The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-23

"a large number OF the diamonds found
In the trade" said a member OF one of
the leading diamond firms OF this city,
come from the Cape mines at the
southern end OF Africa. There are seven
or eight Of these mines. the largest being
| the Kimberly. which covers some twenty
acres of land. In the last sixteen years
these mines have yielded largely many
fine stones having been found. But the
Kimberly stones-with the exception OF
the celebrated Peter Rhodes stone which
| weighed $50 carats in the rough-are not
always Of the finest quality. Though
large (they get them as high as 300
carats), many OF them are only worth
| cutting into smaller stones.
india once did. but no longer does en-
] ter into trade considerations as a great
diamond-producing country. The Bra
! lillian diamond, though small, Is often Of
a finer quality than the African or In
dian stone. In Brazil the diamond is
usually found I'm the sandy beds of
| rivers. while the Cape stones are dug
out at depth OF from 300 to 500 feet
below the surface OF the earth. The Bra
lillian stones are found I'm a kind Of
soft, soapy muck called blue earth Some
are almost round, while others have
eight sides. In weight they will average
| from two 10 ten carats, comparatively
| few stones above fifteen carats being
| found. This is in the rough. Cutting
reduces them nearly half their natural
| size
THE carat that I speak of is one
| peculiar 10 diamonds, rubes, sapphires,
| ana opals A carat is a trife over seven
| pennyweight Troy weight
Most of the Cape stones are sent to
| London, where they are reshipped TO
| Amsterdam and Antwerp, the great cut
| ting cities. Diamonds are also cut as
| well In Maiden Lane as in Amsterdam
| In cutting diamonds there Is a general
| rule that one-third OF the stone should
| be above the girdle and tso-thirds be-
| low It. This proportion is sometimes
| sacrificed In order TO avoid imperfection
| In stone such as black spots and
| feathers. and at least one-half of the
| stones are more or less imperfect.
Again. the size and shape of a stone
| in the rough will determine whether IL
shall be single-cut, a full-cut, or a
rose-cut diamond.
You may have noticed the many little
| places or sides to a cut diamond These
are technically called facets. A single
| cut diamond has eighteen facets, dis
| tributed above and below the girdle In
| the proportion I have just mentioned A
| small stone will usually have only the
| single cut Of eighteen sides. full-cut
! diamond is called brilliant, and this
| term is incorrectly applied sometimes to
| Partisan or paste diamonds.
The third, or rose cut. is given to
| stones which are too small and thin for
| either Of the other cuts. The shape of
the rose-cut diamond is peculiar mas
| much as the stone is fiat on the bottom
| and faceted on top. and you will under
| stand now small the rose-cut stones are
when ! tell you that it often takes sew
| eral hundred of them to make a carat
| weight They are very useful, however,
| In filling in corners, etc.
Apart from the consideration I have
| noted, the diamond cutter is guided by
| his own discretion and taste in model
ing stone. The operation is simple
enough 1t Is the old saying about 'dia-
mond cutting diamond illustrated The
| workman merely rubs one rough dia-
| mond against the other. Then comes
| the polishing, which is done by holding
| the cut stone down against a wheel
| Whlch reVolVes at an extremely rapid
| rate. In applying the stone to the
wheel the cutter must look out for
| flaws, or the diamond will be caught on
some rough point and be ruined in less
than the traditional jiffy AS to the
| time taken TO cut and polish a stone
| one cutter will work fast enough to keep
half a dozen polishers busy and a good
| polisher will polish about twenty carats
a week.
Regarding the color of diamonds"
continued the speaker. there is every
imaginable tint, but the principal trade
colors are the standard white. the blush
| tint, the yellow, and the brown The
white, while the most valuable. is not
always the most brilliant. The blush
tint is a favorite and much sought after
The yellow stone is the most common.
and there is a growing taste for dark
brown, bright yellow or canary. as it
is called, and other natural colors.
People not acquainted with the dia-
mond market abroad cannot compre-
bend the difficulties and perplexities
that harass a diamond buyer. He has
to be constantly on the alert for sharp
practices, for the persons holding The
stock of diamonds in Europe are among
the shrewdest merchants to be found
anywhere, and they not only work in
collision. but play one customer against
another to obtain higher prices. They
are wonderfully given to romancing, and
their statements, like their goods are
only TO be taken after investigation.
1.-The diamond merchants abroad do
not grade their goods, but, when a pur-
chaser comes along, a parcel compris-
ing good, bad, and Indifferent stones is
shown to him. and he usually has to
bid for the whole parcel. The grading,
pairing and selecting is done for the
American market after the stones have
reached our shore.
BY this means purchaser is COM
PEELED to buy many goods that he would
not were he allowed the privilege of
selection. Some diamonds thus pur-
chased are actually sold here at less
than they cost abroad.
1T is a conceded fact that the Amer
lean consumers of precious stones are
the most critical of any that merchants
have to cater to, and European holders
of diamonds appreciate this fact. In
this country but three grades Of dia-
monds rae really marketable, the first
being rare and exceptional gems, the
second first-water goods, and the third
must be above the average quality sold
to Europeans. Fashion also has some
thing to do in enhancing the value Of
diamonds, Dy prociaiming one day i'm
favor of one particular style of cutting
or of color. and agin changing a setting
In the post of honor to those which
had been previously rejected The eN-
perts of ten years ago would be sadly
puzzled today to make a selection OF
frst-class diamonds for the American
market. Indeed, the trade is a most
difficult one to cater to-full of annoy
ance and hazards. and requiring special
training and unfiagging vigilance