The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-12-24
DIlMON DS---THEIR Utilities.

above all other jewels, has lately be-
come a striking American peculiarity,
but it is being followed at the present
time by the middle classes of the rest
of the world. From very ancient times
the hardness and brilliancy of these pre-
cious stones have been observed and
priced most highly, bat it is only with
in the last three or four hundred years
that the estimate Of them has risen to
anything like the present mark. Al
most every year the demand for them
increases beyond the supply. Gold is
found in greater abundance, but dia-
monds are relatively scarcer. 1t is not
their intrinsic worth or applicability to
purposes of varied usefulness that
creates the demand for them. Their
brilliauey, scarcity, purity, and hard
ness from the foundation of their price.
They are crystals, formed ofpure car
bon, and capable OF being consumed
under sufficient heat, leaving no resi-
dunn except carbonic acid gas Brazil
is now the most celebrated market for
diamonds, and great are the pree ,utions
taken at the mines where they are
found to prevent the peculation; but
Golconda, Viaspour, Berneo, and Ben
gal, used to be celebrated for their dia
mond mines, the last named being Of
the most ancient renOwn. AT the COM
mencement of our late war, when pro-
perty was thought to be particularly
uncertain, large Investments we're made
in diamonds, and large numbers were
brought over from Europe. Jeffries
supposes the vuiue Of these stones, when
IN the rough state, to he, Oh All average,
about ten dollars per carat at medium.
But, then, to find the value of diamonds
of greater size, it has been said we
should multiply the square OF their
weights by two, and the product will
be the value required. Thus the square
of the weight of the rough diamond two
carats would be four, which, doubled,
would be. sixteen pounds sterling, or
eighty dollars.
In 1887 the Nassuch diamond, part
of the Decean booty, was sold in Lon
don for only seven thousand two hun
dred pounds, though it weighed 357I
grains, and was of the purest water
But in December, 1858, diamond |
weighing sixty one carats brought thir-
ty-three thousand pounds, and IA pair of
drop shaped stones for earrings brought
fifteen thousand rounds. The largest
diamond knowa is that owned by the
King of Portugal. 1t weighs $50 Ca
rats. But that which has attracted the
most attention in recent times is the
Koh-i-noor, or Mountain of Light, now
one of the jewels OF the Queen of Eng
land. 1t was found before the Chris
tian era, according to tradition, in the
mines at Golconda, but, in the four
teenth century, was added to the trea-
sures of Delhi. On the annexation of
the Punjaub to the East India Compa-
ny's territory, it passed, not without
strong coercion, however, into the pos
session of the Queen of England. 1t
weighs, after being recut, lS6 .carats,
and is, therefore, smaller now than the
Orloff' diamond, purchased by Queen
Catharine, OF Russia, which weighs l95
carats, and is about the size OF a pi-
geon's egg. This last, was, probably,
stolen 6y a French deserter from a :
famous idol at Pondicherry, and was !
finally sold to the Queen for four hum t
dred and fifty thousand dollars, and au +
annuity of twenty thousand dollars, t
together with title of nobility. t
The process OF collecting diamonds /
in Brazil is similar to that of collecting f
gold in the ailuvial deposits. A stream =
of water is admitted into long box, e
in which the gravel is washed by R
negroes. He who finds diamond
weighing as much rs 17a carats, is
liberated. Some years ago negro
seeking for diamonds in the bed of =
river, broke w;fta his iron bar through !
4 crust of silicious matter, in which he 2
discovered a bed of diamonds that /
sold for 81 100000. Being l
carried to England, it fairly broke down !
the market fort time. Small, irregu-
Lar, and imperfect diamonds are crush.
ed in steel mortars, while the splinters
are made into drills. The dust is very :
valuable for cutting and polishing
other diamonds and jewels, while the j