cutters have begun using laser technology to split diamonds. Diamond cutting requires high precision and lasers can achieve that. Laser technology uses an intense laser beam to cut the diamond in only two passes. The biggest advantage of laser cutting is extreme precision, resulting in a more accurate cut.

What Happens After A Diamond Is Cut?

Once the initial cut is made, cutters use lasers or a rotating disk to further process the stone to make it easier to work with. After this, the stone goes through polishing to smooth the facets of the diamond into its final form. All these steps require a little more detail up until the stone can be considered a perfect cut.

For more information on what is used to cut a diamond, contact Solomon Brothers Jewelers today.