Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-05-01
DIAMONDS
THEIR DECLINE IN VALUE.
rE- IL NJ mt.

lrrom tne New 10rk Ilmes.l
Such are the vagaries of fashion, or per-
haps, to speak moro correctly, such are the |
variations OF demand In the single article of
precious stones, that man might make q |
tolerable fortune by simply buying mag.
nihcent parures for his womankiud when
there was biasse In some specially, and
selling them again when there was a
nausse. At the present moment diamonds
are cheaper than they have been for ten
years, aud pearls are dearer. Now is the
moment for paterfamilias to buy diamond
sets for the wife OF his bosom, and for the
daughter OF his affection. To say nothing
OF the pleasure it would give to those whom
conventionally he is supposed to live only
TO please, 1t would he good speculation.
The one difficulty which ut once suggests
itself to weary husbands and fathers Is that
though the ladies would accept the logical
promise of buying when diamonds were
cheap, they would be sure to refuse to re-
ceive the equally eical conclusion of SELL
ing when they are dear. Pearls are now
higher than they have ever been; but where
Is the lady that could bs persuaded TO sell
her pearls and invest in dlamOnds3 En-
eralds are comparatively high, though they
have fallen OF somewhat. Rubies and
sapphires hardly come into the market of
New York, there Is such little demand for
them. They both belong TO the order of
hyaline corunls, but their market value is
curiously different. small sapphire is
worth far more, comparatively, than a
small ruby, whereas really large ruby
Is worth many diamonds. This IL not SO
In all the markets. In India large zap
phire Is worth moro than large emerald,
and nearly rs much as large diamond.
Rubies OF any size are so rare that they are
almost priceless anywhere.
To give readers of the Times some idea of
comparative value We will suppose sapphire
as large as an olive of ordinary French size 1t
would be worth here in New York fifteen hun
dred dollars an emerald of that size would be
| worth eight thousand a diamond fifteen thons-
and q ruby forty thousand an opal of fine col
or OF that size would be worth only one thousand
dollars. These are the comparative values here
| in New York. Abroad, where colored gems are
very much liked, the prices are different. Opals
| are worth more, and sapphires are worth more,
and emeralds less. But for the American pui
chasers the diamond is the one great staple, and
| it is only of late years that there has been any
sensible demand for pearls. These come TO us
from Central America and from Lover Californ-
ia, AS we'll as from the Persian Gulf, but it is
very rare TO find these gems possessing the game
lustre as the Oriental. Some time pearls from
the Oman Sea are so lustrous as almost TO rival
the fire of an opal Such gems would be worth
Eve hundred dollars. Curiously enough, this
intense lustre is sometimes found in the Ohio
| in fact hardly larger than seed pearl.
The importation of South African diamonds 10
this country has averaged live million year for
| tho last three years. The maj number of these
stones were of large size. and almost all Of them
are yellow or yellowsh-few are white. The
proportion of the latter is about one in three
| hundred. As for fancy coored diamonds-blue,
steel color, pink, and green-the proportion OF
these is exceedingly small, only one in twenty
| five hundred. These celored stones find a POOR
marker in this country, rs few persons have the
wealth TO use them in the way in which they are
utilized abroad There ladies often have an Or
nament in the centre of the corsage-a bcquet Of
diamonds The green are used for the leaves,
the yellow for daisies, the pink for roses, the blue
for torget-me-nots, and so on. This tancfulmeth-
| od of setting is greatly admired on the Contin-
ent, and most royal ladies are adorned for leyees
and drawing rooms.
| The large and unprecedented supply of enor-
nous stones from South Africa within the
past five years has actually lowered the price
| of cOored large stones seyenty-hye per cent.
and has induced corresponding fall of values
in all sizes. The same result took place when
diamonds were discovered in Brazil. Previous
| ly the mines in Golconda, In India, were the
| only sourse of supply. History has not pre-
served the name OF the discoverer OF the Bra
| lillian treasures. He was wideawake gentle
man, Tor ne made fortuEe out or MS Sagaclfy,
lie observed that the planters used for coun-
tiers at their cards little greenish stones til at
pure octohedrons in shape. aud he noticed
they were marvelously heavy. lie inquired
what they were. "Why." replied planter
"the Indians find them somswhereiH In the beds
Of dried up rivers, and they have superstition
about their bringing good luck TO the persons
who have them about their persons We plan
ters play cards good deal, and we've got in
to the habit of using them as counters, and
dare say half with the Indian notion that they
are lucky stones" The traveller said he would