Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-05-30

ter and respectable Size the loss oes not exceed one
thrdl its price in the rough state Is douc the squart
Of f2, or Is Therefore, tn estimate thr value q!
wrought diamond, ascertain lis weight in raiats, dou.
Bile that weight, and multiply the square of this pro.
duct by e.. Hence wrought dirn'rnd
% s3, IS :Ia
"a 80, -? G2
d l2S, "lO son
- 200, "2n :s!Gl
Beyond which weight the prices can no longer rise in
this gcomctrical progression, from the small number
OF purchasers Of such expensive toys"
In preceding part of his article on this species OF
costly playthmrs ~ ho terms them he expresses linn
self as follows: Since the dinIOnd s merely con-
dcnsed form Of carbon, cannot, in chemical clas-i.
hcaon, bc ranked among stones, hu. rs il forms III
commerce the most precious of grius, il cluns our
first attention in trcniisc on the as. Diamonds ar,
disn@uishabc by grcat many properties, very rr.
marknbe md easily recognized, both in their ruug
state and when cut and puishcd. Their most abso.
Lutte and constant character il degree "t hardness
superior to that of every mineral, whence diamonds
scratch all other bodies and scratched 10y none.
Their peculiar adamantinG lustrc, not easy 10 define
but readily distinguished by the eye from that of ev-
cry other GEM ia their most obviouscnturc Their
specific gravity is 3.:h5. Whether rough or polished,
diamonds acquire, by friction positive electricity, land
no do common quartz crystals and many other crvB-
talline minrrals but do not retain it for than
half an hour. The natural form oi diamonds is dcriy
able from octuhcdron and they present crvS-
tails huvimg one axis longer than the other. Their
structure ii very pGrcepblv lamellnr and therefore,
notwithstanding their grcut hardncss they are brittle.
and give way in the line of their cleavage, Offering
direct meas Of arriving at their primitive form, the
regular octahcdron. Its various forms in nature pre-
sent Il circumstance peculiar to this body; its faces
nro rarely terminated by planes like most other native
crystals but they often rounded of, aud the edges
between them arc curved. When these secondary
faces nttentvcly examined with lens, remark
TINT thIy ARE marked with striS sometimes very fine
| and almost npcrcrptiblc, but at others well defined
and that these sri parallel To the edges Of the
alcdron, and consequently TO those of the patcs that
| are applied on the primitive faces Of this figure.
Diamonds are usually culnrltss and transparent
When colorc, their ordinary tint vcrgcs upon yellow
nr snokr-ycllow, approaching sometimes 10 hluckish
brown. The limpid ar. thu most highly priced The
geological locality "f diamonds, {" r in dlu-
vial gravel and among c"ngioncrntr rocks, cilr!-c
principally of fragments "i quartz ar rolled pebbles
| OF quartz mixed with icrluginnlS snnd which COM
poses sometimes hurd, aggregated massrs. Its
compalyins minrrIc are few i'll number, being mere
ly black oxide of iron, micaceous iron ore platform
Tor poa-shaped) iron ore, fragments OF saty jasper,
and several varieties OF quartz principally amethyst
dAf 0s,ef ,fAtls piuirn;c nn suf Iowdrns tho
lower outlet Of broad vn!ley-, rather tun upon the
ridges OF the adjoining hills Dihln0hiS
take precedence nf every gem for the purpose o HreS'
and decorations and hence the prce attached u lh,nc
of pure water increases i'll +" rnpd proportion ihat
beyond certain sum Tor sze) there Is no RUE Oh com
mercial valuation.
Professor Dana, in his system of Minoral"gy, pub
lshcd in New York three years since, says: The
diamond appears generally 10 occur in regions that
afford aIuinncd granular quartz rock calsd lt"c"-
umitc which pertains to the Inlcosc SERIES. ana owes
it's lanination TO little tale or mica. This rock II
found at the tdiamondl mines OF Brazil and the Grar,
and also in Georgia and North Carolina, where Il few
diamonds have been found. IN the Cni'cd States II
few CRYSTALS have been met with, in Rutherford coui-
tv y. C.. and Hall county, Georgia.
Professor Silnun, i'll the American journal oi Sc-
ence remarks in q brief paragraph ave have seen
n beautiful diamond Of tine water, weighing abou:
T., IL la. IN Ri,tt ri,,rfl
county North Carolina, and understand that Others
have been found in the same State aiso hno't hVe
ycurs .ncc,l crystal of astruw yellow color hay
ing tue usual c"nvex "rep ana n'"ut o 'r Sne OF
be II diamond" Doctor IRE further observes: "''n-
" two puces oil the earth can be adduccd with GER
tnnty ~ diamond distrcts-a portion ri the Indian
Peninsula aud of Brazil" 1t is likewise sta,cd ny
other able writers those "er~iS"" f"yS' that Tie
diamonds Of India are general. free from any r"n.
ing or opakc covering, while those "i BrHzii sur
rounded rs they frequently are, WIN Tf1rn''l
crust, become of the first wafer ai'" N!A' H's" ""'
cut and polished
On the co,;.;.os;,lon, formation and origin dl the
dlanont Sir David brewster, tthc niEh':i ir"'iT-A-
lanc nuhnrty.l says: "F"om ccrtnm cavities I7cH"-
rnl OF which, rcovcrablc only will ln""nlllrr ar:
TO be seen on the surface Of thu Om-iNonrl observed
in diamonds and from their effects III nnHllIing llgh''
il may be conccured, they originate Ike amber rom
the consolidation Of vegetable matter Which gradual.
