A flexible cutting wire carrying diamond segments or beads, used to saw marble and other stone with relatively narrow kerfs and controlled cuts.
Filo diamantato is diamond wire: a flexible cable fitted with diamond-bearing cutting elements. It is documented in the Pietrasanta workshop machinery indexed by Le voci del marmo.
Unlike the older filo elicoidale, which relied on transported abrasive slurry, diamond wire carries its own cutting abrasive and can make long, controlled cuts through large masses of stone.
Etymology
Italian: filo, “wire,” + diamantato, “diamond-coated.”
Sculptor Notes
Diamond wire is important to understand because it changes how a sculptor can think about waste. Large portions can be separated by planned cuts instead of being reduced entirely by percussion.
References
https://levocidelmarmo.sns.it/lista_times.php