Editing Lapidary (section)

===Cutting===
{{More|Diamond blade}}
Cutting of [[Mohs scale of mineral hardness|harder]] stones is done with a diamond-edged saw. For softer materials, a medium other than diamond can be used, such as [[silicon carbide]], [[garnet]], [[Emery (mineral)|emery]], or [[corundum]]. [[Diamond cutting]] requires the use of diamond tools because of the extreme hardness of diamonds. The cutting, grinding, and polishing operations are usually lubricated with water, oil, or other liquids. Beyond these broader categories, there are other specialized forms of lapidary techniques, such as casting, carving, jewelry, and [[mosaic]]s.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

While the gemstone in the rough state may be trimmed to remove undesirable material or to separate it on a [[Cleavage (mineralogy)|cleavage line]] with a [[diamond blade]]d saw, accurately described as cutting and once done by the use of a [[chisel]] or similar tool to simply break off pieces that were usable as single gemstones, the actual shaping and polishing of a gemstone is a grinding or [[sanding]] process. This grinding and sanding is done using a [[lapping|lap]], a precision metal plate embedded with grit similar to the more familiar embedding of grit on paper the lap is of high precision particularly for flatness and turned by a motor. The grit material is normally diamond and sometimes corundum for their hardness. Only diamond is hard enough on the [[Mohs scale]] to shape and polish a diamond.