The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-01-22
sHAM.JEWELRY.
Frorn Chambers, journal.

From Chambers Journal.
The passion for jewelry has been a
habit of mankind from the days of
Solomon to those of the shah. It was
illustrated by the idolators of Som
nath; it blazed at the feet of the Ester
hazies it has eliminated in the tiara
and belt of -Shah-Eddin. This
potentate made himself the cynosure of
Europe 10y means of the diamonds fam
ing upon his aigreete, his breast, and the
hilt and sheath of his cimetar and so
the subject of gems has been wonder
fully upon the carpet lately. But with
fashion comes ambition. People will
wear glittering ornaments somehow,
and prefer the false to none at all. In
romance, these lustrous deceptions have
played high part, as in the story, by
Dumas, of the Three Musqueteers," 4"
where a brilliant bit of discrimination
saves Anna of Austria from disgrace.
Everybody, too, has read tales of ex-
travagant ladies pledging their gen.
uine jewels and wearing shams for the
deception of society. And the art has
reached such perfection that, apart
from certain tests, which of course are
impossible to apply, they really do de-
ceive. In fash and splendor the imi-
tated are often scarcely inferior to the
originals whence by the chemists magic
they are copied. In dealing with this
consumnate kind of forgery one pre-
liminary remark has to be made. jew
els viewed in a natural and jewels
viewed in an artificial light are like
certain sorts of beauty, not to be COM
pared. There is a fluid radiance in
them which wants refraction the for
mer take it from the sun, the latter
from the chandelier. In the case of
the peerless stone, however, the dia-
mond, the object of the splendid illu-
sion is to produce a perfectly colorless
substance, thoroughly lucid, and capa-
pie of refecting all lights. To thir
pebble-for it is nothing more-have
been attributed many virtues but it
can be fabricated by science with a
very near approach to reality. First, it
il necessary to dissolve charcoal. Then
follow processes [requiring crystaliza-
ton mingling of pure water, lit
tIo carbonate of sulphur, and certain
proportions of liquiied phosphorus.
Still, all this may not yield a thorough
ly deceptive diamond. Another COM
position is made from silver-sand, very
pure potash, minium, calcined borax,
and form of arsenic, varied occasion
ally by a mixture of stra8s-a mixture
for which an equivalent is paste, and
which represents transparent pebbles
burnt to powder, white lead, and other
similar materials. Somatimes rock
crystal is used, with borax acid from
Italy, aud nitrate of potash. OF the e
materials is composed the false diamoud
which figures so anuringly in the SHOP
windows of the Palais Royal.
Let us turn to the sapphire, the next
esteemed among precious stones, even
above the emerald and the ruby. It is
product Of the East, though found of
inferior quality in Bohemia, Saxony,
and France, among rocks of the second
ary period. There are white sapphires
occasionally mistaken for diamonds
crimson, or cnrmine, resplendent beyond
deseriptil n; vermilion and topsz-tinted.
Indeed we may assign rank to the emeT-
aid as the daughter of the sapphire.
Do you oovet them in order to beam
with borrowed lustre at ballp ? Take,
as the cookery-book says, one ounce of
paste, mix with two grains of precipi-
tated oxide of cobalt, and there you
have the colored and glowing necklet,
which none except a jeweler can detect.
Supposipg, however, that you desire
earrings of chrysoberyl, or chrysopal-
or oymophane, as the French term it,
which means floating light"-the trifle
is exceedingly pretty, with its surface
of asparagus, green as its heart of radi
ating fire. Yet it is TO be emulated by
combination of aluminium, silicia, OK
ide of iron, and lime.
Coming TO the splendid gem, the ru
by,iwheIher Of Brazil, Barbary, or Bo
hemia, with its cherry or purple red
varied by opalescent or milky aspects
there are various methods of rivaling i
with litharge and calcined shells
with paste, antimony, glass, and purple
of Cassius with white sand washed il
hydrochloric acid, minium, oalcine(
potash, calcined borax, and oxide o
silver stirred in crucible. We are fur
nishing our iewel-box rapidly, and at
very moderate expense. But care mus
be taken less, through an imprudent ad
mixture, your fictitious ruby shoulC
suggest the idea of garnet, which is
poor and unreoognizable relation of tn
family. The topaz has never been yer,
fashionable in England; but il is
charming gem in all it's varieties-yel
low, white, colorless-" drops of water,
the Dutch lapidaries call these-orange
shining TO little disadvantage among tn
diamonds, cred ionquil, purple, red
blue, aud violet. It is unnecessary {
search the rocks of Brazil, Saxony, G
Bohemia to gain credit for wearing ther
beautiful bits of radiance. A htttl
white lead, with come shells of a rio
tint; pulverized and caicined, viii yiel
composition of exquisite fire and tin
capable of being cut like the genuir
gem. So viii a mixture Of antimon.
glass, aud ordinary jewelers. paste vii
purple of Cassius but the best INIT
tion of any Is produced by a compos
ton Of white sand. minium, burnt po
ash, burnt borax, and oxide of silve