The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-10-30


ably increased their saleable value. "
In this manner the colors of many
stones are said to be intensified, such
as emeralds, sapphires, amethysts and
others. Diamonds are constantly util-
lied by being split, each half of gem
perhaps doing duty on paste founda-
ton on which it has been carefully
mounted. A stone which may be of the
value of ten pounds having been split
at little cost is carefully mounted and
becomes transformed into two gems,
each affirmed to be worth that sum. 1t
requires clever expert to detect such
frauds when they are cleverly executed,
or to discover that the ''fire" impaired
to certain stones that would otherwise
be dull of hue and greatly deficient in
sparkle, is conferred by so simple an
expedient as backing of tinfoil.
The invention of what are called
''doublets" in acknowledging can be
traced back for centuries. One mode
of getting up false stones has been de-
scribed by jerome Cardan, who has
published in detail the method of the
inventor, one Zocolino. This persons
way of working was to procure thin
flake of a very inferior and cheap
example of the stone he desired to ''im-
prove" choosing those which had little
color, and might in consequence be
procured at a nominal price. AS a
bottom for his makeup" he took a
bit of crystal which he had shaped
to his purpose; covering this with a
transparent glue with which he had
mixed the necessary coloring material,
so as to be like the finest
specimen of the gem he intended
to forge, he carefully fixed on the
flake of stone, and concealed the join
ing of the two so deity by careful set
ting as to make purchasers fancy that
his gems were not only genuine, but
really finer than those of other jewel
ers. For time Zocolina flourished,
and was enabled by means of his cum
ming workmanship to deceive the
cleverest lapidaries; but detection came
at last and put an end to his fraudulent
practices in gem-ma6ing.
1t may be mentioned as warning to
travellers that the Singhales at Colombo
are experts in such frauds, and fire.
quently pursuade persons to purchase
cleverly set up doublets or pieces of
rock crystal cut and polished. Doub-
lets in many cases, especially when
both parts are really diamonds, are
somewhat difficult to detect even by
men who have had great experience in
the gem and jewel trades. Before
leaving the diamond we may mention
another kind of fraud connected with
it. Often when these gems have been
set in a cluster it has been found on
examination that at least one of the
stones is made of paste, or is perhaps
a doublet. A rather curious story
went the round of the press
some years ago, when, on the death
of a lady of title, it was found
that more than one-third of the
family diamonds composed offalse
stones. These limitations had been so
beautifully executed that none but the
cleverest dealers were able to detect
them; while in the case of some of the
stones it was not till their specific
gravity had been tested that decision
could be arrived at. 1t has been found
on examination, we believe, that neck
laces of so-called real diamonds have
often contained twenty per cent. of
doublets or other stones of questionable
quality Respectable dealers in jewelry
maintain that it is the public who are
to blame for the production of false
Jewels, knowing we'll enough that gem
une gems could not be given at the
prices offered for them. Retail Jewell
ers are notseldom deceived themselves,
not being, perhaps. so well versed in
the technical knowledge incidental to
their trade as they ought to be. Trades
men of repute, however, are exceed
ingly careful in their selection of stock,
no gem being offered for sale unless it
is known to be genuine.
Many gems are really gems of
kind, although not the gems they
are pretended to be, but in all
probability are composed of pieces
of quartz ''got up" for the market,
quartz being selected as being able
to stand the test of the file, which
glass can not do. There are varieties
of topaz aud other stones which are as
hard as the diamond; and being
entirely colorless, they are often cut
and polished, and successfully palmed
off as diamonds. This colorless gem
material is costly in consequence of the
use to which it can be turned, Recipes
for the production of imitation stones
have been often given; the following
is the formula for a ruby: five hundred
parts of strass, twenty of glass of
anthony, a half each of purple of
GASEOUS and of gold. Strass is a
specially manufactured kind of glass
which has been long used in connection
with the fabrication of gems; it usually
contains a much larger percentage OF
oxide of lead than the commoner sorts
of glass. Aventurine is another kind
of gem glass. which is chiefly manu-
featured in Venice, and brings high
price. The test thing is a quartz Of
varying shades of color, which is much
priced. One of the scarcer varieties is
known as sunstone, and is much sought
after, being valuable for such purposes
as have been referred to.
Attempts by chemists to produce dia.
monds have, commercially speaking,
usually resulted in failure. The most
successful of the early experiments
tried in the way of diamond production
was that worked out by Gannal, a
Frenchman, who in the year 1928 sue
ceeded in producing a substance that
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