Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-03-27
JEWELS MADE TO ORDER.
Gems to Deck the Poorer BeIles--secret
OF Cheap Jewelry--An Artist at Work.
IChicago Herald

Gems to Deck the Poorer BeIles--secret
of Cheap Jewelry--An Artist at Work.
chicago Herald
In the rear room of O small building
on North Wells street amid dingy and
almost squallid surroundings. one can
witness as shining q collection of gems
as in many first-class Jewelry estab-
lshment. Tho man who owns the col.
lection makes his own gems, and it
sounds certainly paradoxical to state
that the living he ekes out is but very
precarious. He is glass blower, and
the gems OF his manufacture are of
that cheap sort so popular in certain
circles-they have their humble origin in
flint glass or ''strass," as the sub
stance is called in the vernacular of
trade.
The artist, for such the glass blower
may truly be called, makes amcthysts,
ayenturines, emeralds, rubies, sapphircs,
topazes or pearls, as the within strikes
him, or as the demands of his trade ne
cessitate, and he may truly be called a
model necromancer, although his art
dates back to almost prehistoric ages
He drops some carefully selected sand
into his crucible, waves his wand over
it, and draws forth things of beauty.
Dishes of exquisite mold for the table,
Enthusiastically shaped vases for flowers
beautiful ornaments for the mantel,
lenses with which to read the secrets
ether worlds, mirrors in which we see
ourselves as others see us-they are
all products of the artistic glass blower.
A nf hn
cheap indeed. One thousand parts of
strass to 25 parts oxide of cobalt make
beautiful amethyst; $50 parts of sand,
100 parts carbonate of soda, so parts
carbonate lime and 40 parts bichromate
of potash produce the translucent aven-
turine; 1000 parts of strass, parts OK
ide of copper and one-tifth part oxide of
chromium give the Lux from which en-
eralds are shaped; 1000 parts of strass,
40 parts glass of anthony, part pur-
pie of Cassius and an excess of gold are
blended to produce the ruby Of rich
color; 1000 parts of strass and 25 parts
oxide of cobalt give the sapphire, and the
topaz is made like the ruby without the
excess of gold. The various materials
are fused in the furnace, and sub
sequently cut, ground and polished.
Then they serve the purpose of iewelry
among the numerous masses. who are
DESTROYS to ape the 'better classes" in
the wearing of precious stones"
The making of pearl is somewhat
more difficult, although common glass
and little eoloring mates the com
position of which is secret of the
trade, are the simple ingredients. The
artist has an outfit like the glass
spinner, whose work is familiar to
every one who has visited circus, q
dime museum or country fair. The
pearl maker uses the same spirit lamps
and the same glass tubes so eagerly
sought for by boys as pea-shooters or
putty blowers and serving fashionable
drinkers in lieu of straws through which
to sip cooling drinks. He breaks the
tubes into pieces Of the desired
length, generally from four to six
inches, heats one end in his lamp and
forms q ball by gentle blowing through
his blowpipe. A sharp puff of breath
bursts the further end, and withdrawing
the blowpipe with dexterous movement
leaves the other hole, if the pearl is de-
signed to be used for string.
For ear rings, bracelets or pms but
one hole is made. Next the still hot
fux is brought into the desired shape by
the breath and blowpipe, no mold being
used in the whole process. and the if
regularities OF shape in the genuine
pearl are produced in tho limitations by
striking the malleable mass with small
hammer. The pearly white is then in
fused into the hole by means of color
less glue made from parchment and the
addition Of the mysterious coloring mat
ter.