The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-30
MAKE YOUR DIAMONDS.
SPLENDORS TO BE SEEN AT THE
COMING CENTENNIAL LII.


millions in 1t" App ,reatly-How
Bogus Gems Are Made-Who Wear
Them and Why They Do.
Copyright 1881
NEW YORK, April 27--Tnere! What dc
you think of thatn'
The question was put to me the other dav
by friend who is a promi neat js geler, ald
! the that" referre TO was a ma ynif 'ent
necklace of brillia Is. | never saw so many
la rge and fiue dia uonds massed together i
one piece of je very, and st lred I wonder
ing ad niration at the flexible band of glow
ing, flashing. coruscating, sci itiilatin z
beads S did Twin light 1t was tie sort
OF tling to make man slu5 his eye and
try real hard to think of the command
me J agai st coveti g his neighbo s goods.
"Wha S the u g of getting up UGH a
thing a, tnat3" | ASKED. you'll never f Il
anyb pdy, even politician, able to buy It
in this country at least"
"Oh2 Yes. |, is made to or Ter for
one of our society la lies who PROPOSES
NAL ball. What do you suppose 1t Is
wOrthp
C shl Millions for all 1 know. /
could n mo Q estimate ol a thing like
that than L could comprehend infinite
5, ace"
He grinned a sardonic grin, wiggled the
blazing thi G in the sunlight to impre me
some more and then replied slowly:
"Well, it isn't w lat you mig 1T call cheap /:
but, thou "a Pm not going to tell its real
price to anybody but the purchaser, | ca
ssure you that its value is conside ably
less than that of the solitaire in a ring set
ting that sh WED you a little bit ag)."
And the price of that ring was onl
81, $50. | never venture to lean up very
hard against what / know a out gems, b
| really dill not think that could be taken
iu' like that
"Do you mean to say that those are not
diam ondsg'
mo more diamonds than they are eggs.
Simply exceedingly fine specimens of
French p ste, which is the best imitation
of the diamond yet discovered"
81 suppose, no vever, that a judge o.
diamonds could tell the as false, at sight,
even on the neck of one of he 400'n
Not without he was ven a chance to
make very close INSPECTION of the a d
apply Ger ain tests Knowl to experts.
Take my word for it, That the lady who
wears 'Frenc PASTE at the centennial ball
will be more tho 'Uughly in fashio l--even
among the '400'-than you have any
idea Of
W rat is 'trench paste ~
IL is a Aculiar kid of glass, perfected
in PARIS by Donault-Wieland Is bass is
finely powdec red rock crystal, melted witt
other minerals in the following proper
tions:"
And, referring to little memorandum
book, he read off:
''Roc6 crystal, six ounces; red lead, nine
and quart r uuces; pure ca Donate of
potash, three ounces and three drachm ;
boracc acid, thu &c drachms; white ars n &c,
SIX aims. Whel fused, thorou ghlv inter-
Blended cooled, cut and polished, in di
mond forms, IL takes a good expert to tell
the gems SO made ON be real ones. the
more oxide of lead is adj lei, to certain
point, the greater is the result ant brill-
aucy, but the jfter the glass and conse-
quently the SIS perma ne &c TO its FEC .
these specimens in is necklace will gro s
iull after being worn for a time, but no
until long after the cente NAL ball. AND
for such short lived splendor they ar.
pretty expensive
why are they expensive! The materials
are not COSTLY
''No But t lie art of properly blendin 2
those materials and the skill d labor re-
! quired in cutting and polishing puts on the
value"
"Are these limitations as brilliant and ex-
pensive as the doublets-the gems made by
iLlpOSlIlR d tuill ldCG u real uLdlDOUQ on q
backing of rock crystal p
9TH " are more brilliant AMI cost less il
| prop rtiol to size-much less; but the doub-
cts are by far the most dura l."
Nv nat other &c is are imIta ed as sue
| cessfully as the diamondm
"Rubies and sapphire, even more 50. The
| imitatio s of the n actual Y POSSESS the same
| chemical composite as tn real stones
| Equal quantities of alumna and red lie d
| taI 70 n l,
cruciOle. A vitreous substance is formed
which consists of sllicate of lead ana
c yital of white corundum. The are
used with bichromate Of potaSsiu t.
| 70 m the ruby; or with a Ii tie OK
| i 10 OF cobalt and very small quanty O.
| bichrouate of po assium to make the SAP.
| Ihire. The gems SO made are ex eusivc
! bit much les so thar the real ST mes ana
| are very hard, with fine luster and excel
lent color, if the proporti rs of the ma
| terials are exactly right. Emeralds, to-
| PAGES, garnetS and var:o other more .
| less valua 10 gems are all well inn ated
! glass cJlOred with different sil Gates and
| xidas. Sham pearls are also so well made
that, when properly SCI, taey eau
not be distinguished from genuine ones
| They are simply beads OF clear glass
coated inside with ,trous sou ion OBJ
| taineI from the scales of some small fish 5
bleak a I'd dace. [ think the ii hes are
| called. It tax 5 the scales of &C, 600 of tht
fishes TO make ? pou ids of the solution,
| which is called Essence d'Orie 1T The
| imitation pearls are more durable tina
the real one, which are liable TO be injured
! by perSpiration or various other inc dents
| of wear
"Rev, rting to that French paste; are there
many OF that sort of diamonds sold in TIL
country
"A great many. Reputable dealers sell
| them for what they are, and their price
| for fine ones sucn as tuess-is sutiicieutlt
| high to keep them from being offered a
cheap st # to the masses yet great mum
bers are worn. The sad-facei men who
lurk about fashionable saloons irving to
dispose Of diamo ds, relics Of their former
| prosperity, at prices cons ,derably below
tie real value, ow, 3 to the pressure Of
| imperaiv necessity which they deepl y
e,lore, a e generally provided with three
| of four apparent gems. Tie outfit ole
| Of those chaps CO ssts ofatia noud double
a cheap off color or badly hawed stone, a
| light yellow stone dipped in blue anli
| iak which max it seem a fine white one
a d an excellent Ere Ich paste Of c
four the latter is much the most Likely t.
! tnd purchaser, d indeed the othe s are
| a her carried a. fois to max il go off.
though ths ped Ter is generally art
enough to of I only the first / So, nd Il
l.