How long does it take to cut a diamond?

About 10 years ago our company first posted on our website that it "takes 4 times as long to cut Hearts On Fire diamonds than it does to cut ordinary round brilliants". Ever since then, that phrase has become ubiquitous on websites throughout our industry.

I'm comforted to know that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", but strangely enough the fact is that almost no one knows how long it takes to cut a typical round diamond.

Here's the deal. Although the time varies depending on the individual stone, on average it takes one of our master artisans roughly a full day (8 hours) to finish a one carat Hearts On Fire or Dream diamond by hand - which is approximately 4X as long as it takes to automatically cut most diamonds.

Robotic machines cut most one carat round brilliants in about 2 hours - one hour for the top and one hour for the bottom. A diamond cutter/mechanic typically monitors 16 of these machines during an 8-hour shift. This results in increasing production per worker from 1 to 64 diamonds a day!

The problem is that automatic equipment is - how else can I say this - automatic. Its does things mechanically. Quite literally a robot cannot see, feel, or hear the diamonds it cuts. That's why critical distinctions of proportion, polish, and symmetry aren't possible and the beauty of these diamonds invariably suffers.

PS - An easy way to spot a machine-cut diamond is by it's thick girdle edge. The thickness is necessary so that the machine can easily hold the diamond for the entire cutting operation. It also adds extra weight at the girdle, which is no more desirable for the overall beauty of a diamond than it would be for the proportions, performance and beauty of a human being.