The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-06-04
Our Q9lio.
From the n. 7. EreniRq Post.
Frauds in Jewelry.

question in casuistry. No civilized people
wear as much iewelry as the Americans;
nor is its use confined to any particular
class. 1t is estimated that 50,000,00 of
capital is invested in the jewelry business.
But large numbers convey vague impress
sions. \ more correct idea of its extent
lies in such trifing fact as that one
house alone, from the 18th of August to
the middle of November, put forth five
thousand pairs of bangles This is simply
the fashion of the hour which at present
is tinkling from the Fifth avenue to the
Five Points, and which in turn will give
way to another feetins fashion, calling
suddenly upon the jewellers immediate re-
sources 1t is easy to see how injurious
this is to the jewellers trade. In the first
place, il iuterferas with the production Of
4 the higher class of work, Of those artistic
pieces which were formerly handed down
as heirlooms. Almost all houses have
their private designs But these it being
almost impossible to protect are immedi-
ately copied in all grades down to the bas-
est materials, Men employed by unscru-
puIous houses viii copy designs from show
windows, and an especially 6nterPrising
agent has been known to sketch part;cu
larry choice piece worn by lady, on his
hundred cuff. Jewellers cannot afford to
produce cut work 4 striking design
must be hastily pushed upon the market
and the harves; rcaped at once. When
+ the mistress finds her ornament copied IN
her maid 5 FIRE giis, she hastens to discard
il and seeks for greater novelty. The
same thing obtains throughout th1 country.
A travelling man fnds j: not worth while
to show the same goods twice. however
beautiful and artistic they may be. Why
this IS old Haven't you brought any
thing new p exelaims the commercial
Athenian out West. When the Cas,ella-
nj collection was in this country there was
one great ornament, beautifully iFileseeab
T which excited the admiration and curiosity
Of the gaild, nothing having ever been
seen Ike il before. At length one gentle
man by much labor aud repeated sudeay-
ors discovered the secret Of this iriioscence
to lie in sweating layers Of gold enc Gu
the other. Blu, such zeal as this is only
possible for the nan who can indulge his
( love for his trade, as no pecuuiary good
can be reaPed from i,
I TIE second 3il5eRlty Is more immedi-
a,ely objectionable, and at tbs same time
could be more easily remedied, Artistic
debasomeui Is 4 subtle quality, bu; fraud
+ Is a tangible fact Against this at present
/ the public aud the honest dealer have ab-
solu;ely no protection. There Is large
/ number Of unscrupalous dealers who make
business Of sellisg gold jewelry which
contains more copper than conscience, as
it has been exeellenty put, and, strange
I to say, the laws as at present framed sustain
them ia it. To give a essa in point, 4
nan bought q gold wstsh Of one Of these
men. Finding himself swiHdled, be had
tie dealers arrested, aud the case came to
trial Il was discovered that the watch
case contained but four pennyweights Of
gold the rest was brass or other alloy
Nevertheless, the judge decided that ioas-
much as the cost Of the four pennyweighis
of gold exceeded the ccs; Of the alloy, the
watch vas te al iutenis a gold watch.
The ways in which these frauds are per
petrated are numerous and most Ingenious,
aud the important branch Of the business
Is watches. The most desirable watch
case is Of eighteen carat gold, it being sus
! ceptible Of higher polish aud more easily
kept cleaa. A person wanting to buy
watch with a case Of eighteen carat gold
will as often find that the back Of the
I watch alone is Of the required purity, and
that the value viii degenerate until the
run will probably be Of eight carat gold.
( But the purchaser viii pay all the same
the full value Of eighteen carat gold. The
customary way Of trying a watch is to ask
+ for fifty, sixty or whatever desired mum
Der of pennyweight case one may want for
which the price is probably sl.2j penny
weight. Now in buying of any but a we'll
known honest house the probability IS that
a man Is buying twelve or thirteen penny
weights of steel spring, which he has paid
for as honest gold The ingenuity with
which watches are followed out for the
introduction Of this spring would accom-
plish good and worthy ends in some other
/ direction. A watch has been sold to con
tain thirty-six pennyweights Of gold which
actually contained thirteen pcnuyweights
of pure steel spring. In other instances
the stem is but shell of gold filed with
brass. Against such swindles the purehas-
er has no protection but to buy of houses
of established reputation, The honest
houses have absolutely no redress against
these men, who are injuring the jewellers
trade except that which comes from their
own eonscienees void of offence, which is
satisfactory as far as it gees, hut which,
unfortunately, does not 90 far enough.
The faYorite proceeding is to engage
rooms in Maiden Lane, which is known as
the jewellers street all over the country,
and to advertise from their respectable
surroundings their fraudulent wares. jew
elry purporting to be of eighteen or four
teen carat gold will be really of eight carat
gold, colored to represent eighteen carat
gold A distinguished public man wear
ing handsome pair of sleeve buttons was
asked by a gentleman interested in these
matters to allow him to have his buttons
assayed, promising to return him dupli
cate pair The price paid for the buttons
was eighteen dollars. On assaying they