Page:A treatise on diamonds and precious stones including their history Natural and commercial.djvu/118

 ticularly attended to in all these modes of cutting, as a rough edge, when seen through some of the facets, has often the appearance of a flaw, and diminishes the brilliancy of the stone: and unless the girdle is perfectly smooth, thin diamonds are liable to be damaged by the pressure required to secure them in their setting.

from one carat to four or five carats, when skilfully cut into brilliants, lose in the process a little less than half their weight: hence the value of a cut stone is twice that of a rough one of equal weight, exclusive of the cost of workmanship.

diamond cutters of England are confessedly the best in Europe, but the Dutch have engrossed almost all the trade, as we are unable to compete with their prices, labor being so much lower in Holland.