Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-08-02
ORIENTAL JEwELRY.


How IL Happens TO Be Always Besntifai
and of the same Value.
small caste among us may acquire
the power of appreciating oriental jew
tlry 70 the full, but will that apprccia-
tion, in the absence of the central con
I dittan the intense Asiatsc sunlight ever
become generalP The reason why the
eolors in an oriental brooch or bracelet
are so perfect is precisely the reason
/ why an old oriental carpet is better than
any other An Asiatic hates 10 be dag
zled, TO be blinded with glare. TO have
his eyes hurt and his brain heated by
unsubducd effects of light Consequent /
ly, though ne dyes his wools in intense
colurs having few others, he so com 4
bines them, 50 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 fun daylight on the pat
terms is entirely absent Ii is precisely
the same with the oriental ujowels
Their natural glare is kept down by
combination and want OF polish.
The Asatc who carved in jade and
sunk deep inscriptions on the sapphire
could have facetted precious stones just
as we'll as tho cutters Of Amsterdam,
who TIL lately used no machinery; but
he did not want to do IT, He wanted
subducd eirec Is and made of the garnet
a carhnnclc--which Is a miracle OF color
without glare-or he cut of. as in many
cmcralds We have seen, mere corner,
81 that the beholder, instead of being
hnthered with flashing grecniu his eyes,
should peep at will into green depths.
We do not say be was altogether right
---as regards the diamond he was al
together wrong-but we may rely on
II hc knew his business, and when he
! failed intended to fail. His intense ep-
y probation OF turquoise was due not only
. 10 admiratio on OF its color-which, after
y all, can be matched only by one or two
fowers--but to its Icing the one gem
that. for all its brilliancy Of color, does
y not flash. To this hour the high-class
/ Asiatc loves the cat's-eye as the Euro
pean can never do. because the light in
: 10 gives no pain, but reveals itsel'
through sort OF dusky shade The
European has made lovely Jewels and
u Will make lovelier, but he will never
u make the same Jewels as the Asiatic
~ who with in mitable 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 o
. enamel in which the green is as brigh
as the emerald, the red as fiery as tn
- ruby, and the whole as restful to tn
10 eye as piece OF turf. The orienta
q ieweler has another merit too, and in
u lies the secret of possible great devel
opmcnt In the demand for Europea
"a jewellers work. He always gave 10 hi
- Jewels certainty OF value. His gold wa
n gold OF unalterahle purity, his siive
"a truly silver OF the standard, his stone
n the stones they professed 70 be, his wor
90 paid Tor at an understood and invariabl
Sl rate, The consequence was that
n made little but that the market for b
nv commoner wares never ceased, jewe
le being as much property" as Englis
~ sovcreigns now are, equally por
m able, nearly as capable OF cor
50 cealment and as fixed in value
d. great noble could fly from pr,
m vince TO province with nothing bat
IN casket. and not only always remain ricl
y but always be able to raise cash at fe
10 hours notice So could a peasan
ls- though his jewels would only be necl
laces Of silver and narrow bracelets
nc gold. Any money changer would TAX
~ them anywhere in Asia; and even II !
traded on the applicants necessity
OF would not attack the quality Of an n
ny ticle known 10 be nnimpeachable. Th
m is the secret Of the diffusion Of jewell
ms in Asia; and ID would, we arc convince
re- were the same prime pie adopted, be Il
.re key 10 a great trade here.
w. We are not now talking OF grand gcn
mentioned in wills. and specially exar
ined for probate, but of the ordina
md levels of the middle class Let the hu
ers but be convinced past all questi,
he that a brooch has definite and u
i've changeahle value. as a five pound pie
Ills has when used as shawl fastening, aI
mn ten brooches would be sold where oi
Ick is now, The taste for jewels is as III
of versal in Europe as in Asia and is Z
ht. strained among the middle class only
inc SENSE OF it's extravaganza. A bracel6
I'm, the man thinks is mere gaud, nev
od- convertible nto money except at rul
OF ous sacrifice. or at all events, q sac
flee of which he does not know the q
tho tent The Asiatic. on the contrary, bu
ph. the bracelet not only as an ornamer
are bnt as the most portable and most easi
son convertible form of property. --sp'