Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-08-22
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 DiggePs.

pTlHt, beOTSe L. hullA, tliS oAPoi' IL
precious stones, tells some interesting
facts about the diamond industry. He
figures that there are twenty eight
thousand people directly interested Ill
diamonds to-day, and that the capital
invested in them by cutters and dealers
alone is $3.50, 000,0 900. The estimated
value of the diamonds of the world is
81, 900, 900, 600.
The United States furnishes but
small proportion of the workers in dia-
monds; which is all the more unfortu-
nate as the imports of cut diamonds
into the Omitted States between 1868
and 1898 were $175, 900, 600, and it is
estimated that the amount spent On the
cutting of these stones was at least
$S7, 900, 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 "a 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 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, a little
more than quarter of a century ago;
but they are less in the United States
to-day than they are in Europe, all
things considered. The diamond-cutter
to-day gets from fifteen to forty dollars
a 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 We're
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 in wages.
He was Henry ID. 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-
tiers 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 i'll diamond
cutting to-day, and the competition for
work is so keen that wages have been
cut down eighty per cent The Ameri-
can workman receives on an average
two dollars carat for his work. One
New York establishment, however,
pays its worlmen four dollars, and the
wages in Boston are three dollars a
carat. There are fifteen diamond-cut-
ting shops in the United States. Their
chief business is recruiting stones The
American trade demands better cut
ting than the foreign trade is willing
to accept Still good business is done
in cutting rough stones. The imports
of diamonds in the rough last year We're
SS02,075. The year before they We're
81, 032, 500.
Twenty-Five years ago there were not
eight wholesale diamond merchants in
Amsterdam. The development of the
African mines gave an enormous impe-
tus to diamond trading. To-day there
are three clubs in Amsterdam estab-
/ II -, 4 e.,
monds One of these-the Handles
bond'-has nine hundred members,
who occupy fine building, the rooms
of which are so arranged in relation to
the light that deception in the quality
of the gem is very difficult. There are
two other clubs, known as the "Gol-
condan and the "Kohinoor, which
have an aggregate membership of four
hundred. There are probably one hun
bred dealers who do business in the
cafes and beer-shops near the three
clubs. The diamond workers in Am
sterdam are estimated at 1900. There
is one shop which runs 600 mills, each
with polisher, and the other employees
of the establishment bring its pay roll
up to 1000 men and women. There
are ~ Amsterdam shops in all, with a
total of 7o40 employees; and the outside
diamond-cutters and cleaners bring the
labor roll of the Amsterdam diamond
trade up to 1900 The dealers and
diamond-cutters of Rotterdam are esti-
mated at 100; so the total of men en-
ployed exclusively in the diamond bust
ness in Holland is about 10000. Ant
werp has 1000 diamond dealers and
diamond workers; London, 1000; the
Province of Jura, France, 1000; Paris,
about 500; Geneva and Berlin, about
100 each; Hanat, Germany, 500, and
Idar and Obersteein, 1000.
The dealers who set diamonds are
about 1900, of whom 1000 are in Eu
rope and the others in this country
The workers at the mines in South At
RIGA and Brazil are from seven to eight
thousand So it is likely the total of
people directly interested in the dia-
,oopd trade is % 600