The morning call., 1893-02-08
LEADS TWO LIVES.
The Tricks of a Diamond
Salesman.
HE TALKS OF THE TRADE.
1t Is Only Human Labor That Gives
to the Finished Gems Their
Enormous Value.
There is diamond salesman at the Palace

There Is diamond salesman at the Palace
Hotel.
Only the heads of firms and the con fiden-
tial agents of the big jewellers on the coast
know the real name OF this individual as
well as his occupation.
On the outside those who know his name
do not know his calling, or if they think
they know his calling they are mistaken,
for except to chosen few his name is in
varably coupled with the avocation of Sc
cret detective Ia the employ Of the Pinker-
tons.
lone has to resort to those tricks If he
would be successful in my business" said
he, much as one may hate to be instantly
playing false and double role.
you see that handsatche that leave
about SO csrelessly? There are $4,000
worth of diamonds in 1t. When l came
here three weeks ago there were $4,000
worth of sinners between those shabby
covers.
"See, keep an old shirt and some soled
collars and cuffs on top"-he opened the
satchel-"and the careless manner in which
l appear to handle the little treasure is cal
culaIed to make admiring folks think value
its contents very lightly.
L
with ME every time l went out instead OF
leaving IL In my room or with the hotel
clerk, how long do you suppose / would re-
tain it?"
You look like a powerful and active
man." suggested The CALL reporter
And so l am, but what does that count
against the cunningness of the modern
robber?
Suppose l put It under my pillow at
night when go to bed on the Pullman car.
What Is there TO prevent the fellow in the
berth above or below me from applying
chlorof0rm? Nothing in the world, il he Is
so Inclined. and one meets men now and
then who are inclined just that way
mo. sir; my only safety lies, first in re-
naming unknown. and second in creating
the impression that have nothing whatever
about me Of any especial value.
ut is even policy once In while to take
pains 10 let your fell0w-travelers know that
you are just about strapped in the way of
money, that your watch is only silver, that
you have no jewelry and that your business
Is that Of detective.
Nothing scares off the thief better than
the presence of detective. Once in while
to my very intimate chance acquaintance
whom l wish TO impress with the gravity
OF my supposed calling | inadvertently
display pair of nippers on the butt end of
my revolver.
Eyes. | have sold $4,000 worth of dIa-
monds In this city this trip. l should have
sold more, for San Francisco is considered
very good diamond market.
But tire big jewelers.. | find. are now
sending their own special agents East and
to Europe to buy diamonds.
mo, not one of them go to the mines. I've
been selling diamonds for the last twelve
years and have never been near the diamond
mines. Those stories about the agents and
statesmen going down TO the mines for their
wares are all rot; not word of truth in
any Of them.
"The solemn fact is you couldn't begin to
buy diamond If you did 20 clear to the
South African mines"
"Why?"
Because there are no diamonds there.
Only rough and seemingly worthless stones
are taken from the mines, and very large
percentage OF them remain rough and worth
less and are cast away or ground up into
diamond dust or utilized in various small
ways which do not pay The expenses Of their
mining.
TO buy diamonds you go to London,
Paris or Amsterdam. These are the dia-
mond markets of the world, and the Dutch
city is the greatest of them all.
You can buy diamonds wholesale In
New York, but not at first prices.
AT Amsterdam, London and Paris the
diamonds are carved out from the rough
stones, which If you or | saw we would
probably east away as useless.
Even the few diamonds from Brazil 90
to these cities TO be finished, manufactured
as one might say.
why these cities above all others?
Well, can hardly answer that. They have
always been the diamond polishing cities
and the diamond markets of the world, and
| suppose always will remain such. One
reason is that the natives understand the
business so thoroughly. Their fathers were
diamond fnishers. and their grandfathers
and their grandfather's fathers. Their
children are born into the trade and become
experts long before they attain their ma
jority.
There are 1900 people In Amsterdam
alone engaged in finishing diamonds. That
is far greater number than in either Lon
don or Paris.
THE reason for this is that human labor
Is so cheap In Amsterdam. 1t is a task that
requires long time for each finished stone
turned out, consummate skill long expert
ence. and infinite patience and hard, con-
finng work.
without doubt Americans could learn 10
polish diamonds, but they are too impetuous
n race TO stick to such tedious work, and
they would not be satisfied with the same
remuneration that the Amsterdam workmen
get
1.-THE great expense of diamond lies al
most entirely in the large amount OF human
labor expanded upon IL. As taken from the
mines they are worth scarcely anything.
III the diamond iaborer5 OF Europe re-
ceived as high wages as the skilled workers
in this country diamonds would be totally
beyond the reach of all but the very
wealthy.
ut is an industry that is carried on In
Europe without any factory or manufactur-
ing establishment. Whole families the
men, women and children alike. engage in
1t RICH. in their own homes.
"'The diamond mines of the world are all
located IN Southern Africa, that Is, all ex-
cept the small mines Of Brazil. The South
African mines are all owned by big syndi.
cate. which regulates The output according
TO the demand
This syndicate furnishes nineteen-twen
tieths of all the diamonds in the world
Since 1867, when these fields were first dis
covered. there have been exported from
Cape Colony more than $4,000 900 carats of
diamonds. the value OF which, when fin
ished. Appropriated $3.50, 600
Yes; l am through with the coast for
the present and will leave for the East
Monday No; L will not be back next year.
/ will make trip every two years in
future. San Francisco Is getting too big
for travelling statesmen"
Peculiar Bonds.