Sawing the Diamond

Shaping the Future of a Diamond

It is a momentous step once the enormous potential of a diamond has been realised, and now the hard work must really begin. Deciding which diamond cut the rough stone will embody and reducing its size as a first step is an intricate process; one of the hardest materials in the world, the only thing hard enough to carve smooth facets is another diamond.

There are several ways to cut apart the rough stone, making it easier to work on. If circumstances allow, a diamond can be cleaved; separated by a cutter, they will usually begin by making an incision using a sharp steel blade along the diamond’s weak spot, the tetrahedral plane. Due to the hard nature of diamonds, often this isn’t possible and a cutter must use a rapidly rotating bronze saw to separate the diamonds. A laser for cutting is also an option, although this is a more time-consuming and laborious process.

the table & the girdle

Once the rough diamond is approximately the correct size, the cutter can decide which part of the diamond will be the table - the flat top of the stone - and which part the girdle, or the outside rim. Now starting to resemble the finished product in size, the diamond shape must be determined, and of course, all diamonds on a custom and unique Backes & Strauss watch must be identical.

A diamond for a diamond

The diamond must be shaped using the hardness of another diamond. This is either done by hand, where two diamonds are buffed against each other, or by putting the stone in a lathe, where diamonds sit on spinning axles and grind against each other to create the desired finish. Once reduced in size and with a now recognisable shape, the diamonds are ready to be polished, and it is these polished stones which are well on their way to glinting on a luxury diamond watch.