Chapter 8 Key Concepts & Terms Flashcards
What was diamond cutting limited to before the 15th century?
Superficial polishing of the rough.
What developments in the 16th century shifted diamond cutting to genuine faceting?
Continuous rotary motion and the cast-iron polishing wheel.
What inventions made mass production of faceted diamonds possible?
Bruting machine and motorized diamond saw.
What advancements made diamond cutting more efficient and profitable?
Rough mapping, computerized planning, and laser processing.
Which cuts followed the shape of the octahedral diamond rough?
Point cut and table cut.
What does the rose cut provide in terms of diamond rough usage?
An efficient way to use flattened or cleaved diamond rough.
What was the basis for the full-cut modern brilliant?
Single cut.
Which shape was the easiest to cut before the invention of the bruting machine?
Cushion shape.
What is the dominant diamond cut in today’s market?
Round brilliant.
What do cutters apply the brilliant cut to maximize profit?
Fancy shapes from oddly shaped or off-color rough.
What made fancy brilliants easier to make and more affordable?
Technological breakthroughs.
How do diamond cut trends change?
Over time and with location.
What does modern planning technology benefit from?
Combination of diamond rough mapping and computer-aided planning.
What can laser sawing do with a rough diamond?
Split a rough diamond in any direction.
How does laser sawing compare to blade sawing?
More precise, efficient, and has greater weight retention.
What advantages does water-jet-guided laser sawing provide?
- Greater working range
- Better focus
- Higher weight retention
- Lower risk for strained rough
What is laser bruting especially helpful for?
Fancy-shape diamond manufacturing.
What is coning commonly done on?
Round-shape diamonds.
Why is quality control crucial for modern diamond cutting businesses?
Due to the high standards of the market.
What is Bearding?
The appearance of minute or minor fractures perpendicular to a bruted girdle.
What does Blocking refer to in diamond processing?
Placing the first 17 or 18 facets on a diamond, including the crown and pavilion main facets, table, and sometimes a culet.
Define Brillianteering.
Placement and polishing of the star and upper and lower half facets.
What is Bruting?
The process by which a rough diamond is shaped into its basic face-up outline to prepare it for faceting.
What does Cleaving mean in diamond processing?
The process of dividing rough diamond along its cleavage planes.
What is Coning?
The process of forming the pavilion angle by gradually polishing off the extra material at different angles.
What is a Dop?
A holder that secures a diamond during processing.
Define Kerf in the context of diamond cutting.
A notch scratched into diamond rough to prepare it for cleaving.
What is an Old European Cut?
An early brilliant cut with a circular girdle.
Describe the Old Mine Cut.
An early cushion-shaped brilliant cut with a high crown, deep pavilion, 58 facets, and a large culet.
What does a Planner do?
A person who studies the diamond rough, develops cutting plans, and marks the plans on the rough.
What is Polishing in diamond processing?
Placing and finishing facets on a rough diamond.
Describe a Rose Cut.
A diamond cut with a flat bottom and triangular facets that come to a point at the top.
What is Sawing in diamond cutting?
The process of dividing a rough diamond into different sections using a saw.
What defines a Single Cut?
A simple diamond cut, with a table, eight crown facets, eight pavilion facets, and sometimes a culet.
What is a Tang?
A device that holds a dop and allows a cutter to adjust and maintain a diamond’s angle during polishing.
