A mining executive in Guyana, Barry Kevin O'Rourke focuses on harvesting precious metals and diamonds. Barry Kevin O’Rourke and his team collect raw diamonds, which must be processed before they look like the gemstones that people are used to seeing. One of the most critical parts of this process is cutting the diamond to maximize its refractive potential.
A raw diamond looks like an unfinished chunk of the material. Cutting a diamond, however, is extremely difficult, as it is the hardest substance known to man. In reality, another diamond is needed to cut a diamond into the shapes used for rings and other jewelry. The process starts by making a small groove on the surface of the raw diamond and applying a cleaving iron. A quick blow helps split the diamond along its natural plane.
Once the rough diamond shape is obtained, ink is used to mark the necessary cuts on the surface and a diamond saw is used to make them. This saw is coated with a combination of olive oil and diamond dust, which helps cut the stone into new segments. Finally, the stone is ground in a device similar to a lathe to make it smooth and shiny.
A raw diamond looks like an unfinished chunk of the material. Cutting a diamond, however, is extremely difficult, as it is the hardest substance known to man. In reality, another diamond is needed to cut a diamond into the shapes used for rings and other jewelry. The process starts by making a small groove on the surface of the raw diamond and applying a cleaving iron. A quick blow helps split the diamond along its natural plane.
Once the rough diamond shape is obtained, ink is used to mark the necessary cuts on the surface and a diamond saw is used to make them. This saw is coated with a combination of olive oil and diamond dust, which helps cut the stone into new segments. Finally, the stone is ground in a device similar to a lathe to make it smooth and shiny.
