The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-06-14
DOCTORING DIAMONDS.
Clever Ways in Which Precious Stones Are
Falsitied to Increase Their Value.

| mond cutting and setting had its rise
| as an art. With the growth of the
trade in diamonds and other precious
stones, various illegitimate means were
devised of imposing upon the purchas-
ing public, and enhancing the apparent
value of gems offered for sale. Some of
| these practices date back hundreds of
| years: others belong to a modern period
and are almost coincident with com
paratively recent discoveries in chemi-
cal science.
by dealers and the trade generally
| diamonds are separated into various
classes. and known by special names.
| These terms relate mainly to the method
in which a gem is cut. Diamonds cut
| to a point. with more or less facets. are
called brilliants: those presenting a
| flat surface are known as table stones.
| The term brilliant is properly applied
! only to stone cut in certain form;
| but in the practice of the trade it is
| given also to colorless sapphires, rubies,
emeralds. Oriental topazes. and few
other gems. All such stones. whether
| quite colOrless, or with greenish, vel
| INV 1911 VI plulSll Ill-L, are Ol fIfOssA ~
equal value. provided they feaca
given standard of hardness. In thf
trade diamonds from India Brazil. OF
Africa are generally classed together.
| che name Oriental diamond" does not
Denote that the stone is of eastern
origin. but that it is of superior quality.
TENS spoken of as Rio" diamonds may
or may not have been mined in the
5}razils, the name only signifying that
they are of second quality; while Cape
| Orilliants" include all less valuable
stones. Formerly spurious diamonds
| we're mostly formed from rock crystals.
| ,tlany of the so-called diamonds found
N antique snutfboXes, watches. and
miniature frames are in reality rock
crystal limitations of real gems.
| The value of diamonds and other
gems depending mainly upon their
bulk, the efforts of falsifiers have been
chiefly directed to increasing the pro-
| portions, The principal mode of so do
ing is known as ''doubling." 1t was in
use in the seventeenth century. and a
case lately before the law courts in re-
| ference to so-called ruby shows that
1t is still hourishing. 1t consists in
| joining together with cement portion
| Of a real stone and an imitation so as to
make the combination appear one and
| indivisible. This can be done SO deity
that the initiated are sometimes de
| ceived. as the case referred to above
goes to show. So long as combina-
| ton of this kind remains unset the eX-
| pert discovers it usually by close eX-
animation of the edges: when it is
mounted in a ring bracelet, or other
setting recognition is practically i'm
| possible. This is the most common
form of deceit in the jewel trade. If
some of the jewels priced by noble and
| princely houses were taken to pieces
! and carefully examined by an expert
the result might astonish the owners.
Some surprising discoveries of this
! kind have been made wirem E6aK rt
| Jewels were being remounted.
1t is to guard against receptions of
this kind that jewelers. and dealers in
| precious stones decline to buy gems in
| their settings. When the gem is unset
it can easily be subjected to readyand
| infallible test. A stone about which
| there may be suspicion is dropped into
dish of very hot water If it is ID
''doublet' the cement quickly dissolves,
| and the component parts fall asunder.
| But 'doublets are always made in
which the real diamond finds no place.
| The art of glass manufacture has made
many advances in recent years. and eX-
| perlence has taught those who make it
| their business to fabricate spurious
| gems that better result and closer
imitation of the genuine article can be
obtained by joining two pieces of glass
OF diverse shades. 1t is managed in
| this way: The top portion of the false
| brilliant is made from glass in which
| there is pale yellow or straw-colored
| tinge. In the under side of this a
| socket is drilled; into this socket is
fitted stem of glass of "a light blush
| shade, the result of the combination be-
ing that the false stone CLEANS and
! sparkles like gem of the purest water.
| The best limitations of this description
are so effective that when well-mounted
| they deceive all but the finest judges.
| Among the tests used by dealers and
| jewelers. to ascertain not only the real
| ity but the quality of diamonds offered
| for sale is that of resistance or hard
ness. Few professionals are without
case of proved diamonds, graded ac-
cording to their degree of hardness. All
| purchases are tested by this scale, and
| their quality ascertained. A specially
constructed microscope is used to dis
| tinguish colors in stones. 1t has been
! stated that diamonds are seldom bought
by the trade after they are Hanntea. !
They are generally taken out of the
setting for inspection This is more
especially the case if the stones are so
mounted that the under portion is hid
den. One of the oldest tricks of the
trade is to so color the bed in which the
stone rests as to change the hue of the
! gem For instance, a ruby will glow
with deeper and more intense fire if
the bottom and sides of the setting
| wherein it is fixed be colored red. The
shade of stone can be altered or flaw
| concealed by the sl1illful use of colors
in this way, Naturally this device
does not deceive the initiated. A ner-
feet stone is invariably mounted "a
jour" or so that every part of it is visi-
| BILE
| The discovery of diamonds in South