The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-03-30
Precious Stones.

| OF wealth, men and women have be-
come more critical and exacting in
their tastes, and much higher art
standard now prevails. In nothing is
this more noticeable than in the matter
of personal adornment, in which pre-
cious stones play 50 prominent part.
Sharp contrasts in the arrangement of
colors are seldom seen, and instead of
incongruous and lavish decoration
there are shown a love of harmony
and an art in arrangement wi ich sat
isfy the eye and are in keeping with
the principles of beauty.
In the list of precious stones, the
diamond, the ruby, the emerald, and
the sapphire may be said to mold an
equal place in public estimation. The
American people are not only the m 1T
critical judges OF fine gems, but are
also the largest purchasers. s, far as
diamonds are concerned, they buy more
perfect stones than do the people Of
any country of Europe. Europesn
purchasers are more inclined to be
satisfied with the good general effect
of precious stone, not demanding
that perfection required here by the
same class of buyers. Twenty years
ago $25,000 would have been consid-
cred large sum for any fami y in this
country to have invested in diamonds,
while today more than one family
holds gems valued at .$500,000. In
1867 the value of diamonds and other
stones imported into the United States
wa- $l,3lS,6l7, 10 1875 it rose to So
478,757, in 1884 it was SO 39,46|,
and in 1886 it reached $S,259,747.
From 1867 to 1886, inclusive, the total
value of imported diamonds and other
bers at $s5,OOO.OOO. That fine da-
monds hold their value well has been
evidenced by sales of collections ot
gems which we're appraised for inven-
tory more than century ag", WIN
stones, bought by dealers to be sold At
a profit, brought astonishingy high
prices Regarded simply as profit
able investment, diamonds are safe
purchase. They are not att c'.d by
political changes or social disturbance,
| as many securities are; and, although
in times of financial stringtncy the
Vners of valu able stones may ofte"
have been comp. lied to dispose Of them
al a great sacrifice, this has been ge
orally due to special circumsl anc =,
alher than to any depreciation in the
value of the gems themselves.
IL spite of the enormous number of
diamonds which have been thrown up
on the market by the opening of the
s ,uth African mines, th're never was
a time when fine diamopd. were rarer
or when the prices of perfect gems
were stiffening more perceptihly; aud
people WHO own this class of stones
may feel assured that they have male
advantageous purchases. To great
extent, of course, the laws of supply
and demand regulate the price of dia-
'nonds just as they do that of an. other
commodity. Still, as with all oth'r
luxuries, the prices are largely mat
ter of fancy and are not governed by
any comm rcial scb -dule or wrong rule.
A great deal has been said as to the
immense number of diamonds which
have been thrown upon the market
from the mines of South Afric,, and
az to the ,ueans which have be,n adopt
ed by the owners "f these mines to re-
strict the output within the bounds #
legitimate demand, 30 that som4thing
like standard value might be estab-
lished, VIII le at the same lime mea.-
ures would be taken to prevt Mt the
products of the mines from reachirg
the market through illicit channels. 1t
should be remembered, however, that
thousands of these stones are # an in
ferior grade. The output of really fine
stones is very limited The South
African mines are the chief source of
the worlds supply, and fiuctua,ion IN
or lowering Of values of fine gems
need not be feared.
There is nothing the proper purchi Sc
of which calls for more care Or judg
| ment than that of diamonds There
must, of necessity, be implicit conf
dence between the dealer and the buy
er, for few people who are not expers
can detect all the minute differences
which 20 to make up the hawless or
the imperfect diamond. American
buyers run great risks by purchasing
stones in Europe, as these, wnen ex.
amined afterwards, are likely to show
some defect which had not bef re BEEN
noticed by the purchaser.
New cuttings have been lately in
troduced, the proportions of each part
being based upon scientific principl-s,
ard bringing ou brilliancy aud
beauty Of which the same stor rs wond
not have been thought capable ten
years ago. The final effecti, OF
a true gem is work of art to which
expert kno Wedge and skilled nan IL
craft contribute in no less important
degree than the original ston,. BY
the latest Improved cutting there is a
great gain, diamond being given
about one fifth more brilliancy than by
the old methods, due TO mo,e exact
compliance with the laws governing
reflection aud refraction, in pr portion
ing the spread of the stone to the
depth be ~ the grdle to the height
above it, aud to the facetting Even
the polish ia matter of carefa scru
Tiny perfectly done marring
to som, eA.ent the beauty of he cut
ting and irs resultant brlllian y At
tenton OF MS character is, twever,
bestowed only upon stones Of the high
eat grade. The business in re i y iue
gems io this country is oonfir 81 to a
few houses, although there are many
dealers in inferior stones.
The combinations of diamonds with
other gems largely need an eye for eff
feet in arrangement, so as to give the
appearance of rounded harmony and
completeness. Several American houses
J that have devoted themselves to work