How Diamonds Are Cut

In their most natural form, diamonds are – well – quite ugly.
They have no luster or shine, and in fact, look like nothing
more than broken glass. A diamond must be cut, and then
polished before it actually becomes a thing of beauty.

Diamonds are cut with saws, into round shapes. From the
rounded shape, other shapes may be cut, such as heart
shapes – but the shape is less important than the quality
of the cutting that is being done. If the diamond is poorly
cut, it will lose light, and it will not sparkle and shine very
well. Each facet of the diamond must be carefully cut into
the geometrical shapes that allow the diamond to sparkle
and shine, then the entire diamond is cut into a specific
shape, such as an emerald cut or a princess cut diamond.

Once the cut is done, the diamond is put into a dop, which
resembles a cup with another diamond – only a diamond
is strong enough to smooth the edges of another diamond.
Once the diamond has been cut and shaped, and had the
edges smoothed in the dop, it is polished on a scaif or a
diamond polishing wheel.