Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-10-03
ANNAPOLIS Nd MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 8, 1ses
A DIAMOND MARKET.
EXPERTS m PARIS WHO KNOW
ALL THE PRECIOUS STONES.

A Place Where Stranger would See
lions OF Dollars Represented In One
Days stock Carried in Queer Places.
II was the Able Hauy who subjected
diamonds to the roughest treatment. He
used to take hammer and smash them.
He did the same with emeralds, rubies
and sapphires, just as if they were worth
nothing. BY this heroic treatment the
venerable able discovered that the
broken particles of all precious stones
have particular forms which establish
their genuineness beyond all doubt Be-
fore his time it was almost impossible to
tell diamond from brilliant or a piece
of rock crystal.
But now nobody breaks precious stones.
Any dealer can take, with an Indifferent
air, the diamond that is presented to him
for examination, and say without the
least hesitation, THAT weighs so much;
it is a little fellow: it is worth so much. "
And he is never deceived. AT the pres
ent time everybody is somewhat Of a
dealer, and the consequence is that
everybody can distinguish real dia-
mond among thousand bogus stones
On the second floor of cafe in the
Boulevard Montmartre the market or
bourse of precious stones is held, always
in broad daylight. Very few strangers
to the trade can penetrate this sane
tuary, not because the access to it is
difficult, for the door is always wide
open, but because the portfolios close
and the stars disappear the moment an
unknown face appears at the threshold.
Instead of animated traders the
stranger only finds a few dull eyed Jews,
earelessly playing game of bezique.
All, but there is Turk there, too; the
Turk that looks SO much like Coudere,
of the Opera Comique, except that he is
yellow and wears very loose trousers,
but these trousers are full of diamonds.
Don't believe for a moment that these
good Jews, the merchants in precious
stones, are afraid of robbers. That is
the smallest thing that bothers them.
What they dread is to let the profane,
and especially the small jewelers., know
the real value of their goods.
AS soon as the stranger departs the
arms stretch out and the portfolios/re-
appear. The greater number Of these
portfolios are made of tin and are closed
with a lock and key. In a moment the
tables are covered with little bundles of
white paper formed like those in which
the druggists put rhubarb or sulphate
ed, and in less time than it takes to tell
It all the tables, including the billiard
table, are covered with precious stones
that might startle the king of Persia.
A strange spectacle is presented by those
sordid old men quietly taking from their
pockets three or four millions worth.
Each one of perhaps 10000 packages
contains so many brilliants. After they
are disposed of the rare stones are intro
duced. Here there are sapphires as big
as nuts There lies black diamond
almost as large as the twelve pearls that
surround it. Here again is necklace
made of fifteen emeralds that would
make as many snuffboxes, certainly not
big enough for NJ. Hyacinthe, of the
Palais Royal, but too big beyond doubt
for the nose Of Mile. d.
Here is a rare bargain" shouts one
of the merchants, lone of the finest
pieces of ancient jewelry kpownl 1t is
a necklace that belonged to Madame la
Princesse de Guemenee. Mounting.
diamonds and all are ancient. Prince
Proisetoiloff refused $4,000 francs for il
twenty years ago"
The necklace is passed from hand tC
hand. The merchants gaze at it with
attention. The eyeglasses come into
play. Indecision and doubt are painted
upon some faces. At last the necklace
is passed to Michel. He is the great
Judge. He takes the thing, weighs it in
his hand, looks at it with an Indifferent
air and says, "The two brilliants are
ancient. They come with their mount.
ing from the Countess de Prejean. The
two others, still finer, once formed part
of necklace which was stolen in Venice
in 1904 from Nine Morosini. This neck
lace belonged later on to Lady Temple
whose husband purchased it at CandaaI
of Isaac Lieven. Lady Temple gave il
to her daughter, who sold it three days
after her marriage. AS for the sapphire
in the center, that comes from the sale
OF Mile. CCnnelu6I. 4 ne rest lS new anu
comes direct from Hamburg. But
after all, it is well preserved, and rs, 1000
francs does not seem to be too much foi
it,"
AS extraordinary as it may appear
there are now living five or six indi
viduals who know all the costly dia-
monds and all the rich jewels in the
world. and they are allie to recognize
them after lapse of thirty years, even
when they had first only seen them q
moment, as certainly as tailor would
recognize at thirty PAGES the customer
that forgot to pay him.
When robbery is committed in the
house of a well known jeweler, a thing
which often happens in Paris, London
Vienna and St. Petersburg, if there il
among the objects stolen stone Of more
than ordinary value it is sure to be found
again. although it may take many years
to bring it back to its owner. Figaro.
sleep On Left Side.