Polished diamonds is a general term for diamonds that have undergone processing, without any connection to their size, shape or any other feature. Polished diamonds, which are graded according to four criteria (The Four C’s), are sold to retailers and customers. India is the world’s largest polishing center, while China, which has made giant steps in this area in the last two decades, is the second largest diamond polishing center.
To the layman, Rough Diamonds do not even look like diamonds, but rather like shards of glass washed up on the beach. These diamonds are oily and dull. In order to bring out their beauty, they must first be cut and polished by a professional polisher. Although some of this work is currently accomplished through the use of computerized equipment, much of it is still done manually, using strict and meticulous techniques for the creation of polished diamonds.
In the initial stage, the diamond undergoes cleaving or sawing into smaller pieces, each of which will become a separate polished diamond. During the second stage, the diamond’s facets are polished with a compound made of oil and diamond powder in order to fashion the shape – Marquise, Brilliant, Pear Shape, etc. – that best suits the stone’s original shape. Following the polishing of the diamond and its facets, it is then placed in a solution of hydrochloride and sulfuric acids in order to cleanse it of the powder and oil residue – and it is then considered a polished diamond.
