Cleaving refers to ...

Cleaving refers to ...

• A. Polishing a rough diamond to a finished gem.
• B. A technique for creating new cleavage planes.
• C. Dividing a diamond into two or more pieces along a cleavage plane.
• D. An unstable inclusion.

Answer: (C)

Dividing a diamond into two or more pieces along a cleavage plane is how cleaving works. Diamonds have a natural plane of weakness in their crystal lattice, usually aligned with the octahedral directions. When force is applied precisely along that plane, the bonds break cleanly, yielding a straight, two-piece split that can be used for further shaping. This is distinct from polishing, which smooths and finishes surfaces by removing material, and from trying to create new cleavage planes, which isn’t how the crystal structure behaves. An unstable inclusion is a different concept related to internal features, not the act of cleaving.

Dividing a diamond into two or more pieces along a cleavage plane is how cleaving works. Diamonds have a natural plane of weakness in their crystal lattice, usually aligned with the octahedral directions. When force is applied precisely along that plane, the bonds break cleanly, yielding a straight, two-piece split that can be used for further shaping. This is distinct from polishing, which smooths and finishes surfaces by removing material, and from trying to create new cleavage planes, which isn’t how the crystal structure behaves. An unstable inclusion is a different concept related to internal features, not the act of cleaving.