The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-31
DIAMOND CUTTERS
How Gems Are Treated in Old Am
SteTdam.

If the world, notwithstanding the more
recent competition of Paris, London, and
Antwerp. To the United States alone
Ixoarlv SIS, OOO, 900 worth have been shipped
s,nce 1885. The following table shows the
increase Of exports to the states during
| the mast seven years: s., 37s, 542 in 1886,
81 $40. 7O5 in 1887, s., 141 O24 in 1888, s., 374,
AS in 1889, S3,6O5, 2s1 in 1880, AGO. sl in
1891, $3.50, $40 in 1892.
Americans are the best customers.
They will have none but the best quality
diamonds of the first water" as they
are called. And so it comes that our beau
monde adorns itself with the results of the.
host Dutch workmanship in this branch of
Industry. many of the single stones re-
0uiring weeks and months of skilled and
tedious labor. Modern improvements in
machinery and tools have rendered it
nossible for most of the gems to reach
their full glory in very short time, so
that after passing through three or four
hands in the embellishing process, and
listening to a few quaint Dutch ditties
and some cultural colloquisms, the pre-
cious things are put to rest in downy
wrappings ready to be transported to the
ends of the earth.
THE DAAMOND .SuIlGhs
It is not the intent of this brief article
TO discuss the physical and chemical prop
critics of this liking of JEWELS nor to
dwell at length on metallurgical and min
eralogical details with respect to the diff
ferent countries where il is found. News
paper readers are kept well informed re
earding new finds from time TO time, the
reports generally being accompanied by
brief historic treatises on the industry
Often, also, accounts are published of
famous gems in the possession of royalty
or a modern Croesus, which are said to be
of prodigious size, dazzling brilliancy and
enormous value. What will perhaps be
of interest to most people is an inquiry
into the art of the diamond cutter and his
subordinates. For this purpose no better
place can be selected than the Holland
city of bridges and grachten (canals),
even if the stranger unacquainted with
the vernacular must receive invariably to
every question the curt reply, 'kannlt-
verstaan."
Few visitors win bid adieu to Amster-
dam without at least a superficial exami-
nation of one or two of the sixty diamond
cutting establishments. They employ to-
gether not less than 10000 hands, mostly
Jews, who, Notwithstanding the ingress
Of cheap labor, betray boycotting tenden-
cies at times, and manage to keep up
steep scale of wages. Most of the pro-
prietors are also wealthy Israelites Of
Portuguese extraction, whose shops"
are located near the Jewish quarter"
FRIDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE.
A curious scene may be witnessed every
Friday evening, or on Saturday (the
Jewish Sabbath) on the Breestraat
broadway, surging crowds of young
men and women in their Sabbath attire,
chattering, counting, and flirting, and en-
loying life in true Dutch-Jewish fashion.
Cigar or tobacco smoking on that day is
against the orthodox rabbinical ordinance,
and not vehicle is permitted on the
thoroughtare. Judging from the glitter
ing stones in the immaculate shirt fronts,
and the sparkling crystals so becoming to
the beautiful Jewish brunettes, it Is evil
dent that not all the stones are exported.
The high compensation to which this fra
ternity has been accustomed, which, how
ever, has been greatly reduced in recent
years, has gained for them the reputation
of being high-livers and all-round sports.
In describing the evolution of these pre-
cious stones, it suffices to state here that
the principal finds occur in Brazil, South
Africa and BorneQ, although they have
been mined with more or less success in
Siberia and elsewhere. The rough stones
are brought to market in London, and i'm
mediately on the arrival of a ship Dutch
lobbers and Amsterdam jewellers bargain
Ior the costly butincapaclous cargo.
ASSERTING AND CLEANING.
When the jeweler arrives in Amsterdam
with his supply, the stones are assorted
and subjected, first of all, to the manipu-
latiOns of the cleaners. These artisans
earn the highest wages, which average
800 guilders per week The proprietor
must also rely entirely upon their hon
esty. 1t is true that the property en-
tF1CfaH m frz1I L. ,4.,I
ne is not in position to control their
actions, and he cannot ascertain
whether or not he receives
the same stones and the same guam
uty in return Their task requires
great skill ard long practice, as miscar-
fled cleavage means, sometimes, an ire
parable loss. Their work converts the
rough stones into the two well-known
shapes and pyramidical
crystals, or "brilliants" and "rosettes."
The stones must be split according to the
growth OF the veins. A singlemisdirected
blow IS liable to orumble the costly mate
rial into useless atoms. Taking into CON
slueratlon that manyof the diamonds in
thelr primitive state are no larger than
Pln-heads, conception may be formed of
the great difficulty of determining the
exact cleavage spots. An experienced
cleaver accomplisheS this task with mar
Vicious precision in the most dimiuutiye
diamonds
=. 70 the cleaver's bench a wooden stick
is attached followed out and filled with
cement at the top. The cement is heated
ana when it has become sufficiently soft
The rough stone is pressed into it, which
as soon as Its bed is hard and cold is thus
placed in an immovable position. BY
means of very sharp diamond attached
10 a stick in the hands of the workman a
mole is bored in the rough stone while
great care is taken that none of the
material is wasted during this part of the
process. In the cavity thus obtained
moderately sharp knife is now inserted
A few sharp blows with tiny hammer
cuts the stone, into two parts These
tactics are continued until as many indie
pendent brilliants or rosettes are OBJ
tanned as possible.
THE WORK OF THE CUTTER.
Now begins the more tedious but fully
as skillful work of the cutter. Yet his
wages barely exceed one-teuth of the
cleaver's. He is fortunate If he can av-
erage 1000 guilders per annum. Rosettes
can only be cut as such, but to brilliants
ne can give the octohedron or dodecahed-
ron shape. His process is similar to that
OF the first workman--he also secures the
gem in cement bed. and by means of an
other sharp cut-diamond he forms the So
called 'facetteH surfaces. 1t is only in
recent wears that machinery bas haar an