West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-04-03
DIAMONDS.
Description OF - Valuable Collection Z
Uncut Stones,

Description OF Valuable Collection OF
Uncut Stones,
Every one knows that the diamond is
sothing but crystslized carbon. that
chemically considered, il is the same
thing as coal, which is sold at SO much
ton, but fcw persons realize that al
diamonds are not of pure aud sparkling
white that there are. in fact some va
rietics which the average observer can
not distinguish from lump of coal or
worthless pebble. Those who imagine
tha' th X nj of Jewel wears no other
aspect than that whose dazzling beauty
adorns the white neck OF some fair
young woman, or tho expansive shirt
front of her millionaire papa. should
60 and see the costly collection of nat
ural stones now in the possession of a
diamond dealer 1t is the finest collcc-
ton in the country, and the most cost
ly one of the kind in the world. IL
contains 9Oi specimens having an ag-
gregate weight of 1877 carals and in
Guiding every variety of shape and hue
Pink, yellow, blue, green, brown, red
black diamonds in all those forms with
whose seventeen syllablod names the
scientist delights TO wrcstle. arc there
IN costly profusion. From the coarse
conglomcrate containing minute da-
mondS, and only valuable for grinding
up to- form polishing dust, up to the
perfectly pure white or yellow crystal
weighing twenty-five carats and worth
$1,000 or $4,000 there are l2j gradu
tions
The collection was made bv a rich
niannn1 1na Lon. -,
valued at $780, The black diamond
the prossaic reality, not the poetic
figure of the novelist is "A touUh sub
iect, known TO the lapidary as the eek
trcmc of extreme hardness and Is ut.
tcrly incapable OF polish. A specimen
was shown the reporter which had been
kept upon tho stone for three months
without producing luster approach
ing TO that which the "boss-shine-in-thc-
ity-for-iivc-cents' man would create
IN half minute on an old shoe There
We're many examples of what is known
to the mineralogist rs "twinniug,n - the
combination of several distinct CRYSTALS
in one mass. In some cases there
were little diamonds set i'm the facets of
large ones. The small diamonds were
evidently the result of an earlier crvs-
tallZation and were nfterward included
IN later formation. I'm one specimen
the smaller crystal was loose and could
be removed from its socket. leaving a
square hole i'm the facet OF the larger
stone. There are one hundred CRYSTALS
of various shades of pink and wine
color, twenty OF fine rcsinous, canary
and orange shade OF yellow. and some
rare cubic crystals from Brazil. Twenty
two of the diamonds are in their native
rocks or matrices. One peculiar green
piece of rock. about the size which
a small boy would select to threw at n
goat, was pointed out as the largest
specimen of sahlitc in existence sci
entiiic name, chromium diopsidc 4
grecnish brown crystal had the opal
lesccncc and iuoresccncc of crude pc
troleum. beautiful liquid sheen. Still
others contained red oxide of iron. and
with their blood-red spots looked as if
thOy might have graccd the hands of
Lady Macbeth when stained with the
imaginary gore of the murdered Dun
can. some rcsemblcd little brown
seeds, some were triangular star-shaped
and some oval. Others were clustered
together in Il group Of twenty-five or
more, and still others were rolled M
together in a ball by the multiplicity of
'twinings"-in fact, there was every
conceivable form in which the crystal
can occur.
Once the reporter held in his hand
pin set with pure yellow African dia-
mond OF l2j carats absolutely without
biemish. II was valued at 300 900.
and nothing but the fear Of incommod-
ing the numerous gentlcmanly clerks
who blocked the various avenues ofcxit
prevented him from departing in haste
to attend certain pressing engagement.
George i. Kuntl, the diamond expert
in whose charge the collection now is.
says that the taste of American j, more
exacting in the matter OF these gems.
keeping pace with the increasing de-
mand. N J. IriJUHe