Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29

Ii the way to crystalline it could only be found
| out diamonds could be made to order in any
quantity. Now, there is no reason for saying
that chemists will not learn, sooner or later to
make crystals of carbon. That the thing is
possible, physically speaking, 1 have not the
| shghtes. doubt. 1t is simply question of dis
| covering the correct process. No difficulty is
| round In obtaining crystals of sugar. salt or
alum by permitting the water in which these
substances are dissolved to evaporate very
| slowly and in perfect stiffness. 1t has been
suggested that some peculiar compound of
Charcoal may be found, which, submitted to
like conditions. will produce regular crystal
line forms. Such forms would be real dia-
monds.
UNSUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS.
with this end in view, experiments have
been made by combining sulphur and carbon,
which together form colorless liquid resem-
ping water and containing absolutely nothing
put carbon and sulphur. If by some method
| the sulphur could be got rid of the carbon
might be expected to be deposited in crystals.
80 far, however, no way of accomplishing this
mas been found. the most hopeful point is
that small diamonds have already been pro-
duced, although they were such little ones as to
be worthless commercially. BY means of the
vOitalc battery almost microscopic crystals Of
carbon have been deposited upon thread of
platinum These particles seem actually to be
also in such degree that they have been
used in polishing stones in the same manner as
ordinary diamond dust In nv opinion cleo
trlcity Is the agent by which the artificial dia-
monds OF the future will be obtained.
THE ENORMOUS COST
Thirty years or more ago Europe was agi-
tated profoundly by rumor to the effect that a
French chemist had solved the problem of
manufacturing diamonds Such was the scare
q hri irpa h 10
depreciation In the value of the gems and peo-
pie who possessed fortunes in this shape were
greatly alarmed. But it is very likely that. if
successful process is discovered the cost of
making diamond by it will be greater than
the price OF q stone of equal value from the
mines. You may recOllect the celebrated ex-
perlments OF Prof. Sage, who turned out gold
pieces In his laboratory from gold extracted
from the ashes Of certain burned vegetable
substances: The result, scientifically speaking,
was beautiful. but the expense of making in
this way one So piece was about $25; SO the in
dustry scarcely paid.
NATURES WONDERFUL WORK.
1.-The notion of the old alchemists that the
philosophers stone could be produced from the
commonest substance possible seems not 80
altogether absurd when one considers that
nature produces the most costly gems from the
most worthless materials. small quantity Of
black and friable carbon she converts into n
which is unequalled by that of any other known
substance. She takes little of the glazing
which the potter uses in his ordinary work and
coloring 1t with a trace of iron produces g.
ruby or sapphire. From little worthless
pebble with slight additions, she forms the
topaz. the emerald and the amethyst. Several of
the last named gems have been reproduced &C
cidentally in the furnaces of Sevres in the same
manner, doubtless, as they have been elabo-
rated by nature in her vast volcanic workshops
EA nfV HI oh haaI ILL L
great crystal mandatory.
Carbon Is readily obtainable in any quanti-
ties at almost no cost. Take a couple of ounces
of charcoal, powder it in the palm Of your hand.
and consider that you are handling the pure
material Of the diamond. If you could transform
the two ounces of black stuff into its crystal
line form you could sell those few pinches of
stuff for u .O0O, 900 perhaps. No wonder that
the chemists are eager to discover the secret.
And yet, In one sense, coal is more valuable
than diamonds. The mines of Golconda, of
Brazil, OF South Africa and Of Borneo are not
worth even a small fraction of the coal deposits
OF England and the United States. Diamonds
are always found covered by a rough coat. The
ancients had no notion that it could be cut SO
rs to reveal hidden beauties, and for this reason
they set q comparatively low value upon it. 1t
was not until the middle Of the fifteenth CEN
fury that Louis de BerQueu, an artist of Br,l-
ges. conceived the idea of grinding the diamond
into faceted shape by applying the gem to a
|
dust and oil.
TEST OF COUNTERFEIT DIAMONDS.
"There are several inferior gems that coun-
terfeit the diamond more or less closely, but
the infallible test is found in the manner in
which the stone refracts light. AL other crys-
tails, when you look at an object through them
double the object seen, but if you look through
diamond at the head Of pin. for example
YOU will see one pins head and not two In
| 9th IA he Aiamnpl's Il
and not double. The great white diamond of
Portugal, which was found in Brazil. is probably
u topaz. At all events it is known that the stone
has a double refractiOn, which makes it certain
that it il not actually u diamond, though the
Portuguese government claims it rs such, while
refusing to exhibit it. 1t is big as a hens
egg and. il real. would be as gem the wonder
of the world. The white sapphire and the
white zircon are, like the topaz, often fraudu-
lently sold for diamonds.
DIAMOND STORIES.
'The stories connected with the discovery of
the various great diamond fields of the world
are all Of most romantic interest but thew have
been told so often tina. l presume YOU are
familiar with them. You remember how the
Dutch farmer in south Africa showed n
stranger some bright pebbles with which his
children played, and how the stranger honestly
told him that he suspected them TO be
diamonds. which subsequently, proved to be the
case, SO that the poor man became very rich
Also, 1 dare say. you recollect the incident of
the poor gardener OF GOlcorda in India. who,
finding in his garden a beautiful stone sold it
for enough to provide himself with O COM
petence, Incidentally opening to his whole
country a source OF riches. It was a poor
negress, You know, who in July, 1853. found in
the sands of Bagagem, Brazil, the Star of the
South'-a pure white gem Of 254 carats. All
the great diamonds have romantic his
tories connected with them. The Kohl
moor was q cause of bloodshed for
thousands Of years and occasioned unheard-of
cruelties, well as the deaths of many princes.
pathetic anecdote is part OF the story of the
famous Sancy Diamond, which was sent by
the Baron Of Sancy to King Henry w.
The gem was entrusted to a servant. Times
were dangerous then in France, and the mes
senger was assassinated by brigands. 1t was
only after long time thAt the murder was dis
covered. When. condolences on the subject
were rendered to the baron on the loss of his
splentlid jewel the baron replied. You are
very much in error, gentlemen; since the body
Of my servant has been recovered, know
where to find my diamond In fact, when the
body was disinterred the diamond was found;
II had been swallowed by the man to secure 1t.
VALUE OF PRECIOUS STONES.
''Some notion Of the high appreciation in
which the diamond b hold may be obtained
from the fact that The specimens of this gem in
existence are worth collectively nine times q
much - MI tho other precious stones in the
world put together. At the same time fine
rubies are worth very much more per carat
than diamonds. For . ruby Of Eve earats
double the price Of "a diamond Of the same
WEIGHT il asked. II the ruby Weighs tan carsta