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Sec. I, Ch. 4: Working of Precious Stones

Sec. I, Ch. 4: Working of Precious Stones Page of 366 Sec. I, Ch. 4: Working of Precious Stones Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
The Working of Precious Stones.                25
The stone having been cut to the satisfaction of the master, is handed to the setter who selects a suitable sized brass cup, fills it with a mixture of lead and tin, and melts it over the gas flame. Having worked the solder to its proper shape, he places the Diamond in the centre, leaving only a very small part exposed. A mark is made on the solder before it becomes thoroughly set, and then the stone is passed on to the polisher. By the mark made on the solder the latter knows at once the precise run of the grain and the way in which it will polish to the best advantage on the mill. The first operation is making the "table" of the Diamond. This done it is handed back to the setter that he may take it out of the solder and reset it for the operation of making the first corner, called the flat corner. The solder is again marked to indicate to the polisher the run of the grain of this particular corner, and so the process is continued until the Diamond is polished throughout. Every facet has a name, and every name denotes the grain, and how to polish that particular facet. The polisher uses a mill or circular disc, composed of soft porous iron, so that as the Diamond is polished away in the form of dust it enters the pores of the iron, the result being that we have the Diamond cutting the Diamond. Without the assistance of the Diamond dust the iron would not make the slightest impression on the Diamond.
The next branch we have to deal with is the cleaving, an important part, but as only about 25 per cent, of the Diamonds found require cleaving the cleaver has not so much work to do as either the cutter or polisher. His work consists in taking a piece off a Diamond where it is too long, or making it into small stones where it is badly flawed, thus taking away all the impurities and defects, and leaving the sound parts to be cut and polished. To cleave a
Sec. I, Ch. 4: Working of Precious Stones Page of 366 Sec. I, Ch. 4: Working of Precious Stones
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