Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-27
Dia m onds I'm the Rough.
WESTMINSTER BudgetJ


struction in hand, was determined to
perform his task thoroughly. Going to
mighty safe. he took out and brought TO
me a small paper package. which he
spread open on the table. 1t contained
some ten transparent yellow Jumps,
which reminded me OF a certain gum
like jujube l have seen at a chemists.
These are some rough diamonds" said
he.
"And what would one Of those ten be
WORTH" / asked.
This one" said he. taking black-lus-
ire pebble between his fingers, IF 1t were
cut, would fetch f15o."
Then he brought for my inspection quite
a large packet Of what looked like a
mass OF grayish, steel-glistening gravel
There must have been thousands-many
hundreds. at any rate-of items in this
pile
ANY one OF those would not be worth
much?" said /.
You are right" said Mr.. Abrahams,
"but there's fourteen or fifteen hundred
pounds worth there, all the same
/ could not help, as / observed the
proximity of the pile. thinking of Lazarus
at the gate of Dives, but woke up to con-
slider two fresh lots of treasure, whites"
and "by-waters." so turned from their
color. After that Mr.. Abrahams opened
10 my wistful gaze a paper full of what
he called broken stuff, or cleavage. This
consists Of broken diamonds attached to
baser, darker material.
See this piece" said Mr.. Abrahams;
ut weighs four carats. We shall sell IL
probably for 25s. a carat, because the cut
ter will get a brilliant of only third
OF carat out of It In all likelihood. SO
that in buying that brilliant you are
paying for a good deal of skilled labor. "
But the brilliant from one of those
rough dIamonds-the yellow ones, the
whites, or the by-waters-would be rela.
lively larger?'
"Oh, yesr' said Mr.. Abrahams, "the
brilliant Is. as a rule, IS per cent. Of the
rough stone"
And do many middlemen come between
you rough-diamond merchants and the
manufacturer"
1.-The trade replied my courteous In.
fornant, "is cut to that extent that II
doesn't allow of many profits. The manu-
facturer buys direct from us. The dealer
here has very little scope, you see and
Is not an important factor in the bust
ness"
And which are the centres of the man.
ufacturing-i. e., the diamond-cutting-
busness?"
Amsterdam and Antwerp, and since
the heavy tariff on brilliants was i'm
posed. the United States"
What is the American tax on bril-.
lians?"
twenty-five per cent, and on rough
stones 10 per cent. That has caused
rough diamonds to be manufactured In
America, mainly in New York. There
are some cutters in Brooklyn. but that
Il, AZ "a NQw York
There are now many manufacturers
there"
And where does the labor come FROM
ooh, the Americans have imported most
of 1t from Antwerp and Amsterdam"
but men might see In that an argu-
ment for protection. Let us put tariff
on all articles OF luxury they will say,
and you create native industries. while
the worst result Is that the rich pay
more for their gewgaws.
But" said Mr.. Abrahams, shocked at
my suggestion, think OF the encourage
ment to smuggling; 25 per cent. and
diamonds so portable. so easily hid"
zone might quilt fortune In the lining
OF ones coat Do they SEARCH"
Yes. and II is very annoying" said
Mr.. Abrahams. II know very respecta-
bic people-friends of my own. who would
not do anything Objectionable for the
world, like smuggling. you know-have
been searched by the customs officers
ITS an abominable indignity, II you're
innocent, and horrid nuisance II you're
not said /, alphabetically.
We'll, now" i went on, we've got as
far as the diamond-cutters of Antwerp,
Amsterdam, and New York. When these
manufacturers have turned the rough dia-
monds into briliapts, TO whom do they
sell? To the retail shopkeeper?'
NO" said Mr. Abrahams. THE manu-
facturers trade with the dealers In Drill
uauts. a damOnd-cutter couldn't Keep
his factory going IL he had to deal with
the retailers. He sells his parcels 10 the
dealer who goes round with them 10 the
shops il may be to some small man with
a matter OF 2O9 rings in his window, who
wants only a few tiny brIlllants TO COM
plete an ornament. But that doesn't con-
Germ cur firm. We deal only in rough
diamonds. and have nothing to do with
brilliants."
In resDonse TO a question OF mine about
diamond thieves, Mr.. Abrahams, TO whom
the subject was palpably not pleasant
one, replied:
ooh they don't knock a man down.
They lay traps for him, as in the we'll
known case Of the postman In Hatton
Garden and in the affair OF MIR. Speyer
last wear. Such robberies, of course, de-
mand a good deal of ingenuity In laying
a plot"
'They are rarely caught-the diamond
thieves?"
VERY rarely. You see, diamonds are so
easily disposed of. and it's almost impossi-
bile to swear to the identity OF diamond,
II it's mixed with others"
"Then Mrs. Langtry's chance Of seeing
her 1ewelry again is small?"
THE gold is probably melted down by
this time" said Mr.. Abrahams, land who
Is TO swear TO the diamonds and stones
after they are out of the settings?"