The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-20
ARTIFICIAL PRECIOUS STONES.
Tricks of the Trade that Sometimes Puzzle
the Experts.


/ lis the manufacture of imitation
stones carried on to any extent in this
leountryP"
Il We'll, there are limitations and inn
itations, you know. Nearly all the paste
comes from France, as it can be produc-
ed much cheaper there than here. Five
sixths of the paste sold under various
names would not deceive a child 1t is
bought and sold by the quart, one might
almost say, for a mere song, and looks
| like just what it is-glass. and often bad
| glass at that Now look at this and
rs he spoke the dealer held ont at arm s
length with pair of dividers what APP
peared to be fine two-carat brilliant,
| just shade off color A close inspec-
ton showed that the lower half of the
stone was cased in tiny metal cup.
| Nov, no one but an expert Gun say
| whether that is a genuine brilliant or
not As a matter of fact, it is foiled
paste, and worth in trade less than dol
lar. The foil is placed between the
part of the stone and the cap or cover
ing, but when the work is well executed
it takes an expert to detect its presence.
There is even a more artful and effective
way of Stimulating the diamond, but |
am pleased to say for the credit of the
trade that the counterfeit is rarely made
up in this country
1.-The doublet, as it is called, is made
by fixing a slice of thin diamond. a
worthless cutting from a large stone, on
the table of a brilliant with invisible
cement piece of glass is then fixed
to the bottom of the false stone, which
~ cut fiat, not to point. This gives
real diamond surface to the top of the
stone SO that the file test will not touch
1t. These false stones are almost ex-
elusively used for the purpose of de-
frauding people, and you will rarely come
across one even in the trade. Emerald,
ruby, and sapphire doublets are used free
ly, and tits almost impossible for the I'M
practiced eye to detect them. Do not
misunderstood me, they are not sold as
genuine but as limitations, and very
beautiful they are. A garnet is used as
a top layer, and blue or green glass.is
affixed to the bottom of the stone, ac-
cording to the natural color of the SIM
ulated stone Here is a magnificent
specimen of a scarce gen. said the
iapidist, taking an oval-cut green stone
with rich russet tinge in it from
drawer in his private cabinet. The stone
weighed perhaps six-carats, and posses
sed much brilliancy. ut is called an
Alexandria. said he, land is found in |
oiO0AIa- AAiS gem Is FeiuiiFkaDIe ana
valuable because, while by daylight it |
is green, as you see it now, by gaslight |
it is a full rich purple in color Here is
a remarkable gem and the lapidist |
took up beautiful cut stone that was |
yellow on the face and pure white I'M
derneath. That is specimen of the |
two-colored sapphire, and is very rare -
A yellow beryl. found at Ayondale, |
Pa, large piece of chalcedony, hold
ing imprisoned about gill of water; a
piece of quartz, with hornblende in it;
another piece showing plainly spray
Beach showed his visitor, and, but that
he was continually being called away to
weigh this stone, value that, or give an
opinion as to the identity of another, he
was courteous and obliging enough to
have shown every stone in his cabinet.
Philadelphia Press.