When diamonds emerge from the earth, they are rough and unrefined. It takes hours of cutting and polishing to turn a rough diamond into the beautiful stone we know it as, but have you ever wondered how exactly that happens?
Technically, diamond cutting is the practice of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem, or what we see when we think of a diamond. However, not just anyone can cut a diamond – and due to its extreme difficulty, diamond cutting requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment and techniques.
However, when we think of cut, there are two elements. The first is the shape: square, oval, round, and so on. The second relates to the specific quality of cut within the shape, and the quality and price will vary greatly based on the cut quality. This is the part of cut that Hearts On Fire focuses on more than other diamond brands.
In its most general explanation, the diamond cutting process includes several steps: planning, cleaving or sawing, bruting, polishing, and final inspection. Here is a look at what those steps all mean:
- Cleaving or sawing – Cleaving is the separation of a piece of diamond rough into separate pieces, to be finished as separate gems. Sawing is the use of a diamond saw or laser to cut the diamond rough into separate pieces.
- Bruting - the process whereby two diamonds are set onto spinning axles turning in opposite directions, which are then set to grind against each other to shape each diamond into a round shape. This can also be known as girdling.
- Polishing - the name given to process whereby the facets are cut onto the diamond and final polishing is performed. This step gives the diamond its brilliant sparkle that we know so well.
- Final inspection – the final stage of diamond cutting involves thoroughly cleaning the diamond in acids, and examining the diamond to see whether it meets the quality standards of the manufacturer.
At Hearts On Fire, diamond cutting has special meaning and is a much more complex process than most other cutting centers. Only the world’s finest master craftsmen are entrusted to create a Hearts On Fire diamond.
Why are they so rare? These skilled craftsmen leverage the highest quality of anti-vibration technology and a scientific diamond-cutting formula that is unknown to anyone else in the world. In addition, while most diamond cutters around the world use a 10X magnification process to cut their diamonds, Hearts On Fire artisans craft our diamonds at 100X magnification, using unique imaging software that results in a perfect mirror polish every single time. For more information on the Hearts On Fire cut and process, read here.
Diamond cutting, as well as overall processing, is concentrated in a few cities around the world: while 80% of rough diamonds are handled in the Antwerp diamond district in Belgium, more than 50% of processed diamonds also pass through there.