The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-06
THE DIAMOND WORLD.
PRESENT CENTRE OF THE GREAT
SOURCE OF SUPPLY.
Seven Million Dollars Worth Imported
in Eight Months-Diemond Cutters
Demanding Higher Prices.
From the Boston Herald.

From the Boston Herald.
NEW YORK, Dec. 31.-Americans take
about one-third of the diamonds of the world
now, and these are, as rule, the finest.
The crowned heads Of Europe possess the
greatest rarities in precious stones so far
discovered, but, with the rise Of wealth and
population, our demand for diamonds has
increased. During the month of August,
1887, the value of imported stones was
81, 100 ,S5s, and in 1856, for the same month,
it was 81 ,293, s46 During the eight months
of the diamond season ending with August,
1887, the value of the whole Importation of
unset precious stones was S7,S62,377, as
against 50, l54, 095 for the same months
ending August. 1856, an increase Of 81 ,6lS,-
2o2 in value of cut stones, not set, for the
past year
A clear idea of the diamond world is by
no means general, and a summary OF IT'S
present bounds and status may be interest
ing. Especially so, because there IS the
prospect of a gigantic monopoly in 1t IN no
very remote time. Unless some fields are
discovered, rs yet unknown, the diamond
supply will come almost wholly from one
centre, in the hands Of one organization,
who will be able to set the prices as it will.
From 1850 to 1870, the price Of diamonds
advanced at the rate of about 10 per cent.
per annum. Then came the discovery
OF the great Cape mines, which caused
prices to fiuctuate, and arrested the steady
increase of the diamond value. These mines
of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, are
now the centre and chief OF all the diamond
supply of the world. and it is said that they
are inexhaustible. They are situated $40
miles east of Hopetown, 800 miles from the
seacoast, and are 400 feet above the sea.
There, IN a radius of one and half miles,
| are four large mines, the great Kimberly
covering seven and a half acres and being
600 feet deep. Already SO 900 carats of
diamonds have been taken from these mines,
and though these figures are large, they
may be made more appreciate by saying
that they mean
OVER SIX AND A HALF TONS OF DIAMONDS.
The value of these six and half tons of
Aladdin-like possessions in the rough is
G45 200, 900; and cut, 500, 900, 000-or nearly
a quarter of billion or half billion of dol
lars respectively. From one-flfth to one
quarter of the entire yield of these mines Is
stolen by the miners in spite of all efforts
to prevent it, The great Victoria diamond
from the African mines is one whose origin
is involved in obscurity, and whoever
made lifetime fortune out of this one peb-
BILE is unknown.
supply were worked first in individual
claims-3, l43 of then-each 81 feet square,
with roadwaYS * feet wide, between.
They have resolved themselves into ninety
large companies and private firms, with a
gross capital of about ESQ 200, 600 And it
is proposed to consolidate these into one
gigantic monopoly. Already the price and
the plan OF shutting down on the producc-
ton is urged If it is done, it
will be one of the most extraordinary
of all monopolies, so far as its control
of fabulous riches is concerned. The
tales of the Arabian Nights will be mated.
To-day the other diamond mines are COM
pared with their stupendous rival, nowhere.
The mines supplying Golconda, which, by
the way, Is itself simply diamond market,
and not mine, as some suppose, are to-day
nearly closed, and India supplies few stones.
Brazil, since 1852 has furnished from one
mine, the Minas Teraes, about 1900, 600
worth of diamonds. Her entire yield from
first to last is estimated at 500, 600 900.
Borneo sends out about 5000 carats year.
Other mines of comparatively inconsider-
able product are those of New South Wales,
the Ural moutains, California, North Caro-
lima, Georgia and Virginia, these last being
scarcely worth mentioning, although Nir-
ginia can boast of one diamond of H. car
ats weight The value of all the diamonds
in the world up to date is probably $1,000
900, 600. In South Africa the mines are
worked only eight months in the year, the
other four being the winter season. They are
worked by 10000 natives and 1900 European
overseers at a cost of about 1900, 600 a
year The diamond trade of the world is
carried on by about s 900 dealers, with to-
tai stock of $3.50 900, 600 1t gives work to
ABOUT 1, 800 CUTTERS AND PoLIsHERs.
These are principally in Amsterdam, Ant
werp Paris, the Jura, and of late, and in
creasngly, in America.
That American diamond cutting has be-
come of importance may be judged from
recent variations in the import of rough
gems. The year 1887 has shown a falling
off in the value of rough stones, owing 10
rise in prices of American lapidaries In
consequence of this, although in August,
1886, the value of the rough stones imported
was SOP ABS, their value when cut was as
high as $l92,s47, while in 1887. although
uncut stones to the amount
of SALSA were imported, their
final value was only $213,920. The
importers who cut them here had hoped
that the price would go down. and so linn
tied purchases to actual requirement. the
value in the rough state being no indication
of the real value OF the stone. The Ameri-
can lapidaries' work is considered to be as
good as the foreign. The largest diamond
in America is the Tiffany diamond of 125
carats, whose nominal price is 100000. 1t
is yellow, though, and it probably is ex-
coded in value by other diamonds of CON
siderably less size. The yellow diamond
ranks at thu bottom of the scale of value,
although some specimens are of extreme
beauty.
There is no fixed value for diamonds bv
carat Not weight, but color, brillancy,
cut, size and general freedom from flaw are
the qualities they are estimated by Of
two diamonds, each weighing the same, and
both ilawless also, the one may be worth
only 5000 and the other $1,000 The white
diamond is of course, the most precious,
but when. III the colored stones, the tints
are bold and decided, of red, rose, green or
blue, these follow the white closely in value,
and are rated higl. Next to these, and still
highly rank the cinnamon, salmon, brown,
black and yellow diamond.