Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-05-22
ORIENTAL JEwELRY.
The Natural Glare of Jewels Subdued
by Inimitable Workmanship.

The reason why the colors in an Orien-
tai brooch or bracelet are so perfect is
precisely the reason why an old Oriental
carpet is better than any other. An Ash
attic hates to be dazzled, to be blinded
with glare, to have his eyes hurt and his
brain heated by unsubdued effects of
light. Consequently, though he dyes his
woods in intense colors, having few Others,
he so combines them, so mixes them with
black and with that dark cream which
Europe has never caught the secret of,
that the total result is restful, and the
very idea of glare or of full daylight on
the patterns is entirely absent. 1t is pre-
cisely the same with the Oriental Jewels.
Their natural glare is kept down by COM
bination and want of polish. The Asiatic
who carved in jade and sunk deep in
scriptions on the sapphire could have face
ted precious stones just as well as the
cutters of Amsterdam, who till lately used
no machinery; but he did not want to do
it. He wanted subdued effects, and
made of the garnet carbuncle-which is
miracle of color without glare--or he
cut off, as in many emeralds we have
seen, mere corner, so that the beholder,
instead of being bothered with flashing
green in his eyes, should peep at will
into green depths. We do not say he
was altogether right-as regards the dia-
mond be was altogether wrong-but we
may rely on it he knew his business, and
when he failed intended to fail His in
tense appreciation of turquoise was due
not only to admiration for its color
which, after ALL can be matched only by
one or two fowers-but to its being the
one gem that, for all its brilliancy of
color, does not flash. To this hour the
high-class Asiatic loves the cats eye as the
European can never do, because the light
in it gives no pain, but reveals itself
through a sort of dusky shade. The
European has made lovely Jewels, and
will make lovelier, but he will never make
the same jewels as the Asiatic, who with
inimitable art will take from gold all its
glitter without diminishing by one iota
the perfection of its shade of color, and
will hand you bit of enamel in which
the green is as bright as the emerald, the
red as fiery as the ruby, and the whole as
restful to the eye as piece of turf. The
Oriental jeweller has another. merit, too,
and in 1t lies the secret of possible
great ueVeiopnent III tne ueHiauu ior
European jewellers work. He always
gave to his jewellers certainty of value.
His gold was gold of unalterable purity,
his silver truly silver of the standard, his
stones the stones they professed to be, his
work paid for at an understood and in
variable rate. Thr consequence was that
he made little, but that the market for
his commoner wares never ceased, jewels
being as much property" as English
sovercigns now are, equally portable,
nearly as capable of concealment, and as
fixed in value. A great noble could fly
from province to province with nothing
but casket, and not only always remain
rich, but always be able to raise cash at
few hours notice. So could peasant,
though his jewels would only be neck
laces of silver and narrow bracelets of
gold. Any money changer would take
them anywhere in Asia; and even if he
traded on the applicants necessity, he
would not attack the quality of an arti-
Gle known to be unimpeachable. L Lon
don Spectator.