The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-09-20
DIAMOND INDUSTRY.
Some Interesting Facts About
Diamond Cutting.
DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICAN MINES.
Fully Twenty Per Cent of the Product OF
the African Mines Stolen by the
Native Diggers.

IL
to the Geological Survey, not yet III
print, George +. Kunz, the expert III
precious stones, tells some interesting
facts about the diamond industry. He
figures that there are twenty-elght
thousand people directly interested in
diamonds to-day, and that the capital
invested in them by cutters and dealers
alone is $3.50, 100000. The estimated
value of the diamonds of the world is
81, 900, 100000.
The United States furnishes but a
small proportion of the workers in dia-
monds; which is all the more unfortu-
nate as the imports of cut diamonds
into the United States between 1868
and 1898 were $l75, 200, 900, and it is
estimated that the amount spent on the
cutting of these stones was at least
$S7 ,000,0 900. What the reason for the
failure of Americans to develop the
diamond cutting industry is, Mr.. Kunz
does not know, unless it may be the
distance,of the United States from the
great diamond markets. Diamond
buying is done on very broad basis.
1t is not uncommon for dealer to
close transaction involving $3.50, 900.
And the dealing is done on such small
margin that American buyers cannot
expect to compete with foreign buyers
unless they are on the spot.
1t is not a question of wages which
prevents the development of the dia-
mond-cutting industry in America.
The wages paid to diamond-cutters all
over the world are much less than they
were at the time of the opening of the
diamond fields of South Africa, little
more than a quarter of century ago;
but they are less in the United States
to-day than they are i'll Europe, all
things considered. The diamond-cutter
to-day gets from fifteen to forty dollars
week. He is paid according to the
work he does-so much carat, less the
amount of his ''bench expenses. "
When the South African fields were
opened there We're so few diamond cut
tiers in the world that there was great
competition to obtain their services,
and they made very high wages. Few
made less than eighty dollars week,
and many made as much as two hun
bred dollars. An American was re.
sponsible for the reduction i'll wages.
He was Henry d. Morse of Boston, the
pioneer diamond-cutter of the United
States When Mr.. Morse undertook
the study of diamond-cutting the trade
was known only to a few Dutchmen
Mr.. Morse brought some diamond-cut
ters from Holland and learned the Sc
crets of their trade. These he taught
not only to boy apprentices, but to wo
men. There is no secret in diamond
cutting to-day, and the competition fo
work is so keen that wages have beel
cut down eighty per cent The Ameri
can workman receives on an average
two dollars carat for his work. ON
New York establishment, however
pays it's worl1men four dollars, and tn,
wages i'll Boston are three dollars
carat. There are fifteen diamond-cut
ting shops in the United States. Thei
chief business is recruiting stones. TIL
American trade demands better cut
ting than the foreign trade is willin,
to accept. Still good business is don
in cutting rough stones. The import
of diamonds in the rough last year wer
$S02,O7 The year before they wer
81, 032, 500.
Twenty years ago there We're no
eight wholesale diamond merchants il
Amsterdam. The development of tn
African mines gave an enormous impe
, tus to diamond trading. To-day ther
are three clubs in Amsterdam estat
lished by the wholesale dealers in dia
monds. One of these-the Handles
bond'--has nine hundred members
who occupy fine building, the room
of which are so arranged i'll relation t
the light that deception in the qualit
of the gem is very difficult There al
two other clubs known as the "Gol
conda" and the "Kohinoor, whicl
have an aggregate membership of fou
hundred. There are probably one hun
bred dealers who do business in tn
cafes and beer-shops near the thre
clubs. The diamond workers in Am
sterdam are estimated at 1900. Their
is one shop which runs 600 mills eac
with polisher, and the other employe
of the establishment bring it's pay rol
up to 1000 men and women. Their
are ~ Amsterdam shops in all, with
total Of 7040 employees; and the outsid
/ Il ,,1a 1r.., l,
labor roll of the Amsterdam damon
trade up to 1900. The dealers an
, diamond cutters of Rotterdam are est
: mated at 100; so the total of men en-
ployed exclusively in the diamond bus
ness in Holland is about 10000. Ant
werp has 1000 diamond dealers an
diamond workers; London, 1000; tn
Province of Jura, France, 1000; Paris
about 500; Geneva and Berlin, abou
100 each; Hanat Germany, 500, an
Idar and Obersteein, 1000.
The dealers who set diamonds al
about 1900, of whom 1000 are in Ell
rope and the others in this country
The workers at the mines in South Al
RIGA and Brazil are from seven to eigh
thousand. So it is likely the total c
people directly interested in the dia
, mond trade is $4,000.
A strong illustration of the statemen
that Acknowledging is done on clos
margins is found in the fact that tn
prosperity of the diamond companies G
South Africa was threatened at on
time by the illicit traffic in gems fror
their own mines. 1t was estimated a
one period of the development of tn
South African fields that fully 20 pc
cent. of the product of the mines wa