The diamond cut

The Ferro family has two expert gemologists, always ready to clarify any doubts regarding precious stones, diamonds, pearls and gems of all kinds. I asked Gianluca Ferro, Fabrizio's eldest son, what is the most important thing for a gemologist.

"The diamond cut!" was her prompt and confident response.

Diamond cut? We talked about it in this post, but I think it's time to review together what "cut" means and what effects it has on the diamonds we buy or own.

Diamond Cut: Things to Know

The Luster Scale or Moss Scale tells us that the diamond is the most resistant stone in the world, but that already in ancient times it was cut by hand.

The first thing to know about diamond cutting is that, in the past, it was done exclusively by hand, while now machine cutting is preferred, although in many cases the ancient habits are maintained.

All the steps to cut a diamond

The process of cutting a rough diamond is made up of several phases: cleavage or sawing, roughing, cross-working and the actual cutting.

Cleavage

The first operation is aimed at removing all internal inclusions (the presence of "foreign" materials to what is the diamond!) or external defects and is carried out by applying some notches in four directions. The notch is made using another diamond, called "scherp", must have a V shape and be a few millimetres deep.

The profession of cleaver was first mentioned in 1660, in some travel accounts referring to Hindu peoples.

Sawing

Similar to cleavage, it was first mentioned in 1647 in the book "De gemmis et Lapidibus" by Johannes de Laet from Antwerp. As in the technique of cutting colored stones, a thin wire is used, coated in diamond dust and oil and bent into a bow. Like a sort of violin, the diamond on which the cut is to be made is rubbed with the bow, until a first, very light, incision is obtained. Sawing is probably one of the most complicated operations, as far as diamond cutting is concerned.

Nowadays, there is a tendency to use machines that use laser or ultrasound technology, which is decidedly simpler and less risky than the mechanisms of the past.

Roughing out

It consists of assigning a pre-shaping to the stone, similar to a round brilliant cut, or to a more particular cut. Among the most popular, the drop, baguette, oval or heart-shaped ones.
A difficult and complicated step: it requires patience, tenacity and precision in manual work, all dedicated to scraping. Obviously, in recent years there has been an increasing choice for the use of technology, thanks to which the worker is exclusively concerned with surveillance, with a notable reduction in physical fatigue.

The cut

After these precision steps, we come to the crux of the diamond cut. Preceded by cross cutting, which performs a first part of the cut, the actual cut is also called "brillanteering", which smoothes all the facets present in the diamond.

A task that is far from simple! Especially in the work of brillaring, which consists of cutting, on the crown of the diamond, eight facets in total, generated by cutting in half the four produced by cross cutting. To the 8 fundamental facets, an equal number are added on the girdle of the diamond. Needless to say, obviously, all the facets must be perfectly equal. In short: a work of precision and attention that is really much more difficult than you think!

The diamond cut: the most precious

Gianluca then explained to me that the ideal cut is the round brilliant one, the so-called "Tolkovsky cut" , which based on the proportions of the diamond allows the classification of its value. This type of cut in fact allows the diamond in question to possess a more particular and refined shine, which makes it beautiful and bright to the sight of the less expert... and full of authentic value for the eyes of gemologists! If you are curious to discover all the main fancy cuts of diamonds, stay tuned : we will talk about it very soon!

Ferro Gioielli for your diamonds

In the meantime, thanks to the experience of Fabrizio and Gianluca , Ferro Gioielli allows the classification of the quality of the cut. To discover the value of your diamond, in fact, you just need to ask for a consultation with our experts. A curiosity definitely to be discovered, to know the real value of your favorite jewels!

Bring your jewel for a check-up! The experts at Ferro Gioielli will be able to give you the best to discover the value of your jewels, as well as recommend the right diamond for your perfect gifts and self-gifts! We await you at via Matteotti 41 in Este (PD).
Don't forget to visit the online shop https://www.ferrogioielli.com/it/

We'll see you here again, very soon, with lots of new articles!