Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-04-28
lancaster fnteIligenrer.
How Brilliant Gems Are Cut.

Effect of the !su%o1 ths. Dla%Snds S,. Can ;sa he
Precious Stones Come From.
In a recent conversation with Tribune
reporter the agent of the Morse diamond
cutting company related number of in,
teresting facts respecting the diamond
product IL various PARTS of the world
s. " hen the report was made public, lie
said. "that diamonds could be manutac-
tured in the laboratory, people became
timid about investing large sums OF money
in valuable brilliants. During the last
holiday season, in consequence, great
many cheap diamonds were sold. But val
liable stones, both in the rough and in the
form of brilliants, are appreciating in value
all the time. It is not thought possible by
diamond experts to produce diamonds of
any practical value AS yet, it is only
claimed that crystals of very minute
size-not larger than a grain Of sand
have been produced by chemical pro-
cesses. Should the chemist succeed IN
making diamonds Of size sufficiently
large to cut, it would cost as much to
bring them into the requisite shape as 1t
does the stones found in nature. AS long
as small crystals only are produced, the
discovery amounts to nothing. There are
natural diamonds, such as are used in the
mechanical arts, by lapidaries and jewel
ers, that sell as low as dollar apiece. The
principal diamond fields of the world are
in South Africa and in Brazil. Owing TO
the great production in the Kimberley
mines in South Africa and the consequent
reduction in price the Brazil mines are not
worked as much as formerly. A few stones
are found in India, some small ones in
China and occasionally one has been found
in California. 1t is claimed that one or
two have been discovered in Indiana and
one or two in Georgia. But those that
have been sent from Georgia have turned
out to be either beryl or common crystal
The pecularity of the great Kimberly
mines, which are now $50 feet below the
surface and cover large area, is that the
diamonds are found imbedded in steatite
or sOapstone. Those found in the Bahia
district i'm BraZil-which is about 400 miles
below Rio Janeiro-are usually imbedded
in a conglomeratc composed OF small peD-
bles.
"The diamonds that are not fit to cut for
gems are used for mechanical purposes.
Those most used are what are called car
bons from the Bahia district. They are
irregular in shape and of a dark brown
color. about the size ola haZclnut. When
broken there is gray fracture. They
were discovered many years before they
were known to have any value. Since the
discovery that they were diamonds by an
Amsterdam diamond cutter they have
risen in price to So 4 carat and more. They
are used in burning millstoncs and in dia-
mond drills Another variety, known as
Brazilian bOart, is too poor to cut and is
used for drilling. They are of different
colOrs and vary in size from pln-head to
a pea. These little white ones, too small
for gems, have good cutting angles and are
used by photographers and bank
The labor connected with cut
ting and polishing diamond adds
greatly to it's cost Some are very difficult
to shape and polish. A particular seven
carat diamond took seven months labor
more or less work every day-tO get it cut
and polished ready for the .ieweler and sold
at loss of $1,000. Such diamonds are
not crystallizcd in regular planes and may
be compared to a knotty piece of wood.
As rule, however, diamonds have regular
cleavage planes. The cutter just makes a
line on the face of the stone where he
wishes to cut it with the point or angle of
another diamond. Then he uses a short
instrument of steel and mallet to effect
the cleavage
''Is every stone cut into the same gen.
eral form ?'
"They all have the same number OF
facets-fifty- ty-six-but may be round at the
girdle ( circumference } or oblong, accord
ing to the original shape of the stone.
They are cut, as rule, with as little waste
as possible
''To what extent does cold affect the
value of 5rilliants ?''
"The white are the most brilliant and
consequently the most valuable. Tinted
stones are less valuable, but a diamond of
positive pink or green color commands a
high price"