KNOW ABOUT MAKING PROCESS OF DIAMOND.

Diamond-the word alone brings to mind an image of flawless beauty, rare, complex, still pure at its heart. One fleeting look at the gem is enough to leave one mesmerized.

Diamonds are thought to have been first recognized and mined in India, where significant alluvial deposits of the stone could be found many centuries ago along the rivers Penner, Krishna and Godavari. Diamonds have been known in India for at least 3,000 years but most likely 6,000 years. The gem has been a source of fascination for centuries and held immense value to the early man. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that diamonds were the tears of the Gods or splinters that had broken off the falling stars, and that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds so as to make someone fall in love. Even in ancient India, diamonds were considered a profound source of luck. It was believed that the owner of a flawless diamond will be blessed with wealth, livestock, good harvest, a wife and many children and protect the owner from both fear and sorcery.

While these diamond myths and legends may have been debunked over the years, the fact remains that the colorless beauty and inner fire of diamonds has made this precious gem prized for centuries. Each stone’s complex characteristics cannot be duplicated, and no two diamonds can ever be the same, thus making it a unique gift for that someone special.

But how is this precious gem really made?

Formation of a diamond

The most common way diamonds are formed is through eruptions shooting upward from the earth’s mantle during a kimberlite eruption (a small but powerful volcanic eruption caused by rapid ascent of kimberlites). Diamonds need a lot of heat as well as pressure to form, and the mantle has high temperatures and the pressure of about 100 miles of overlying rock. Diamonds are also sometimes forged by an asteroid impact due to the high pressures and temperatures created by these collisions with the Earth’s surface. Diamonds have also been found in meteorites that fell to the Earth from space, though these diamonds have been noted to be smaller in size than the other kinds.

But how is a rough diamond found in the depths of the Earth transformed into the most alluring stone?

Before a rough diamond transformed into a beautiful piece of jewellery, it must pass through several stages in its production.

Diamond mining

 Approximately 130,000,000 carats (26,000 kg) of diamonds are mined annually, with a total value of nearly US$9 billion, and about 100,000 kg (220,000 lb) are synthesized annually. Roughly 49% of diamonds originate from Central and Southern Africa, although significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Canada, India, Russia, Brazil, and Australia. It is important to note that around 50% of the natural diamonds mined per year are suitable for polishing while the rest end up in industrial use. Once the rough diamonds are mined, they are sorted by density and thereafter sold to manufacturers.

Diamond manufacturing

Once bought by manufacturers, rough diamonds end up at cutting centres where they are carefully examined so as to determine how they should be cut to yield the greatest value.

So what are the main considerations taken into account while planning to cut a diamond? The primary choice to be made is whether the shape of the diamond would be round, oval, pear, etc. Thereafter, the proportioning of the facets and quality of the cut is planned using computer simulations.

After the stone’s size and shape are determined, taking into consideration the rough’s shape, as well as the quantity and position of its internal inclusions, the process of diamond cutting is initiated. Diamond cutting is the practice of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. Cutting diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme difficulty. The stone is marked and usually sawed/ cleaved. Cleaving is the separation of a piece of diamond rough into separate pieces, to be finished as separate gems, while sawing is the use of a diamond saw or laser to cut the diamond rough into separate pieces. Since diamonds are made of the hardest material in the world, only a diamond can be used to mechanically cut another diamond. Lasers are another alternative for cleaving and bruting purposes. Usually, the tools used in the workshop consist of diamond-bladed edges or discs that are lined in diamond dust.

After the diamond is split, bruiting is then performed to make the separated rough stones round. In the modern era diamonds are rounded using either a laser; a diamond disk impregnated with diamonds; or two diamonds cutting against each other. Industrial diamonds can also be used for bruting a diamond round. 

Diamond polishing is the final polishing of the diamond. Once the rounded shape of the rough is formed, the next stage is to create and form the facets of the diamond. The cutter places the rough on a rotating arm and uses a spinning wheel to polish the rough. This creates the smooth and reflective facets on the diamond. In a diamond factory one would find a diamond "Crossworker" who first places the main facets on a diamond (blocking the diamond). This is done to ensure maximum weight, clarity and best angles for the specific shape of diamond. After initial crossworking is complete, the diamond is finalized by smoothing the main facets by the crossworker, which is known as polishing the diamond. After the main facets have been polished by the crossworker, the final facets are polished onto the diamond by a "Brillianteer." The facets added are the stars, top and bottom halves also known as upper and lower girdle facets.

The final stage of the diamond making process involves thoroughly cleaning the diamond in acids, and examining the diamond to see whether it meets the quality standards of the manufacturer. If need be, the stone would be sent back to the polishers for some touching up if it didn’t meet the quality control standards.

The final journey

After the diamond is manufactured, diamond manufacturers sell the cut diamonds to jewellery manufacturers and wholesalers, who in turn sell these to jewellery dealers and retail stores. However, lately, due to the increasing use of internet and technology, there have been changes in the diamond market as well with the diamond manufacturers now being able to connect directly with the end customers. This has therefore made it possible to purchase the same quality diamond for a significantly lower price.