McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-04-16
THE DIAMONDS VALUE
1t Depends More Upon the Cutting Than
Upon the Size.

its reflected light, its brilliancy. The
white and bluish-white diamonds are
the most expensive, and the steel white
are the sharpest. The latter has a
kind of hard, light-brownish look, just
like newly broken steel. They are all
kinds of shades. In fact, they are in
Vulnerable, since no two stones are
exactly alike in color. The BLUSH
white is the cOstilest, because the
rarest, outside of the decidedly brown
diamonds, which are very rare, very
hard and very brilliant, and which a
good fancier will prefer to any other
except the bluish-white. Then there
are the slightly brownish, the slightly
| yellow, the straw color, the greenlsh-
! yellow, the rose color, and the canary
| yellow. The greenish-yellow are the
least desirable, but even little tinge
OF yellow. not noticeable to the pur-
chaser except by comparison with
others, will bring down the price of
stone one-half to one-quarter You
see those two sparklers, for IN
stance" and Mr.. Giles, exhibited two
beautifully brilliant stones intended
Tor ear-drops. ''Well, they are only
worth $500, because they are little
off, what we call 'by-water' If of a
fine bluish-white they would be worth
$1,000. The so-called rose-colored
stones, which some ignorant people
suppose to be very valuable, are only
the result of their beng cut Hat, such
stones being generally the clearings
from larger stones, the refuse, so to
speak. Now, as to shape, there are
different opinions. Some prefer the
cushion shape and others the round
shape. The latter is an American ia
vention, and is at present the most
popular shape. The cushion shape is
Of English taste. The old Dutch
stones, cut in Amsterdam, are getting
out of date, in this country at least
You see, there in Amsterdam the
dealers buy the rough diamonds by the
bagfull, just as they come from the
mines, and they have a system of ex-
changing cut stones for rough stones,
500 carats of rough for 800 carats of
cut ones, for instance. so that it is to
their interest to lose as little of the
stones weight as possible in the cut
ting process. Here things are quite
different. We are just now recruiting
good many of these old Dutch stones.
unwrapped a very fine stone, (which
weighed 9 1-64 carats when it went
upstairs to our cutters, and which now
weighs but q carats. Yet its value
has been increased by this procedure,
although Its size diminished, so that 1t
is now worth $1,000, while before that
it was worth but $4,000. There is
great deal in the cutting of a stone.
The old English single-cut, where only
one side had facets, while the lower
one was left in straight lines, is out of
demand now. A stone is cut in pro-
portion to its shape and size, there be-
ing valuable stones of all numbers of
facets. You see, there is grain to a
diamond, just as much as there is to
slab of wood. An expert diamond
cutter will see that grain and cut the
diamond accordingly. The shape of
the stone must be made so that the
angles throw the greatest amount of
light toward the gazer. Some stones
have their angles cut so that the rays
If light converge before they reach the
eye. That is a point which even a
great many experts overlook in pur-
chasing. They will hold the stone six
inches from their eyes, instead of look
ing at it from distance. And yet the
latter is the proper way, for diamonds
are intended to show brllliancy from
some distance
''Where are the largest diamonds
found just now?'
IT Coutborp Afr;oo rTho
there are, however, pretty old, too,
and are getting fairly exhausted. 1
think that among our undeveloped re-
sources in the United States diamonds
will loom up largely before long. The
other day / bought 17-karat stone of
man who had bought it for 81, tax
ing It to be topaz. 1t was found near
Waukesha, Wis. 1t had much the ap-
pearance of the South African stones.
Two or three months ago a party
brought me one from Central Iowa. 1t
was very good stone and l should
say that there must be more where
that one came from. | believe there
are many Spots in this country where
diamonds are to be found. Only when
found the general public wouldn't
kuOW Gueu Hull AOuSH uldluoHuS.
"How does a rough diamond Iook?"
Generally, it is little six-pointed
crystal, or it may look like a roundish,
semi-transparent pebble. In its rough
state it generally doesn't look as pref
ty as piece of quartz. The opinion
of experts ought to be had whenever
stones are found suspected to be dia-
monds. Search, besides, ought to be
made not by individuals but by COM
munities, for diamonds are scarce
wherever they are lodged, and many
eyes looking for them are more likely
to find them than one pair, however
keen"
'sWhat qualifications must a good
expert in diamonds possess?"
Experience. A judge of these
stones must have a constant expert
ence in order to enable him to adjust
properly and recognize the various
points that give a diamond its value,
shape. cut and color. Not one in a
thousand knows enough about dia-