, 1885-09-11
JEWELS MAos TO ORDER.

Gems to Deck the Poorer BelIes-Secret
of Cheap JeweIry-hn Artist at Work
lrhi-tro Herald
In the rear room OF a small building
on I orth " ellis street amid dingy and
almost squallid surroun iings. one can
witness as shining q collection OF gem
as in many a first-class ewelry estab-
lish nent The man who owns the col
lection makes his own gems, and it
sounds certainly paradoxical to state
that the living he ekes out is bnt very
precarious. He-is a glass blower, and
the gems OF his manufacture are OF
that cheap sort so popular in certain
circles-they have their humble origin in
tint glass or ''strdss,' as the sub
stance is called in the vernacular OF
trade.
The artist, for such the glass blower
may truly be called. makes amethysts,
a%venturines, emeralds, rubies, sapphircs,
topa es or pearls, as the within strikes
hi.i. or as the demands OF his trade ne
cessitate, and he may truly be called a
model necroman er, although his art
dates back to al lost prehistoric ages.
de drops some carefully selected sand
into his crucible, waves his wand over
IT, anu aAano iOAbh NhAA61 VI RNadtJs
ishes o exquisite mold for the table,
Enthusiastically shaped vases for flowers,
beautiful ornaments for the mantel,
lenses with which to read the secrets
other worlds, mirrors in which we see
ourselves as others see us-they are
all products OF the artistic glass blower.
Aporopos of the gems, they are very
cheap indeed. One thousand parts of
So. - xarfa Awfdo ~ oNholf rnula
a beautiful amethyst. $50 parts of sand,
l0O parts cart matt of soda, 20 parts
carbonate lime and 40 parts bichromate
OF potash produce the translucent aven-
tur. ne; 1000 parts of strass, x parts OK
lie of copper and one-tfth part oxide OF
chromium give the NIX from which en-
eralds are shaped; loo parts of strass,
W paris glass Of %antimony, l part pur-
Pile of Cassius and an excess of gold are
blended to produce the ruby Of rich
color; 100 parts of strass and , parts
oxide OF cobalt give the sapphire, and the
topaz is made Ii o the ruby without the
excess of gold. The various materials
are fused in the furnace. and sub
saIuently cut, ground and polished.
hen they serve the purpose OF iewelry
among the numerous masses, who are
DESTROYS to ape the - etter classes in
the wearing of precious stones"
The max ng Of pearl is somewhat
itre di cult, although common glass
md a little coloring matte. the com
nosit on Of which Is n secret of the
rade, are the 5 nipple ingredients. The
artist has an Quit like the glass
pinner, whose work is familiar to
very ono who has Wis ted n circus, n
.imc museum or a country fair. Tho
aonrl maker uses the same spirit lamps
nd the same glass tubes so eagerly
sought for hy boys az pea-shooters or
p tty- blowers and serving fashionable
irnkers in lieu OF straws through which
20 sip cooling drinks. He breaks the
rubes into pieces Of the desired
ength. generally from four 10 six
in hes, heats one end in his lamp and
iorms a hall ly emile blowing through
Ms lowpipe. A sharp puff of breath
ursts the further end. and Withdrawing
caves the other hole, If the pearl is de-
Ignsd to be used for a str ng.
/ or ear rings, bracelets or p ms Tut
ne hole Is made. Next the still hot
TX is brought into the desired shape by
he breath and blowpipe, no mold being
used in the whole process. and the ir
reg laritl es OF shape in the genuine
pearl are produced in the limitations by
striking the malleahle mass with "A small
hammer. The pearly white is then in
fused into the hole by means OF a tolor-
less glue made from parchment and the
addition of the mysterious coloring mat.
ter.