The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-04-22
Artificial Jewelry.

This Is very extensive and importan
trade. 1t is of remarkable interest to
superior class of English artisans Just now
because the factories which used to furnish
the Promensdes, the shops, and the pavilion
OF the Palais Royal, in Paris, are idle anC
silent for while. and the manufacture j,
coming over to England. So much has beer
made kLown by commercial circulars, in
tended in somewhat ambiguous way, tc
announce that Birmingham, with other towns
intends to compete in the general market Of
the world with tie producers of artificial,
and practically valueIess, yet glittering and
much sought for trinkets. The lesson must
be learned, however, before these competi-
tons can be fair, that our appreciation Of
continental tact and compr ehension is curl
ousl y incomplete. Take your Partisan
master; he is critic Of precious stones ;
he knows how to cut them, be then knows
how to mount, and, Immediately afterwards,
how to initiate them; be is an artist in en-
amel, mosaic and gliding; be can amalga-
mate gold with silver, producing every kind
of splendid illusion. Now, amongst the
objects of human desire, vanity considered,
may be reckoned jewels, true or false; they
are priced for particular variations OF
weight, light and color. There are wor-
shippers Of tbe diamond, and devOtees Of the
opal; the ruby has its adorers, and the
emerald its slaves. But we cannot all afford
to wear these gems Of the earth, with their
far-darting rays and CLEANS of twinkling
brilliance. A philosophers stsne Of some
sort must be found, which shall convert
cheap substances into glories and to be-
gin wlth--whar is the false French diamond,
for which so enormous desire has for years
been exhibited at Paris, which was, until
lately, the very centre Of this sparkling
commerce? 1t is bit Of paste, colorless,
super-imposed upon another, with darting
radiance, both perfectly white, except for
the prismatic aurora necessarily playing
through them. But you may grind, for
this most fanciful among the fancies Of man
kind, an oriental sapphire, topaz, an anne
thyst, crystal, and out of the cleaning
powder shall arise a beautiful imposture,
which done, except professional lapldary
would pronounce to be other than a dia-
mond. But the process is exceedingly del
icate, excessively difficult The cutting is
most singular art the tools must be Sc
lected with not less scrupulousness than are
medicines for delicate children.
Ana g ~ --ai.lu'y matcrl..is
Fancy Partisan mechanic engaged upon
these manipulations employed to make
false diamond out Of white sand, first wash
ed with bydrochloric acid, and then with
simple water, minium, calcined soda and
borax, and oxide Of arsenic. Here we have
a combination entirely lucid, but when the
Partisan artisans come to the sapphre-tbe
second in their estimation, Of all precious
have to deal with its wonder-
full and varying colors-as of those especial
ly, from Pegu and Cambay, Of Ueylon, of
Bohemia. The obstacle lies in the produc-
ton of that lovely dark light, burning in,
and bursting from it's heart, for which this
stone is famed, in all its hues, white the
rarest, pale blue, ruby tinted, vermillion,
milk colored, violet, and green. Well, 60
to the Jews of Amsterdam, and they will
charge you a hundred guineas for a sap
phre, but buy little strass and oxide Of
cobalt and you mako one for yourself We
Law no great stress on the celebrated Partisan
fabrication Of chrysoberyls, crysopals, and
Floating lights" which are really not jew
els in the strict sense of the term. The
last, Known in the slang Of the French
market as aquiphOnOnes, are of an aspara-
gus green, rather shell-shaped, with Two re-
fractions, and pretty enough flashing under
a galaxy of chandeliers Both the French,
and, in still greater degree, the English
mechanics have encountered tar deeper
embarrassment in treating the ruby-al-
ways providing that mere red glass and 9th
or pitlful ideas Of toy arcades are out Of
the question. Properly speaking there is
only one ruby, known to lapldarles as the
spinel, of a tender red the Oriental Bar
barry, Brazilian are generally sapphires,
amerhys's, or topazes. The color of the
true stone may be best described, perhaps,
az combination, exquisitey y delicate, Of
rose and cherry but some are wine tinted
of q violet hue, or tinged with yellow. i
is astonishing how far a mixture of white
lead and pulverized and calcined fints vii
90 in competition with the jewel beds 0
India. So with emeralds: the same past,
as is used for artificial diamonds, blended
with a precipitate Of oxide Of copper, anC
the green gem sparkles brilliantly. Th,
garnet requires paste dyed with 'the pur
pie of Cassius !" it is, however, exceeding
" difficult to initiate its starlike ray. Oxid
of cobalt and Cassian purple will produc
beautiful semblance Of the amethyst
though better is obtained by mingling q
white sand treated with bydrochloric acid
red lead, calcined potash, calcined bora1
and the purple. Thousands of these moe
gems are annually sold, at consdersbl
prices, and thousands of them are worn b
heirloom jewels.
Do you admire Mademoisele's cor
necklace? II is made of resin and painter
vermillion-abOut as much Of the latter
dazzles on her cheek. Or her pearls
False pearls were absolutely invented in ii
capital Of Frsnce-false in so many Of
fashions. Thence the art spread throug
out Italy. The manufacture is exceedin
ly curious. As its foundation, are used Il
scales of the blay, small fiat fish, with
: green back and white belly, the latter b.
/, ing Of very silvery appearance and easi
I detached. The scales are scraped in
bowls Of water continually changing, dr
hair sieve, melted, and converted in
! essence of the East" to which is added
little gelatine, and this mixture is sprea
7, with the utmost care, over delicate glob
\ of glass. When cool, these are pierre
and filed with white wax, to give the
the required solidity and weight Dec
}, sionally, real opals, powdered, are used
n the more costly kinds. The Turks car