Cut and Polished

Everyone (except those paying for it) finds diamonds charming. The scintillating stones, in which specks of coloured light are entrapped, are enough to take our breath away. We stare at, we admire and we desire the diamond - but only after it is cut and polished.

Have you ever seen an uncut diamond? Maybe you have. But have you ever stared at it transfixed, desiring it above all others? Probably not. If you have, you have desired it not for itself but for what it can become.

When a diamond is cut, it is not done in one hard stroke, but in gradual steps. Piece by piece all that is undesired is chipped off the stone; every blow carving away a part of its being, eliminating a part of its self, its essence, yet rendering it more beautiful than before. As the facets are formed light begins to get internally reflected making the diamond shine and sparkle. With each facet the light is reflected back within the stone, until it is completely entrapped, confused and finally broken. The desperation of the broken light makes the stone scintillate with an ethereal restlessness that makes us hold our breath. More the number of facets, the prettier the diamond - more awe-inspiring with every confused attempt of the light to be set free.

Slowly, systematically, all imperfections are eliminated, every little flaw that gave the diamond its identity is polished away. With every stroke the stone resembles more closely the model of perfection, till it becomes a perfect replica of our perception of ultimate beauty. And then in a jeweller's window, it sits pretty, appreciated, envied, desired - a perfect cold hard stone.