The traditional process of diamond manufacturing in Israel is built as a chain. Each worker takes part in a different stage of the work, according to his area of expertise. This method is particularly common in small and medium-sized stones. The existence of a chain of diamond manufacturing hinges upon each stage working as it should, in the right order.
Cutting is the stage of diamond manufacturing that gives the diamond its round shape. After the diamond is sawed in two (assuming that the diamond is destined to become a round one), the diamond must be given its round shape before it is polished into its final form.
In the past, diamonds were cut by hand, as follows: the cutter would place one diamond on a cutting wheel that rotated on a path. A second diamond, attached to the cutting arm, creates friction, causing the smaller, spinning diamond to break until a precise round shape is created. This is the maximum size of the round diamond.
Today, most cutting is done by machine: Two diamonds cut and round each other while spinning. There are a number of ways of monitoring the size of the cut, according to the machine manufacturers’ sophistication.
Courtesy of Talking Diamonds: A Lexicon of Diamond World Technology by Shalom Lissitzky
