Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-11-03
A DIAMOND OF EIGHT OUNCES.
A Precious Stone Big Lemon
found I'm Australia.

A Precious Stone Big Il Lemon
found I'm Australia.
The discovery OF a diamond weighing
three-quarteas of a pound, and worth, on a
moderate estimate, twenty millions of
money, would be an event calculated to
leave mark even on this age of sensa-
tons. We only regret that we cannot quite
announce it as a fact. A stone, however,
assumed to be precious, and defined in sue
cessive kilograms as a diamond, topaz
and nondescript, has actually been found
in the Australian gem sand. THE thing"
as our correspondent irreverently calls it,
is as big as a large lemon. It weighs be-
tween seven and eight ounce IN the scale
and it might, as the people say, be any
thing for all that could be told.
To enable the reader to speculate on the
possible marvel, and appreciate the phe-
nomenon at its proper worth, we will just
explain what it means, or would mean, if
actually realized.
Diamonds are measured by their weight
in carats, a carat being four grains The
largest diamond Of which we in this coun-
try have any practical knowledge, is the
famous Koh-i-noor, which in its historical
shape as shown at the Exhibition of 1851,
weighed 1856 carats, or 744 grains The new
Australian diamond would weigh about 900
carats, or 3, 900 grains, just about five times
as much.
Diamonds, however, increase enormous
ly in theoretical value with increase of
weight; so that, whereas the Koh-i-noor
was computed to be worth, according to
the ascending scale Of prices, some 80, 000,-
600, the Australian stone would be valued
by a ieweler at far more than five times
that sum. We need hardly add that such
cola17 Loft 10 1o17raI c,1oan1afivn
1t is all very well to prove the value Of a
diamond by the rates of a conventional ia
BILE. but as no purchasers could be found
with millions in their pockets, the estimate
is entirely nominal. The real value of
thing is what it will bring, and no stone
could be actually sold for million. In
point Of fact. this limitation of market
values was very soon reached in the late
buoyancy Of the trade.
Up to certain point the value of dia-
nlonds rose greatly about twenty years
ago, but when this point had been passed
the prices remained stationary. The en-
haneement occurred solely in stones that,
as the phrase goes, were 'seyerybody's
money" A diamond worth $500, or even
Ct, 600, would fetch 20 or 80 per cent. in
addition; but the famous Burgundy dia-
mond, fol instance, brought only eco, 600
"a very moderate price.
It will certainly be interesting to learn,
by and by, what this ''reputed" diamond
turns out to be; but, as regards the mere
possibilities of the case, we may remark
that there is already ''reputed" diamond
in the world weighing actually twice as
much as the Australian gem. This Won
derful stone is, or was, in the Portuguese
Treasury, among the crown Jewels Of the
Kingdom, and it is known to weigh l. 180
carats. Unfortunately, that is about the
amount OF knowledge we possess in the
case, for the government would never allow
it to be examined, and it may only be q
white SAPPHIRE or something less. -London
Times. Oct 9Th