The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-11-14
QUARTZ JEWELRY.
An Industry Confined to the State Of
California.


The making of quartz jewelry is pecu-
liarly California industry. Its man
ufacture was begun in the early days
following tho gold discovery. Though
quartz fit for the art of the jeweler is
found all over California, the best is
that coming from the mines of the
Grass valley. 1t is not often the miner
comes across rock which would find a
sale among the jewelers.. The gold has
to be evenly distributed and not lumpy,
so that it has passed through the nee
essary stages to prepare it for setting
the spots and seams are we'll scattered
through the rock. The quartz which a
miner thus procures is sent down either
to bank or an assay office, and from
there the jeweler receives notice that q
consignment is ready for auction. The
bids then depend entirely upon the
state of the stock held by the different
bidders, and should jeweler happen
to be in want of quartz, the amount
paid would be double that which he
would pay on any other occasion.
As rule the jeweler pays much
higher for the rough quartz than would
one who desired to purchase the gold
to melt. The quartz as taken by the
jeweler is brought in Jumps weighing
from one to ten pounds, and in this
condition it is handed over to a me-
chanic for the purpose of being cut
into slabs. The process is an easy one
and nearly similar to that followed by
the marble-cutters. The saw by which
this operation is performed is circular
and made of sheet tin and charged with
water and emery. The quartz is held
up to it. and in its revolutions it divides
the quartz. The slabs in which the
quartz is cut do not generally exceed
one-eighth of an inch in thickness.
The preliminary work is then over.
1t is not till the jewely is made, the
fittings, as it were, that these slabs are
again cut, then fitted into the gold and
cemented. 1t is then ground off level
with the gold and finally polished until
it assumes that brightness as when ex-
posed for sale.
The coloring of quartz is extremely
rich and varied, being found in the
same section of country in white and
black and pink and blue. Hitherto
there has been no preference expressed
W the buyer for the color of the quartz
IN the trinket. Perhaps this has been
obviated by the jeweler, who, in the
manufacture of even the smallest arti-
Gle, never fails to give as varied an as
sortment of quartz as is possible. The
method of the valuation of quartz rock
is peculiar. 1t is first weighed as any
other material, and then under water,
rs rock weighs next to nothing when
under water surface. The amount of
gold imbedded in the rock can by this
process be determined.
There have not been men wanting
who have attempted to make artificial
quartz to be used in the manufacture
of large goods, in the way of card ia
| bles and similar articles, but decided
| failure has followed each and every at
tempt. Whether quartz jewelry will
| ever become fashionable is question
which the business men of this city give
no long thought. They declare their
inability to use quartz Enthusiastically, or
to sufficiently fine it down SO as to cut
it into delicate flowers and leaves.
There is an air of substantially about
all the trinkets made for ladies, which,
though handsome, have somewhat of q
clumsy look. And the jeweler has to
contend against difficulty which lies
on the opposite side. Quartz cannot
be had in sufficiently large pieces to
use in the manufacture of objects of use
and ornament.
Some years ago jewel-casket was
made in this city for the wife of GER
tain rich Judge, which in itself was
marvel of beauty and elegance, it being
of solid gold and quartz, having four
panels, each five inches in length and
three in width. The cost incurred in
this work was enormous and the
amount of labor incredible. Some
slight estimate of the trouble may be
formed when the maker of the casket
had to employ man who travelled for
two entire months through the mines
in search for quartz Of sufficient size to
execute the order.
After diligent inquiry among several
workers II was estimated that not over
$3.50. 900 worth of quartz jewelry is dis
posed of in this city during year and
not $25, 900 worth is bought for people
to wear in San Francisco. San Fran