Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-03-06
F,NGER RINGS, ETC.
Secrets of q Talkative Jeweler-How to
Test Precious Stones.


Secrets OF q laxative Jeweler-How "a
Test Precious Stones.
"How are f~inger-rings made?" asked
. reporter of a jeweler. 1.-The process
is SIMPLE" was the reply. '*steel dies
and a heavy press to form the plate
into the proper shape, solder to unite
the joints and pieces, and a few tools to
barnish and embcllish the goods, is
about all that is required in the work
shop.
"Finger-rings are the standby of the
plated goods trade, There are two
kinds which approach in value solid
gold, being the Scale ring, which has a
ID top, either plain or ornamented,
and a ring with agenuine stone setting.
These are known to the trade as the
hard solder-flled rings. The outside
OF a ring, where there is the greatest
wear, is the shickest plate, and is, first
stamped into shape. This is filled with
silver solder, which is melted with a
blow-pipe. The ring is then placed oil
an 'arbor,' which makes it perfectly
round and of the size desired. Areamer
is then run through it, which smoothes
the inner edge and adapts it for the
inner lining, which is usually made of
thin plate. The fancy work is put no
the fine rings by hand and on the cheap
ones by stamps or rollers. Machine
ornamentation is so well perfected now
that experts are often deceived by it.
The stones used are as good as any put
IN solid rings, except diamonds, and
are principally pearls, garnets, anne
thists, agates, emeralds, rubies, opals
and bookstores. People are hum
plugged by the blood and gold-stone.
No such stones are found in nature,
and these are simply chemical combi-
nations. These rings are about one
third gold, and are worth from three
dollars to forty-eight dollars perdozen.
The greatest demand is for those be-
tween six dollars and thirty dollars per
dozen. The cheap rolled plate rings
are made IN the same way as the more
expensive, but are filled with lead and
set with imitation stones made of glass,
and are worth from one dollar to
eighteen dollars per dozen.
"Do you know how to test an anne
thyst? No? Well. here is an imitation
and a genuine amethyst. just put
them on your tongue alternately, and
you will find that the spurious feels
warm and the genuine icy to the touch.
Strange, isn't it? The stone which has
had the greatest run of late is the tiger
eye, which has a peculiar, dull fire.
What is it9 Well, / don't want to de-
stroy public confidence, but it is only a
piece ofpetritied wood, turned, smootIed
and polished. New styles? Yes, our
drummers claim to have them every
spring and fall, but there is as much
difference between them as there is be-
tween two leaves on the same tree.
There are only fifteen factories in this
country that make a speciality of rings,
and these turn out about one million
six hundred thousand a year.
"The trade in plated bracelets is
enormous. One factory that I buy
from makes six hundred pairs a day,
and there are three hundred shops that
make a speciality of these goods. Plate
from ten to fourteen carats fine is used
in their manufacture, stamped into the
proper shape, the o~rnamentation being
rolled or put on by hand. They are
worth from seventy-eight cents to eight
cen dollars per dozen. The city trade
calls for novelties all the time, while the
country folks look with favor upon the
plain, old-fashioned styles, the great
est demand being for a pattern that
has been in the market for twenty-five
years. The narrowest bracelet is me-
eighth Of an inch, the widest one and
a half inches. They are made into
five sizes, adapted to all arms, in about
three hundred and fifty patterns. In
full sets of jewelry, inclsding a lace
pin and earrings, a choice may be had
from two thousand patterns, which
will deplete your capital from ten dol
lars to seventy-two dollars per dozen.
Your fancy may select from about four
hundred styles OF watch-chains, which
cost from twenty dollars to one hum
dred dollars per dozen.
"Watch-cases? Well, here is a
sample case which represents about
two hundred and fifty designs that will
put to blush the best solid eases made,
and costs only about o%ne-quarter as
much. They are all filled with a pc
culiar composition, which stiffens and
makes them firm. The outside is made
of plate, about one-third, and the in
side about one-tenth as thick as the
composition. the difference being made
because the wear is greater on the out
side. The joints, thumb-pieces and
trimmings are solid gold and are inter-
changeable. They are made Of four
carat plate, and are heavier and thicker
than a gold case OF the same size.''-
Baltimore Herald.