Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-26
SOME rAcrs ABOUT DIAMONDS.
Historical Gems-Present Condition and
Tendency of the Trade.
New York Granhic. {


into the store of prominent diamond
broker on Broadway, and had an enter.
tanning conversation with the dealer on
the subject of diamonds.
'sThe diamond is an interesting theme
for extended study" said the dealer,
whose time appeared for the moment to be
unoccupied. Indeed, the history OF
some notable gems are as romantic and
complete as those of the greatest of man.
kind. I have some historical specimens
here for that matter. But you asked me
about the value of diamonds. / suppose
in the vaults of the Equitable Building
can be found the most valuable of any IN
the city. There are few exceedingly valu-
able ones exposed for sale. Diamonds are
not worn as much as they were some years
ago. l notice that some of our wealthiest
ladies wear plain jewelry now in prefer
ence to diamonds. On state occasions
Mrs. John Jacob Astor wears diamonds
worth several fortunes. Mrs. A. I. Stew
art seldom wears them. 1t is chiefly the
to any extent. Our best trade is among
the middle class and the sporting and
demi-monde element of society. But as
to original value. Now, L have made a
study Of diamonds, and history tells me
that long before the Christian era the
erystallized form of pure carbon was known
for its value as an instrument for cutting,
and had its place in bijoutry. According
to Indian traditions, the famous Koh-i-noor
was found in the mines of Golconda long
before Chiist's birth. For centuries it was
the symbol of succession among the sover-
eigns of Central India, and IN the four
teenth century it became one of the treas
ures of Delhi. Afterwards it came into
the possession of the Persian monarchs.
and at the victory of the rebel Nadir Shah
it was glittering IN the turban of the van,
quished Mohammed Shah. Na1ir politely
asked Mohammed to exchange turbans
with him as mark of friendship. For
several centuries the Persian monarchs
possessed it, and in 1913 it was made the
price of Shah Shujah's liberty by his con.
queror, Runiest Singh, of Punjaub. With
the annexation of Punjaub to the East
India Company's territory in 1850 the
Koh-i.noor became the property of the
Queen of England, whose crown it now
adorns, together with 496 other gems, the
latter being valued at 1872, 600 The
Koh-i-noor since being recut weighs 1929
carats, and is valued at 5000, 600. But
this IS only one among many historic gems.
The King of Portugal owns one Which, if
genuine-of which there is some doubt
is worth about SOS, 600 0O0"
elbow about the Shah of Persia's dia-
monds ?"
cit is said that they are mostly bogus.
70 ha hot n
monds are not so much worn now as for.
merly. There is so much of the cheap
trash in the market, which can hardly be
distinguished from the genuine except by
an expert. l have diamonds here that
cost SO, coo that l will sell for half price,
But" continued the dealer, you've
heard of the 0rloff diamond, one of the
ornaments of the imperial scepter of Rus
STA. 1t was originally the eye of an Indian
idol, from whence it was stolen by a
French soldier, who thought ne was get
ting fortune when he sold it in Madras
for SO, 400. Catharine Of Russia paid
S4l8, 500 for it. The Sancy is $780, 600
brilliant belonging to Russia, Henry III.
once sent this jewel to the Swiss Govern
ment by a servant. The servant was as
sassinated, but swallowed the diamond
before he died. and it was afterwards taken
from his stomach. OF other famous dia.
monds there are the French Eugene; the
Tuscany; the Nassac, belonging to the
Marquis OF Westminster, and valued at
Sl4S, eco; the Napoleon Regent the Hope,
blue diamond the Dresden, OF London /;
the Brazilian the Gar the Shah the
Polar STAR and others of almost fabulous
wealth. None of the most notable dia-
monds are owned in the United States,
though it was recently reported that Mrs
John G. Mackay, the wife of the mining
king, who owns 81 900, 900 Of diamonds, is
said to have purchased one that used to
adorn a crown. Diamond commerce proper
began in 1928, when the Brazilian mines
were opened. In 1865 some children
playing upon the banks of the Orange river
found diamond weighing two and a quar-
ter carats, and this led to the opening of
the South African diamond fields. Ex-
tensive mines have also been opened in
Australia. Like almost all other minerals,
diamonds and diamond dust have been the
circulating medium of exchange in many
countries, and, indeed, in Brazil have pur.
chased even human liberty, the slave miner
being given his freedom if he should dis
cover diamond of III carats and over.
Diamond mines have been also discovered
in the United States, in Rutherford county,
North Carolina; Hall county, Georgia
Franklin county, North Carolina and In
Virginia The most valuable diamond
found in the United States was picked up
by poor workingman at Manchester, Vir-
ginia, in 1856 1t weighed 237 carats,
but was SO badly used by its ignorant
finder, that its value was greatly deteri-
Grated"
''How about the trade in New York ;"
"Nearly every ieweler and broker dab
bles in diamonds, but | can't say that the
trade has benefited the original dealers. 1t
is estimated that over $40, 600, COO worth
of diamonds have been retailed here dur
ing the past year. 1t is hard to say how
large the wholesale trade has been. The
past year the demand was for fine dia-
monds, and fine stone which in former
years had to be sold for $500 or $3.50 now
sells for from $500 to 500. We don't sell
diamonds by any schedule of weight. A
two-carat stone may sell for SIS, and one
just as heavy for $3.50. Nor can they be
sold for certain sum per carat. A fine
brilliant weighing one carat may cost $500,
while a two-carat stone of equal fineness
sells for $500 or 5000. The average dia-
mond sold here weighs about one and q
quarter carats, and costs about 5000. They
are mostly African and Brazilian stones,
and are shipped from London and Amster-
dam by Tiffany & Co., Randall, Barmore &
Co., Alfred II. Smith & Co., Buckingham,
Cole & Saunders, Lyon & Saunders, Lyon
& Hardy, and other New York and Boston
firms. There is a delusion under which
some diamond buyers labor. There was a
mine in Brazil which formerly produced
stones magnificent for their clearness and
retroactive powers. 1t was called the 'old
mine, and many of the particularly fine
stones now sold are called the old mine
stones. There is no difference in the in
trinsic value of the stone, the rich merely
delighting to pay good sum for the
name.
The present local fancy in the way of
diamond jewelry is the combination of dia-
monds, rubies and sapphires, set flush il
hammered gold or in what is called knife