Ok Now

quandary

"The diamond, not the diamond cutter, tells the saw where to cut," for the owners found themselves in a 11.________________________: either their diamond could be the largest in the world but would not be perfect

impervious

A diamond is the hardest substance found on Earth. It can be scratched only by another diamond and is 1.__________________________to even the strongest acids.

reposed

Weighing 3,106 carats, or slightly over one and one-third pounds, it was cut the old-fashioned way. Its owner must have 9.____________________________ great trust in the cutter

scintillating

What transforms a diamond from its natural state into the 3.______________________gem in the jeweler's display case?

synthetic

Beginning in the 1890s, attempts had been made to create 13._____________________________ diamonds.

cleave

the cutter would 5._____________________________it with a single blow aimed at a precise spot, a nerve-wracking experience since the stone could shatter if struck at the wrong angle.

nondescript

In its natural state, a diamond can have one of several appearances, including that of a lusterless opaque gray or black stone or even a 2._________________________ bit of glass.

scrutinizing

It depends largely on the diamond cutter's skill in cutting, sawing, and polishing. In the past, after 4.__________________________________ the diamond from every angle

appraised

It finally became the world's second largest diamond at just over 400 carats. It was 12._______________________ at twenty million dollars.

facsimiles

Its owners hoped to cut it into a finished gem of at least 531 carats, making it larger than the Star of Africa. To help determine its final shape, diamond cutters made several plastic 10.__________________________ cut in various ways.

depreciate

Like automobiles, diamonds 15.___________________________ substantially in value as soon as they are purchased.

facets

Polishing, the final step in diamond cutting, requires a revolving iron wheel to create 6._________________________ —the flat surfaces that reflect light, making the diamond sparkle.

antiquity

Valued since 8.________________________________, diamonds originally were thought to come only from India, but in the 1700s they were discovered in Brazil

transmute

Then, in the 1950s, scientists succeeded in producing pressures of one and a half million pounds per square inch, and, as a result, they were able to 14.__________________________ graphite (composed of carbon) into industrial quality diamonds.

allure

Though diamond cutting may reduce the size of the original stone by as much as fifty percent, the end result is a brilliant diamond with special 7._______________________________and value.