Smyrna times., 1882-05-17
Cheap Jewelry.

There arc two grades of cheap jewelry.
One is intended for actual wear, while it
may forever remain problem what the
other is made for The base metals of
which the first is made is hidden by a
plate that will last for six months or a
year. The workmanship, to the eve, ap-
pears as fine as OH valuable goods. The
designs are often beautiful and intricate.
Tin attractive tiligree work and the inter-
woven figures are executed with perfec-
'i"h. Real cameoes and other stones arc
used TO some extent, but glass stained to
initiate them comprise the settings mainly.
Diamonds are made Of a superior quality
OF glass, and are cut in Octagons and
ether form with a number Of corners to
rfoduce scintillations When they are
s2t, a bit of tinsel is placed under them,
and this causes them to flash in the light
Glass makes a pearl that is particularly
deceptive. Enameling is not expensive,
and is employed considerably, although
frosted work and tracing is far more popu-
lar. The business in New York is almost
entirely wholesale, and the prices at which
the dealers sell their goods show that
cheap jcwelry can be purchased for prices
wonderfully low. The profits on these
goods range all the way from % to 200
per cent. There is still better grade of
jewelry known as roll plate" which will
fan or,I bo G,, II. Il
as cheap jewelry.
The cheapest kind Of jewelry, which
certainly cannot be intended to adOrn the
person, is sold to be given away in prize
packages. This class is denominated
brass goods" 1t is made Of brass, and
instead of being plated is merely FURNISHED.
1t is put up on cards and is so flimsy that
1t is fit for no use. 1t is sold by the gross
Rings sleeve buttons, scarf pins and rings
earrings, breast-pins, charms and studs
bring from 25 cents to 81 Chains, on ac-
count of the amount of material used and
the work on them, are higher-from $23C
to So. This stuffis put up in boxes holding
about II bushel.
Watches illustrate how much work anC
ingenuity can be expended for an insig
nilicant sum. The cheapest watches come
from Switzerland America has not beer
able 10 compete with that country in thi.
respect. 4 perfect watch, stem-windel
and stem-setter, is sold at So dozen, ant
the dealer makes Il handsome profit a
that. The movement is what is common
ly called the "cylinder escapement.
In other words, it is not provided Will
jewels or lever. The case is of white O
yellow metal. The main and hair spring
are about the only parts Of the watcl
that are worth anything. Such watch i
of no value. 1t will not run over a yea
and cannot be relied upon to keep time
Watches of this grade look very well, bu
for the price it cannot be expected tha
they will be Of any service Watches in
crease i'll value according to their worth
\ nickel case lever watch can be purchas
ed for $3.50, and real silver for 81. /
genuine lady's gold watch can be bough
for 50, and gentleman's for $12 Imita
ton gold watches are sold for all prices
from SO up. Machinery and cheap labo
makes it possible to produce watche
handsomely engraved and heavily EN-
bossed at ridiculously low figures. Whole
sale dealers may buy cheap watches b
the gross, but generally sell them by tk
. dozen.
; There is one noticeable thing abou
, cheap jcwelry and cheap watches. The
are put up OH cards and in cases just III
, same as goods of great value. The reaso
2 is simple. These goods are made to i'm
. tate the genuine and they must be put u
to initiate the genuine. Cardboard
! cheap and these cases don't cost much
e What becomes of all this stuff? Wha
. becomes of all the pins and needles? On
is about as hard to answer as the othe
). We keep selling all the time, and W
/ can hardly get enough of the iewelry t
a supply cur trade. l suppose that whe
the sham becomes apparent the PeOpl
who buy the jewelry threw it away {
give it to the babies to play with, and bu
S mere. The prize package trick is utterl
worthless. a man pays 25 cents for thre
i cents worth of indigestible candy and
quarter of q cents worth of brass.-N.
$ Times.
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