The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-08-28
TRICKERY IN DIAMONDS.
SOME OF THE TRICKS REsoRTED TO
BY SW1NDLER5.
Persons Not Experts Taken I'm by Art
fui DcViCcs-SOmc Famous cases
-Wa kiny feminine Diamonds.

dealer.
''In an article where not one in a hun
dred has any knowledge whatever, and
not more thar one in ten thousand is a
good Judge, there must necessarily be a
good deal of imposition. The methods
of cheating may be divided into three
classes. The first and most common is
when flawed. imperfect, or off colored
diamonds are sold for tirst-water, flaw.
less gems. This takes place every day
and every hour of the day. The next
two methods are %swindling pure and
simple. There are several precious
stones which are OF an entirely different
composition to the diamond, but re-
semblc that gem so closely that none
but experts can distinguish them. Even
experts have often to test these before
they can discover the imposition. The
basis of the diamond, as almost every
body knows, is carbon. The basis of
the stones / now alludc to is alumina,
and they are known under the generic
term 'carodums.' The principal stones
substituted and sold for diamonds are
the white sapphire, white topaz, and the
zircon or jargOn. White sapphire and
topaz are worth from So to IS a carat,
zircon much less. Bushels of these
stones have been and are still sold
for diamonds. They can be at ono C
identified by experts for their IN
ferior hardness and difference in specific
gravity,
The last method of ~swindling is when
imitation stones made in various ways
are sold for the genuine article. More of
t1,, - ~ ,r,a -, .ln, ,ro,, .---,ll 41..1-
possible. In Europe, especially in Paris,
the art of making fine limitations of dia-
monds has been brought to perfection.
Many Of these, of course, are sold for
what they are, many are made to order
for wealthy people who in temporary
difficulties wish to raise money on their
diamonds, and have these stones set in
the same manner to wear while the real
article is out of their reach, but large
quantities are set in fine style and sold
for tirst-water diamonds"
"IIave there been any very successful
frauds in your line lately1"
There is always something going on,
but the most extensive and successful
swindlc i'll which | as well as a great
many others suffered first came into OPP
Grafton about two years ago. 1t is the
coating system. BY saturating off
colored tlawless stones worth about
S25 a carat--in a peculiar solution it
gave them the appearance OF tirst-water
goods. worth 500 a carat. The solution
soon wears off, or it may be removed by
a good application of hot soap. suds. But
the trade was quite unacquainted with
this method, and before we GOT to the
bottom of it the sharpcrs had made an
enormous pile. This is still being prac-
ticed at present to a small extent, princi
pally for the working of pawnbrokers."
''Can you call to mind any we'll
planned gem confidence operations that
have not been made public?"
Ibid YOU ever hear of the clever dodge
worked in London in 1881 by one of the
best known con- practit oners of New
York. lie went to London and pur-
chased in lIatton garden a magnificent
stone weighing about twelve and n half
carats. He paid between $1,000 and
s., 900 for it. He then made his way to
Paris and put the stone in the hands of
the best maker OF paste goods and or
dcrcd thirty facsimilcs of it.. He then
had the whole of them mounted in rings
of exactly the same dcsigh. In London
are many large pawnbrokers who lend
sums of s., 900 and upward for short
terms-fourteen days or so-at one and
a half or three-quarter per cent lie
left the original ring with each of them
in turn, took it ont again, and rcplcdgcd
it two or three times until they were well
acquainted with him and the gem. One
Saturday, which is their busy day, he
rushed around to the whole collection
and left one of the limitations for sums
ranging from s., 900 to Sc, 900. lie
placed twenty eight in all. They posi-
bly, did not examine them closely, as he
was so we'll known, and his appearance
and manners were calculated to ward of
suspicion. The shrcwdcst pawnbrOkcr,
in London we're taken in by this schemer.
The Attenboroughs (this family have
about eight establishments had five
of these rings, the Russells haG
three, and so forth. \ mucl
c~leverer though not such an extensive
scheme WAS worked IN Paris in 1873 by
a notorious French 'chevalier de indus
trie.' lie had magnificent stone worth
So, 600, of which he also had an imita
ton made and set in the same manner a
IL OllSlihis ~ AiNi hNhb W NllS blpo
extensive retail ieweler there, and, hand
ing him the genuine gem in "A ring
asked him how much he would charge
to reset it in 4 combination setting, or
setting where the ton could be used a
a ring, scarfpin and stud. The jewclc
named the amount, which he said wa.
much more than he wished to spend, ~
the stone was only an imitation and no
worth the outlay. The icwelcr wa as
tonished to hear that the fine stone h,
had in his hand was an imitation, ant
testing it slightly assured the owner tina
it was II real diamond. At this III
sharper laughed and stated he had Tough
it in Baden Baden from a gambler out o
luck for $50 and that the jcwclcr mus
be mistaken. lie Willingly left it unit
next day for further testing. When h
came the following dav the jewclcr as
sured him it was Il real diamond (as h
well knew, and to back his opinion OF
fcred to give him %i,500 for it. Til
sharper still asserted that the jeweler wa
r,;ctnlo, Int onrooI in coll IL for tb,