As the very purpose of Diamond Polish is to upgrade the Wire Guide's Surface Finish, an
introduction to the Surface Finish, also known as Surface Roughness, seems to be appropriate.

          From our Wire Guides, you may choose among four Surface Finish standards, denoted by the suffix in the Part Number. Where no Surface Finish suffix is specified, the SF (Semi-Finish) standard will apply. All our Surface Finish Standards are monitored by Direct Contact Profilometer.

Surface Finish Standards	Part No. Suffix	Profilometer Reading	Application
Super Finish	SP	0.0125 – 0.025 microns or 0.5 – 1.0 micro-inches Ra	Coil winding nozzles, precision miniature pulleys
Diamond Lapped	DL	0.1 - 0.2 microns or       4 - 8 micro - inches Ra	Fine wire drawing
P1 Polish	P1	0.25 – 0.5 microns or 10 - 20 micro-inches Ra	General purpose
Semi Finish	SF	0.525 – 0.75 microns or 21 – 30 micro-inches Ra	General purpose

Surface Characteristics

         Surface Finish is a measure of the roughness of the wire guide's surface. It is not feasible for a surface to be smoothened to perfection; under proper magnification, there will inevitably be a certain level of roughness and waviness, as shown in the description of Surface Characteristics Model at left.

         Surface Characteristics evidence the history of the mechanical processes a surface has been exposed to, including natural processes, for instance: the formation of the pebbles.
  
                             Surface Finishing is the ultimate endeavor for reducing
                             a ceramic wire guide's surface roughness to a minimum.

Case in point

          Emery papers are used to impart a matte finish on wooden artifacts. Rocks are tumbled in abrasive media to remove sharp edges and, with persistence, become artificial pebbles.

          The best abrasive to reduce the surface roughness of ceramic wire guides is, without question-- the diamond -- and the process is known as Diamond Polishing or Diamond Lapping.  Wire Guides processed through Diamond Polishing manifest to the naked eye a mirror-like surface, consequently, the term Mirror Finish.