It is not so many years ago that the few stone companies actually using diamond tools locked them away at night because they were so valuable. B.V. Diamond is one of the companies that changed that and made the use of diamond tooling feasible for the stone industry in the UK.

B.V. Diamond was formed in 2007 when an Indian manufacturing company, Bhukhanvala, wanted to supply the UK stone market with diamond tools of European quality but at a more competitive price.

To do this it recognised it would need people with specialist knowledge of the UK market who could supply a full re-tipping and tensioning service. It chose John Crossley, previously with Nimbus, to establish B.V. Diamond and head the business. John is now semi-retired and Laura Carney helps him run the company that employs five people.

B.V. Diamond opened in a factory in Leeds fully equipped with the tools to carry out the work needed and employed experienced saw doctors to work in the factory or on a customer’s site.

Twelve years later and B.V. Diamond is well established as a supplier of diamond tools and services into the traditional stone quarries and yards market, offering full technical aftersales back up for primary and secondary sawing along with tools such as diamond wires, blades and segments.

Diamond tools have not only got less expensive over the years, they have also got better – and continue to do so. That latest development from B.V. is a new, slotted trapezium shaped segment for cutting hard sandstones.

Its novel configuration was developed by John Crossley based on his 40 years experience in the industry in association with his Indian suppliers at Unnati Diamond Tools. The design allows for a faster, smoother cut without reducing the life of the blade.

It also allows the operator to cut at full speed from start up without the usual requirement of sharpening. Therefore full production is achieved quicker.

The vertical slots on either side of the segments improve the water supply to the cutting face throughout the life of the segment, improving lubrication and reducing drag.

The transformation of diamond tools from the high cost product of the 1980s, when the price of diamond tools was a high percentage of a company’s running costs, to the affordable products they are now owes a lot to the emergence of Chinese suppliers,a s well as Indians, offering products at better than half the price of their European competitors.

The down side was that the diamond products did not come with the technical back up needed.

B.V. Diamond made the commercial decision to continue to supply a high quality tool at a reasonable price with a technical service to help the customer select the correct tool for the stone being cut and to continue to re-tip and tension blades.

Although these days some of the diamond products from B.V. do come from China, as well as some from European company Winterstone and Indian company Unnati, customers realise that getting the cheapest product is not always the most cost effective solution.

Many of B.V.’s customers, who are everywhere from the Scottish borders to London, including Wales, contract B.V. to take responsibility for their blades and wire saws. It ensures there is no unexpected down time and it is one less worry for the operators.

Below. Re-tipping and tensioning your blades is all part of the service from B.V. Diamond.