The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-10-09
Precious Stones by Artificial Pro-
cess.

OoA Se'enco successtuily initiate ma.
ture in the manufacture of precious
stoness This is question as old as the
days OF alchemy, and the world has
grown to look upon q favorable answer
to it as possible. But IL the facts aivep
in an article from Die GartenlouDe tran
slated into the Popular Science Monthly.
are IS stated. the problem has st last
been practically solved. According to
this paper, two French chemists.
Frenzy and Fell, have exhibited before
the Academy Of Science, ct Paris; rubies
sspphires and emeralds fully equal to
the natural. and made slto9ethsr by
artificial process The discovers have
not attempted to conceal their secret
on the contrary, they have fully dis
closed the methods which they employ
ed. They simply copied nature. taking;
as their basis the fact the ruby. the
sapphire, the topaz. etc. are modifi-
cations of one substance (alumina) J
which, as clay, forms the greater portion
OF the earth's crust The thing to be
done was to follow the example of
nature by placing that substance in q
fiery liquid condition, and to seperste
the new productions slowly from their
former impure parts by chemical and
electric influences. Frenzy and Fell
reasoned that the liquor which they
would obtain by heat would be ana
logous to the material Of which this
globe was composed when it was in q
liQuied state. and that it remained for
them afterwsrd to crystalline and color
the stone. Twenty years ago ether
chemists obtained rubies. sapphires and
emerslds by dissolving srgillaceous
earth with boric acid. but the crystals
obtained were too small to make the
process rcmunerative one.
Frenzy and Fell adopted . different
principle. They resolved to separate
the argillaceous earth form its usual
combination with siliclio acid, as it il
found in nature everywhere. by bring.
ing to bear upon it q substance Of
stronger affinity for the acid. Reduc-
ing the clay to what they term mother
liquor by long subsection to intense
heat. they used REQ led in connecting
with it. thus forming oxide of lead
After several weeks of patient waiting.
says the article, wildly recalling the
expectant watching of the old alchem.
lists at their crucibles, in which the
philosophers stone was to he created
the crucible is taken out and colored.
After destroying the cruicible, the con-
tents are found to consist of two strata.
above q CLASSY enc. consisting principally
of sillicate of lead, and below q crystal.
line one, containing the most beautiful
crystals of srgillaceous earth in round
clusters.I II nothing but red lead and the
clay have been placed in the crucibles,
these crystals are as colorless as glass
They will cut glass and rock-crysta
nay even the very hard topaz in short,
they are precious corundums or
diamond spar, so called because, next
to the diamond and crystalline boron. it
is the hardest of all precious Stones
But the task of the chemist was only
partially completed with the produc
ton Of the colorless crystals. He
must confer upon them the hues
Of the precious tones. and to do that he
had to take another lesson from
Nature. The precious stones formed
when the whole globe was in immense
laboratory would be also colorless. il
in tho terrible furnace of primordisl
world, ire.proof metals had not
taken upon themselves the task per-
formed by aniline in our present dying
works. Long before there were colored
plants and animals metals played the
part of pigments in nature. and thus
produced. In stones. colors almost sur
passing in brilliancy those to be found
10 the animal kingdom. Rubies and
cmeralds are probably colored with
chrome, sappires with oohalet. lapis-
lszuli with iron, and other precious
stones with copper, nickle, manganese,
etc. Now, a. rubies, sapphires and
emeralds are nothing but colored
diamond. spar. the two former could Be
easily obtained by the addition of the
requisite quantities Of the ccloring met
allie combinations. Bi.chromAts of
potash added to the fused clay and red
lead give.ths crystals the rose color Of
the ruby; the further addition Of oxid
of cobalt produces tho sapphire. The
author Of the paper from which We
have quoted unfortunately does not
specify BY what meaus the emeralda
were obtained. but he does say that they
were perfect limitations Of the Oriental
stones, 20 called on account OF their
superiority. How completely he
adds, the imitation Of nature has sue
cesded may be inferred from peculiar
ity which the artificial rubies have IN
common with tho natural oue-both.
upon being heated, lose their rose color,
and do not recover il until they are
cooled again. The disnond cutters
who were requested to grind these art
ificial rubies. found them not only as
hard - the natural ones. but in many
instances even harder; they were not
long in bunting their bsst tools made
Of the hardest steel.
Huoh q promising branch Of alchemy
q this having been opened up. it will
doubtless be pursued actively. Az the
diacovercrs have exposed their process.
il 10 mot barred against any chemist.
The account relates that the jewelers.
of Paris were in high state OF excite
ment when the news reached them Of
what Frenzy and his oo-laborsr had 40
eomplished. So much having been
done. the day may come when precious
stones may b. - cheap - glass crys-
tai. for the process detailed costs llttls.
The diamond. however, must be sx-
oaptsd. The experimenters have had
70 admit that they cannot determine.
- aNonvenNO shasu