The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-10-30
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Pearls and Diamonds.


Pearls and Diamonds.
low FALSE PEARLS ARE MADE AND HOW ;,
-, DIAMONDS ARE CUE: Iii
Partisan industry does not confine Itself n
o initiating gold. 1t makes canoes, CAM '
,ins that Is to saw, stones engraved in re- il
lief, and fine pearls. These pearls, whicn
initiate in q truly astonishing manner the t
genuine pearls, with their regular Iorlns'
their orient, and their beautiful renections'
are composed of small glass bubbles, which | /,
= laborer blows, and which then pass T
through the hands of two yeang gifis':-T1
ifhe first fills them with isipglass, wllien
sticks to the sides of the globales; the +
second pours into them essence OF ORIENT en-
which is kept there By the islnsiass. sIne [
.plobule is heatedsa little, and this f1xestne
essence. The essence dries, the pearl Is
6llsd with some smolten wax which as I
soon as it is cold, consolidates it and sup
ports the essence Of orient, which IS alone
seen through the transparent she'll OF the
pearl This so-called essence OF orlent
il obtained from fish we'll known to the
fishermen of the Seine, who call it '.abteae1
E(bleak, while natural history has given to
lie the name Of eyprinus alba'7aus. Inc
nrecious substance is taken from the base
Of the scales of the bleak, from the sldes
of its stomach, breast. and it's bowels, wnlchl
are literally covered with it. In order 70
obtain the essence Of orient, one scales
the bleak with blunt knife over ucket
full Of distilled water. This water, when
generally becomes soiled with blood, rs
cautiously poured ont then the scales arc
I washed with water in a very fne' seive ever
the same bucket. Now the essence de-
taches itself and passes through the thou
sand little holes of the apparatus, and
settles at the bottom of the bucketin the
form Of soft, glutinous mass OF very
, brilliant bluishswhite color. tits afterwards
taken out and mixed with ammonia OF
volatile alkali, which prevents it from
: fermenting; putrefying and Transforming
itself into residue which would promptly
r pass from the state of pbosphorescent mat
v ter into that of black disgusting pu'refac
4 ton. These Partisan artificial pearls
:. when mixed with genuine pearls, deceive
= even the most practiced eyes, and retiec
l. SO we'll the orienU ofthosa with which the!
n are associated, that they seem to have TN
- same origin Not far from the pearl
there is shop for the l., Manufacture Q
enamel flowers, "a naonlen,. and two girl
u (emaiNeuses) are at work upon them
L. These ename! flowers are transformed int
,e breast-pins,, bracelets, bair-pins, etc.
!. little further on the enan,elers o., all des
: criptions may be seen working at thel
ie trade, and then come tho diamond cutters
We Diamond cutting was for along, time pas
as practiced exclusively bya small number
l. Jewish families til 1t kept their process e.
~ tirely secret. To day, the Partisan Oh
mondrcutters have acquired ? degree
is proficiency unsurpassed and unrivalled
i. anv other county. Although diamond
: were known already in the most reno
&c ages, the art of cutting them well was !
n vented at a comparatively recent perlo
Of For long Sine the diamond men conter
lid ed themselves with grinding them; tod
:. they are really cut. This operation Is Pr
OF formed with the utmost caution; I
eat portions of the stone which are to
US sacrificed are taken off by emitting the
he precisely in the direction of their natu'
-. layers, for the diamond ibeinga crystaliz
'uS body, it is like other crystals, easier
y? divide in the direction Of the crystallz1
of strata than in any other direction: a
ar. other process consists in saving it VI
-: steel wire covered with diamond dust a
Ivy moistened with vinegar. At the Expo
to tion,, a mechanic rubbing two rough d
his monds against each other, removes fr'
led them, as it were. their first skin, and
49, dust mixed with oil and put on a piece
our steel, is then used for polishing the ia
yer of the stones. The diamond for this p
ule, pose is set in a leaden mould which tn
the around and performs the furnishing, clio
-; ly watched by the mechanic, who, as q
r'f as a face is finished, turns thest one rol
ext until all the faces are polished. a SKI
no diamond cutter can polish in this
will eighty faces in the course OF SIT
We day.-lUnlyers. y s#fas af3 faa /,