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Here is something new for the jewelry industry and diamond cutters in particular. Universal Diamond Technology of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., has developed an automated "coning" process to replace most hand-blocking of diamonds, says Kamal Peters, a partner in the firm.
After blockers add the first eight facets, says Peters, the Universal Cone Generator automatically fashions the bruted diamonds to within 15% of their final polished weight. "The process is similar to preforming which we see in other industries," he explains. "It creates perfect cones for round stones on crowns and pavilions.
Traditionally, says Peters, a skilled blocker needs two hours to bring a 45-point bruted diamond to a finished weight of a quarter carat. The coning process cuts that time to one hour and 10 minutes, he says.
Here's how it works. Two or eight pairs of diamonds (depending on the model) are mounted into separate holders. Each stone in the pair is rotated against the other until the proper crown shape is achieved in both. The operator then reverses the stones to do the pavilions.
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