Exclusive
Helga Pombal: Angola's Stardiam finds solution to the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds
Stardiam manager of production Helga Pombal told Rough&Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of the Angola International Diamond Conference that lab-grown diamonds are creating a parallel market for more accessible stones, combined with lower...
11 november 2024
Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year
The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...
04 november 2024
Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future
Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...
28 october 2024
Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki
The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...
14 october 2024
James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration
London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...
07 october 2024
Synova develops automatic cutting and shaping solution for diamond manufacturers
Image credit: Synova
Synova, a Swiss-based provider of advanced laser cutting systems, has developed an automatic cutting and shaping system for diamonds which substantially decreases diamond production time by combining several manufacturing processes into one machine. It also reduces polishing processes to a final finishing step.
Dr Bernold Richerzhagen, Synova Founder and CEO, “DaVinci is the first automated laser full faceting solution for round brilliants on the market. It will revolutionize the diamond manufacturing industry because the system covers virtually the complete Rough-to-Polish process. Several cost, skill and labor-intensive steps in the polishing phase such as crown and pavilion blocking, girdle bruting or recurrent quality checks become redundant.”
As a result, manufacturing capacities can be increased or flexibly adapted according to seasonal demand and location. Customers gain a higher and more predictable polished yield through greater accuracies and improved stone symmetries.
The heart of the DaVinci system is Synova’s DCS 50, a highly accurate and well-established laser machine based on the advanced Laser MicroJet technology. The 5-axis CNC machine integrates Synova’s patented breakthrough detection that recognizes when a cut is finished and automatically initiates facet changing.
The water jet guided Laser MicroJet cools the diamond surface during laser ablation and significantly reduces the risk of rough diamond cracking, especially with stress stones. The water jet maintains the laser’s focus creating a cylindrical laser beam resulting in perfectly parallel walls and tight kerf widths.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished