Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-07-11
IMITATION GEMS.

lNRl ~ Il lON Z wi
I RI Nv They Are Made--Why Paste
Diamonds are so Frequently
Worn.
A New York Biail and Express re-
porter recently asked IA Maiden Lane
diamond mer chant, pointing to PEN
dJnt ia the window:
do you mean TO say those are not
diar1cpds?"
"N0 more diamonds than they are
eggs Simply exceedingly fine speci-
mems of French paste, which is the
best imitation of the diamond yet dis
covered was the reply.
"What is French p.ste""
at is peculiar kind of glass, per-
fected in Paris by Donault-Wieland.
! Its basis is finely powdered rock
! crystal melted with other minerals"
| "Are these limitations as brilliant
and expensive as the doublets the
gems made by imposing Il thin face OF
real diamond ,On backing OF rock
crystalr'
They are more brilliant and cost
less in proportion TO size-much less;
but the Goublets are by far the most
durable"
What other gems are initiated as
, successfully rs the diamond?"
"Rubbies and sapphires even more
so. The limitations of them actually
possess the same chemical composition
as the real stones. The gems SO male
are expensive, much less so than the
real stones, and are very hard, with
] ~ -
proportions of the material are exactly
right. Emeralds, topazes, garnets,
and various other more or less valuable
gems are ali well initiated in glass
colored with different silicates and
oxides. Sham pearls are also SO we'll
made that, when properly set, they
can not be distinguished from genuine
ones. They are simply beads OF clear
glass, coated inside with lustrous So
luton obtained from the scales of some
small fishes-bleak and dace, | think,
| the fishes are called. 1t takes the
scales of 40, 900 of the fishes TO make
two pounds of the solution which is
called Essence d'Orient.' The imita-
| ton pearls are more durable than the
real ones, which are htble to be injured
! by Precipitation or various other Incl
/ dents Of wear"
"Reverting to that French paste; are
| there many of that sort OF diamonds
sold in this country"
"A great many. Reputable dealers
! sell them for what they are, and their
! price-for fine ones such as these is
sufficiently high to keep them from be-
! ing offered as cheap stuff TO the masses,
yet great numbers are worn"
"Why do persons of means invest in
bogus gems?'
For various reasons. One does not
care 10 keep locked up IN mere orna-
mcnt .he large amount OF money that
would be required to purchase dia-
monds in such size and number as So
eiety might expect him or her to have,
SO n few really fine stones are purchas-
ed for habitual wear. to challenge
criticism, and brilliant array of
! French pastes' is provided for show
upon occasions when big display is ex-
Ipected and there will be no danger of
close critical inspection. The few
real stones have made a reputation,
YOU see, that covers the others. An
other may own plenty of diamonds and
actually have them in possession, too,
NCJ w IOO pIuuSIb w OApOoS NiiSHh w
! the danger OF loss or theft in u mixed
multitude. And know of yet another
class OF French paste weArers; young
men who are in society," but with
scanty means to keep up u semblance
of style-'dudes' as they are popularity
STYLED. One OF these fellows last win
ter managed to become engaged TO n
very pretty girl who had solid expec-
tatiOns and actually had the cheek to
give her n French paste engagement
ring. He knew that diamond had to
be forthcoming under the circum-
stances, but real one was far beyond
either his purse or his credit and he
imagined that his fiancee would never
know the difference if he gave her
bogus one. And perhaps she would
not, but her sharp old mother, who
had an eye like Il hawk, suspected it
and came 20 me for judgment. No
body could have told her better than /,
for l had sold the young fellow the
ring. He was dropped so suddenly
ana so hard that he has been dizzy
ever since"
HAS anybody had yet the bright
idea OF starting the manufacture OF
French paste diamonds here as one
Of our protected infant industries?"
"No. The French stand first in it,
and the Germans are rather n poor
second, but we are nowhere. The sit
uation may be different, however, in
the course of the next four years.
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