The herald., 1893-02-12
DIAMOND CUTTERS.
.WomEN EMPLOYED IN ONE or
fHs tAkoEsr HousEs.


Cns tadsaN GA Bsslusts rasis Of ces,
: sint Jsvsis ffsm heush stones--seiecs-
ing and bfvidips che Jewels Before
shsy Resch ihs wefiroom.
Not al diasnsndsltssds In this part Of
Enrope aye at In Paris OF in A1nster-
dam; but insGoneSa, close by the Quai
de la Post& fhefe is theas sTaillere de Dia-
6iantsr ofs{he pupG@ Bros Not only
that. httf fincsS d the diamond cut
terS here s&fs young women, tires in
telAgsntE and in6st attractive. They
receive, too, fpr. work of the same
kind as that dpneby men the same rate
Of compensation, md many of them
earn, though ttets hours are not long,
from ten to hft@aA doIlars q week. The
establishment Of prpuis Freres is in a
handsome gfnhite building, just at the
head. Of the Coulouvrepiere, and occu-
pies ITS second etage. The building is
trianku1ar iii form, with its private Of
Aces hest Che apex. The first Of these
Offices is a,GezS, room where the precious
stones ali. kept after cutting in huge
hon safe. wklqh VIII bo broughs at your
Quarter end shalf and almost pound
packets Of tho beautiful gems that are
like showers dew in Brilliant sunshine
as you burg, your hands. among them.
There are alfsites, from the tiniest rose
diamond 70 others that are like second
kohih6ors as they fash from the velvet
beds, for these larger diamonds are kept
carefully selected In cases instead of in
the little tissue paper covered packets.
The variety Of tint is simply wonderful
--brown diamonds, green diamonds, yell
low diamonds, purest white diamonds,
and rarest Of ali, the MN. Dupuis told
me, blue diamonds. Nearly opposite the
private cfHce Is the bookkeeping and re-
cording rscin and the counter at which
the elder n. pnpuis sits asserting the
gems as thief come from the cutting, and
II a dian1h1 III. the rough is Of such
shape that Ills Atllsd eye tells him it
could not BE- eat to advantage as found
he divides II into two Of three parts be-
fore it'iB 6a3rsBd to tho workroom.
Both the asserting AID the dividing re-
QQlI6 tu8 Bxk4bPSe qhkk adu llObp p0tIcCt
knowledke--bcth intuftive and practice
gained-aof the stones, which in their
crude condition rasenbie, It seems to me.
bits and bisccA Of different tinted gum
arabic more than Anything else. As
have told you, the senlor member of the
firm assofts and divides the diamonds,
while the Junior partner himself keeps
oil books and records and apportions the
stones to thsir cutters, Eve at time to
each, marking the weight, date and all
opposite ,tRe cutters name, until they are
returned completed. In this room, too,
diamonds are received for repair and re-
cutting. That reminds me that in cut
ting almost cre-half the original weight
of the stone ID lost, or, more properly
cut away, for, not grain of the dust Is
lost, as you will SEQ,
The chief workroom or atelier is a
large, bright airy room, splendidly ven
tilated and,exdnisitely neat, In it, about
the walls that form two sides of the tri-
angle, there are q sufficient number of
cutting machines for about seventy-hve
employees, and back of these close by
the windows ere seats and benches for
the girls who place the diamonds in the
solder, beds ftf she machine cutting, an
operation that must be completed very
''deftly, for, first, there Is the placing Of
one solder oval IN tao cup of the instru-
ment that receives the diamond, and
that much resembles the cup of soup
and ball." handle and all; then the other
half must receive just the right degree Of
fusion at the gas and be applied so as to
finish the oval. Itis in the top Of this up
per part that the stone is placed while
the solder Is warm enough to be nodded
back sufficiently to leave one little face
of the gem visible. When ready fox the
machine the entire oval Is a little larger
than a robins egg, Dipping quickly in a
dish Of water ghSrdensl the solder, and
then the cup and ball,s with the stick end
up, is applied to the, machine, which
does the cutting 6f revolving 400 times
q minute, 50 rs hold the diamond face
closely down to d steel disk perhaps d
foot In diameter and covered with mi.
croacopic lines, on which diamond dust
has been scattered and Is held in place
by minute particles Of oil dropping from a
quill above. The dust from one diamond.
being caught on this disk, serves to pol.
ish the next diamond, So, as you see,
nothing is lost. The girls to whom this
work Is intrusted must necessarily give
1t their undivided attention.
In the lower center of this room the
walls are so constructed that second
triangle is formed, also with pleasant
outlook. At tie Counters facing these
windows the actual diamond cut dia-
mond' process, one Of the first to which
The stones are Subjected, is seen. They
are imbedded In wax, and then one Is
used to cut another by the most skillful
workmen It Is this process that pro-
duces the chips so much used in small
jewelry, At theqther side of this inner
triangle nien are always busy repairing
and inspecting the machinery. especially
the disks, whosesc1ndittcn Must be abso-
lutely perfect.
There. & one female operative In the
stelier q great natural ability snd many
years Of experience whose aid is very
valuable because she can instantly
Judge the weight Of even the most min
ute stones handedykera for inspection.
The recomped,se fDr'cutttng stones up to
those of more than medium weight is,
believe, the safne, because the amount OF
care and labor required is the same.
With the exception Of the light whir OF
the machinery this large atelier is abso.
1uta1v nf,iet for thern ruf1et NOT no e,,or