Cutting Diamonds

Faceting & Polishing

Blocking
After a diamond is bruted, it moves to the blocker, who fashions the culet, four bezel facets on the crown, and four pavilion mains on the bottom. Blocking starts with the table, which determines the angle placement and the shape of the rest of the facets.


Cross-working
The next step is cross-working. At this point the cross-worker grinds four more bezel facets on the crown (changing the table from a square to an octagon) and four more pavilion facets. The diamond now has 18 facets and is called a
"single cut."


Brillianteering
The Brillianteer puts on the remaining facets - 24 on the crown and 16 on the pavilion - and does the final polishing. Once the diamond has been brillianteered and polished, it is boiled in acid to remove oil, polishing compounds and debris.


Scaife
The same scaife is used for all of the steps of faceting and polishing. The coarsest abrasives are placed in the center and the abrasives become finer as they reach the outside edge. Brillianteering and polishing take place farther out on the scaife than blocking and cross-working.