Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-21

Venetian lapidary to 1876 carats, thus sac
rificing nearly three-quarters of It's Orlgl-
nal dimensions. And so clumsy did the
lapidary perform the work that when he
was Trough the stone looked more like a
piece of G lass than anything else. Suisse
quently it was recut and now weighs only
100 carats.
HOW DIAMONDS ARE CUT.
THAT seems woefu diminution.'
Yes; but you must remember that the
diamond cutters art is of very modern de-
velopment. The ancients did not under
stand it to any great extent. In polish
ing such OF their diamonds as survived
the hammer and anvil test they were con-
tent to mere y rub down the angles of the
rough stones and polish off the natural
facets. To them the losing by cutting
even one-half of the weight of a gem
would have been horrifying. Diamond
cutting as is now practiced, was first tried
in Bruges about the year 1856. by a man
named Louis Berquem, who was the in
ventor of the facet idea as matter mathe-
musical. Toward the end of the seven
teenth century experiments were Made In
the bleaching of colored diamonds white
by means of such chemicals as a distila-
ton of anthony; but no way was ever
found of preventing the color from return
ing after while Amsterdam is the
great diamond cutting workshop in the
world to-day, 10000 Hebrews in that city
being more or less directly engaged in
the business. Everybody knows that only
diamond will cut diamond, and for the
purpose diamond dust has to be used,
mostly made from imperfect and unmar-
ketable diamonds known as bort. pound
ed up in steel mortar. A diamond to be
cut is first stuck in lump of cement on
the end of a short stick, the cement hay
ing been softened by the heat preiminar-
lily. 1t becomes fastened solidly in the
cooled cement, and it is then ready for
work Supposing that it is big stone,
it is likely that pieces will have to be clip
ped off it here and there in order to dis
pose of flaws. On an average a large dia-
mond loses from one-third to two thirds OF
its weight in this way. Frequently the
chips thus obtained can themselves be cut
into smaller gems with profit. little
steel chisel introduced into a nick skill
fully made with another diamond per-
forms this operation called cleavage II
| is ticklish thing ana must be performed
with great care, lest the stone be ruined
by an unintended break. The next thing
is to grind the facets by contact with an
other diamond, wetting the opposing sur
| faces from time to time with the tongue
so that they may not get too hot. After
this they are polished by fiat wheels car
rying diamond dust, which revolve 1900
times minute, the operation adjusting
the edges and planes of the facets to the
wheel with the fingers and keeping the
wheel moist with olive oil.
ARTIFICIAL GEMS.
"What is the most beautiful form O.
diamonds?
The brilliant by all odds. The shape
is like two cones united at their bases, the
upper cone being cut off at the top by {
plain surface of some size and the lower
cone coming almostto a point. The Older
STYLE, known as the rose cut is a low pyr
amid, fat on the bottom. Several sorts O.
precious stones are burnt to bring out then
colors. Among these is the oriental car
nelian found in the Bombay presidency
Likewise the Brazilian topaz derived it
pale red hue FROM fire. Before being SEN
to market it is rolled up in a sponge ant
burned. A similar process is employed
upon rubies, sapphires and amethysts fo1
removing spots that interfere with thu
play of light in the stones. The dyeing O
many sorts OF gems, chiefly by cooking IL
honey, was known as an art to the an
clients. and modern chemists have man,
devices for that purpose. Agate, for In
stance, can be colored to any shade tina
may be desired. Within a few year
real diamonds have been produced arti
fcially, though so small as to be of NJ
value commercially. Also rubies have
been manufactured by melting up mum
bers of little ones together In the cruclble
but, although the novelty caused big
scare among the gem merchants for a time
these artificial jewels have never foun,
many purchasers. The origin of the dia
mond has never been satisfactorily &C
counted for Good authorizes are now o
the opinion that the stone, which is known
to be composed OF pure carbon, was forme,
at the beginning by the decomposi
ton of vegetable matter. Besides the OF
binary colors seen In diamonds-blue
white and yellow-there are green and re-
diamonds: the red ones are partlcularl
rare and valuable. In Brazil, diamond
{ were used by the gold hunters. before thel
value was discovered as counters In playln
cards. Just as in South Africa the childre
| first employed them as playthings.
RUBIES OF THE WORLD.
How about rubies?''
The ruby is the most valuable of a
: precious stones, though most people are no
aware of the fact. 1t, like the sapphire,
r composed almost wholly of alumina. Usu
: ally rubies are found loose in the sano
' with which they have been washed out c
5 the rocks. The finest OF them have Away
] come from Burnah; the king of which
1 until The British overthrow the monarch
4 called himself Lord of the Rubies.' II
e owned enormous quantities of them, an
great jars in his palace at Mandelay wer