Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-16
MAKING PRECIOUS STONES.
Edison Produces Rubies, but has not
Mastered the Diamond.

From the New York World.
Mr.. Edison Is not alone experimenting
with the base metals like iron AMI steei,
which he says after all are the precious
metals, being more valuable than gold and
silver. which are Of little practical use
He can make gems and precious stones
Rubies he has made in large yuan tit,es.
Mr.. Edison does not propose to flood the
market with emeralds and rub:es. nor ue-
moralize the jewelry trade by selling I{oh-
inoors for a quarter. lie manufactures
his precious stones for use AMI not for or
nament The way he was led into this was
by following his policy of seeking a cheaper
substance which would do the work as well
as the one he was using. For a long time
he had been paying large prices Tor sap
phires from Ceylon, to be ;.Sed in the hear
ings OF monographs and other machines,
like jewels put into watches to reduce the
friction and last long time 1t occur red
to him that science, that fruitful mother
Of invention which answers TO the ca,l of
necessity. ought TO be able to supply the
place OF sapphires with some eIually hard
but cheaper substance. So he went INTO
an analysis of the different precious stones.
which are the hardest things known. Only
the diamond puzzled him. He could make
nothing out of it but pure carbon He said
yesterday that diamond was nothing but
crystallized lamp-black. but he frankly cor
feSsed that he did not know how 1t was
made Then Mr.. Edison tackled rules
sapphires and emeralds, 1n1 ne succeeded
IN resolving them INTO their original
ments. He discovered how they were made
and he straightway proceeded to make
them. He began to turn out rubies by the
pound.
II have made large quantities Of rubies
here" said Mr.. Edison. AS they wee
only for commercial use 1 did not color
them. but aside from the color. they were
rubies to all intents and purposes. having
exactly the same chemical clements as the
natural stone. 1t is only short time since
throughout the jewe!ry trade of the world
as the natural stones. Nobody suspected
them until some one detected the fact that
shape from the bubble in the natura! stone
Then an investigation followed. AMI it was
found that they were all turne1 out by
syndicate in Paris, where the manufacture
of rubies had come to be a Regular trade.
1 understand that. Tiffany, in NeN York,
was deceived By them and hal sold large
the Paris manufacturers ard made them
disgorge some of their profits
Can you make diamonds anil emeralds >"
81 believe it would be rossibl. to make
the emerald as easily as the ruby, but not
the diamond. Nobody knows how d:a-
however, are OF no use except fr their
cutting qualities, and the black diamond,
which is not used for ornament. but is
more valuable than the white or clear Gia-
mond. Is harder than the later. more vflu-
able and more costly. 1t wound be a great
thing to be able to make nlack diamonds
which would then become cheaper and
effect great economy in mining and Ell
cheering works. There is no known sub
stance that Is rs hard as the black dia-
mond. When they want 20 cat a white
diamond they get black diamond to Go 1t
with"
some clever chemical inven .Or to devote his
time. as did the ancient alchemlsts 10 try
ing to find way to make gold and prcc-
ious stones. He replied that there would
be little money in 1t.