How Are Diamonds Hand-Cut? A Look Inside the Process

Cutting a diamond completely by hand is a skill that has almost vanished from the modern jewellery industry. Today, the vast majority of diamonds are shaped with laser precision and computer-guided calculations, engineered to maximise brilliance and consistency across every single stone. But there remains a small handful of cutters worldwide who still work the old way, guided entirely by eye, experience, and an understanding of what each individual stone wants to become.

Starting With the Rough

Every diamond begins as a rough, uncut stone, unassuming, and sometimes giving little away about what lies beneath the surface. Before a single cut is made, a skilled cutter studies the rough carefully, assessing its natural shape, structure, and any inclusions, to decide how best to reveal its beauty rather than force it into a predetermined mould — learn more about how we source and select our diamonds. This first stage is as much about observation and spacial visulisation as it is about technical skill.

Reading the Stone

Unlike computer-modelled cutting, which calculates angles mathematically before a single cut is made, hand-cutting is a responsive process. Each cut informs the next. A cutter working freeform doesn't impose a fixed template onto the stone, instead, the shape emerges gradually, guided by how the light moves through the diamond as it's worked. This is why no two hand-cut freeform diamonds are ever quite the same, even when cut by the very same hands — read more about what makes a rose cut diamond unique.

The Tools of the Trade

Diamond cutting relies on one simple truth: only a diamond can cut a diamond. Traditional hand-cutting uses a rotating cast iron lap (called a Scaif) traditionally coated in diamond powder and oil, against which the rough stone is carefully held and worked, facet by facet. It's a slow, deliberate process and a single stone can take considerable time to complete, particularly for larger or more complex freeform shapes.

A Disappearing Craft

Diamond cutting was once a thriving trade across the UK, but today, hand-cutting has become exceptionally rare, with the vast majority of cutting now taking place overseas using automated, computer-guided methods. The skills involved in true hand-cutting are typically passed down directly from cutter to cutter, generation to generation, rather than taught through standardised training, which is part of why so few people carry the craft forward today — read more about our commitment to UK craftsmanship and ethical sourcing.

Why It Matters

A hand-cut diamond carries something a computer-modelled stone simply can't: the judgement, intuition, and individual touch of the person who cut it. Every freeform rose cut diamond we create at Ilana Belsky is shaped this way, by hand, in the UK, using skills passed down through generations. It's a slower way of working, but it's also why every single piece is genuinely one of a kind.

If you're drawn to jewellery with real craftsmanship behind it, explore our collection of hand-cut rose cut diamond rings, necklaces and earrings.