Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-30
PRECIOUS STONES.
Many of Them That Are Little Known but
Very Yaluable-How Diamonds Are CLASH
fied-The Emerald and the Sapphire.
San Francisco Chronicle.

1
''Mr. Will Oskamp, what is one of the
peculiarities of your business?"
sour people have to be educated in
the matter of approaching valuable
stones. The people of New York are
! thoroughly posted on the subject of
stones and therefore they know the value
of them. Out here the diamond is looked
upon as the most valuable; In fact. the
only really precious stone that there Is.
! As a consequence we labor under sad
disadvantage, as compared with dealers
| in the east. Of course I know that
| there are some here who are informed
on the subject of precious stones, but
mean that as a class our people have
much to learn. For instance if were
to ask almost anybody that came in here
| if he would like to buy an Alexandria
he certainly would not know what 1
| meant"
'Ten me som ething about gems. What
is an Alexandrite?"
sit is a dark green in color by daylight
and dark red by night. 1t is named after
the car OF Russia, and owes its celebrity
to its prominent hues of red and green,
! the chosen emblamatic colors of that
nation"
'Is it true that you can't break dia-
monde"
GA diamond will crack or break as any
other stone, but the cracking will reduce
| $1,000 to nothing, in spite Of the vulgar
tradition that you can't break diamond.
Only about one in ten is royal the others
being black or colored useful in the
arts.)"
Glow do you get at the value of dia-
monds?"
''The valuation of gems is arbitrary,
depending on many considerations.
among them is water, Ifperfectly limp
id like drop Of the purest water. Color
comes next. Colorless ranks highest,
white is next, while the merest sus pic
ion of green or blue rather heightens
the rank of the white stones. Rose comes
next and then yellow or amber but they
must all be perfect in water and fawless
to rank among the first class"
"What about agates?"
"Thev are translucent to Transparent
all colors. Agates are built up layer on
layer, Sometimes hundreds to the inch.
Those stained by magnanese or iron in
moss like figures and veins (moss agates)
sometimes closely resembling persons
and things, command very high prices
Can you give me chapter on the
amethyst?"
''It is transparent purple or violet in
color. A cluster as mined generally con-
tains other crystals of blue, yellow, red,
gray aid white. The red crystal are
properly rose quartz the clouded ones
smoky quartz; the green are brase; the
yellow false topaz, and the perfectly
clear are rock crystals. The finest rock
crystals are found in great numbers near
I IL 4
tain"
'What is a hard stone aside from the
diamond?"
''The aquamarine-a transparent beryl
of greenish blue it is a lovely stone sis
ter of the emereId, and very hard. It
will cut all the amethysts, but not the
topaz and is not affected by acids. The
chrysoberyl (cat's eyel is very hard. but
ranks below sapphires, rnbies etc. 1t is
transparent TO translucent green in many
shades. The chrysobrase is apple green
and the stones are very beautiful and
highly valued"
Glow does the emerald rank with other
stones?"
"The translucent or subtransparent
and green variety of the beryl, just as the
aquamarine is the transparent and blue
variety. but is very much more highly
priced. Emeralds rank next to the dia-
mOnd, ruby and finer sapphire. Oriental
emerald is the green sapphire very rare
and very valuabls."
care there stones that can be passed
for anothOr?"
The garnet which is trans parent and
red, depends upon it's value altogether
on its looks, for it can often pass as
ruby"
"What is blood stone?"
"a variety Of chalcedony of deep
green color variegated with blood red OF
yellowish spots. It is properly called
trope."
"Name some other stones. I've run
OUT
"There is the hyacinth cinnamon stone
transparent yellow, red, brown. There
are garnet hycinths and zirc0n hyacinthe
although its intrinsic qualities ought tc
rank the ircon hyacintA first the market
rates it second. Then there is the laga-
lite (blue SPAR, translucent and deer
blue. Only the fine varieties are used
in the jewelrysbusiness.
Next the Mexican onyx, translucent
greenish white, with veins of all colors
makes lovely paper weights, WRISTBANDS
pipe-bowls, etc. The onyx is construct
ed in films or layers of different cOlors
like agate, except that in the onyx the
films are laid fat, while in an agate they
are like the Feelings of an onion. The
onyx is chiefly valued for cutting canoes
The choice colors in true onyx are white
black and brown, Sardonyx has also g
film of carnelian red. The opal is trans
parent white, pale yellow, gray green and
red. It owes its power to a peculiar
power of exhibiting a wonderful play OF
colors as it is turned to various angles
The most remarkable is the fre-opal
Precious opal is the very finest and most
delicateIy shaded and tinted Of fre-opals
OF the ruby there is the spinel, trans
parent light or medium, Or dark red
The oriental ruby is of the same descrip-
ton. and very difficult to distinguish
from the spinel. It is degree harder.
As general rule the orientals are the
most valuable, and spinels of equal
beauty are handicapped by reputation.
Oriental rubies of the very finest quail
ties are moro valuable than diamonds of
the same weight.
4 1T left me- see-thera Is the capnbira