" ucuurcs crystalline form, from inc influence "l
time and the slow corpnscular action.
Eorndav. and other eminent chemists Of Europe,
have rcccntly succeeded in converting ;hc diamond
into coke. hnvn. cxngnished its blaze hri"rc II Wiz
wholly CONSUMED by the v"alc are oi name.
40 eurly ~ 1854 at Flnrcncc, diamonds were T"lH-
til;zcd within the focus" "i lirrn nndthercD! proven
TO be Of c0mbustihlc nature
And MS if determined TO lac foremost IN Tue rhc" Tor
oc.oonlishinq q still greater miracle in the dawnng
sc;cmcc of chemistry which destined ere long
n achieve far greater and more truly tscnl. moi
mysterious r..Ns lhan were ever dreamed OF Thought
of by the most enthusiastic OF nhrlcnt ArhyinTiS-
our Jwn not hdit sufficiently 0pTrr'd'rH, W. D' k"-
cers late Professor in tho University nf Virginia. has
aoxydizcd, in IL liquid way" this gem ot gcn'-in
the course Of which process hr t"uhd cafDolnc ntia
WINK evolved bv the dcconpnslig uainon'l-thls
| od,nr nnatber wc.carncd laurel to his previously
cr,hydrd ,,ow an,l at the same tmc furnishing ao-
tbr all-inportant and conclusive met To he plnccd,
like the crnwn-s"nc Of pyramid upon the existing
host already record that prove beyond question
their vegetable origin, ami marx Goal htea"@Ie" 'iS
| the birthplace of dnmonds
Whence cnlnc lhis, what to s?a,a persons Dr. trr,
for instance, with his Niiycrsn lead-coored tastr')
might appear t. h0 Ond and scnsclers ndorhtion, or
upuccou,tably high appreciation OF diamonds weigh
| ing more than ten rar0ts, prevalent among man
and wonlankind, almost without exception, ut day
like the present, when "r"i bon0,' or instantaneous
uttarianiem seems TO he The hc!2 motive actuatlng
! ond controlling all casscs enlightened and uncn-
rhtoncd Does il uot arise from IN innate princi-
pie Implanted in the human mind, "iiko natural NJ II"
irresistible operations and univern M physical grnrtn
! tion compelling ua 10 admire, ftnelule anu even
adore whatevcr il sublimrly beautiful i'll nnturf =
pI;ny 1870 years ugo in recording the snpcrstltlols
ave nnd ycucrutioi entertained by the anccnis for
Nh. diamond wrote in substance, rs follows: "lhc
noos nnceit writers describe the diamond az found
only in Ethiopia between the island OF Meroc und the
| triplc of Mercury, md as resembling cucumber
scrd both n shape size and color ltwas sud 10 bo 20
bard ns to l,reok and splinter fhe hammer with which
II WINS struck and the anvil on which was lnl-Hnd
on account Of s resisting not only abrasion, Dnt tue
most vowcrul hcut, it WIS called by Tie Greeks, ada
uv. which siauifrth iarinc'bh or unc"nqurrnblc. =
| Also it wns sometimes given the nanic "i i"4"h""S,
| which mcaus, a dclitc,rr i,om dMr'ay as 1t wns
Thought tn s,e cure for depression "i Spr. III M
| sunhy TO bG oil atdotc ior all pos"ls amt many
otherwise ncurabc diseass--an ulnhle test ni con-
iuguI fidelity, rcconciicT Of domestic strife nnd nn
amulet of tic highest power aGmnst wltclcrntt, in.
cantation nocturnal goblrs and every species OF evil
spirits. :, a.,uoo.;,.o
and repeins power OVER particles Q! iron when IN
contact with the AdaMa' or Anpchts. Pliny i'll
speaking Of the daIpnnd Of his time" says: ~ has
of late been brought from lnda, where it IS not found
in gold mines aud appenrsfo have some relation to
rock crystal, since it retes los tst s.Dsiunrc IN s
coorless transparency, anfFhe i"rn which s that ot
.n;.y NJ of imo pyrapiI: unHcd at their 6as.s.''
1, sssnrcdy ntu,lted TO, ii lic did not correctly
| daacriLe fine genuine Adamas, notwithstanding Pro.
S.snr Dona Expresses doubts Of his ever having .cen
reu diamond. .,.;, H., ~. --;.ouu
.tloJ bv him the most ancient, being found near
the temnle of Mercury like gold disseminated
| .to yains thnt If yas of rure