The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-15

Crcssin~ Yesterday The Threshold If
palafial ewclrysio IN Chosnnt street,
VIC observed at the counter man ac-
conpanied By an over dressed female
paying for ash 900 set Of diamonds he had
then purchased. The buyer Of the gilt
iering trinkets, less than a year ago, had
as little prospect Of owning a 900 set
Of diamonds as Of inheriting the fee sim
pie of all 0oleonda. The gems were duly
disposed upon the person Of bis compan-
ion, and consigning the empty casket 20
his pocket, the parties walked out
How is trade We asked Of The proprie-
tor, as he led us back into the store,
beaming with smiles.
Grade, said he 'wiih us, was never
better-rarely as good"
We mbrveled. He called our atten-
ton TO bis long row Of show cases, in
which the stock was manifestly meager,
and from which very many costly gems
that we had known by sight had now
disappeared r1grttsFFTy4 Fss
"a year ago, said the dealer in jewels,
'our stock was so large that we trem-
bled TO look at 1t. We had sets Of dia-
monds, pearls, opals, rubies and emer-
aids costing us large sums, whose sale we
looked upon as hopeless until national
order was restored. Now they arc nearly
all gone. We have sold six sets to-day,
and $1,000 was the lowest priced one
among them all"
"And the buyers y
"The buyers arc all, or nearly all, new
faces. Our old customers we scarcely
ever see, except they come for some
triling purchase, or bring their watches
to be put in order So far from buying
from us, they oftener come with requests
for the purchase back Of gems bought
from us years before"
"Who arc your presentbest customersF
we asked
AUST such persons as those you passed
on entering the door. Army spectators
and contractors are now spending the
money. II comes easily il departs
upon wings equally rapid. Contractors
indirectly, often times, pay for their con-
tracts
'Pay for their contracts" we asked.
"Not always directly, but generally
by present other than money. BY
grateful contractors who desire to exhibit
their sense of obligation TO the friends
who influence the contracts, the most
liberal purchases Of jswelry are made.
In good times we had many customers
who spent at q time az little as three,
five or ten dollars. We rarely sell n Gus
toner now less than a fifty dollar dia-
mond or set of jewelry.
We bowed our thanks for the mani
testify veritablc information, and walked
away in a brown study. The reader
win follow copy or otherwise, as best
plea Q him Phi'a4ePhia No'@ 4neriea-
In reply to the above, the New York
Express says: f-A .-
We believe our leading city jewellers
are fin equal luck. AZ least we hear
Of large and unusual sales of fancy jewels
and, dry goods on the partof some of the
leading houses Of the city. One OF
our dry goods dealers hassold more
camel's hair shawls this season
than ever before. This is one Of the
mysteries of a strange and unnatural
war. Many of those who were rich be-
fore the war broke out have become COM
paratelv poor Real estate being not
very saIeable and large losses accrui-
inc in rents, the owners OF landed prop
erty, improved and unimproved, have
suffered greatly. But, as is stated above,
new class have taken their places, not
only as buyers, but as owners and occu-
pants of the large and costly dwellings
on 9th avenue and elsewhere.