Connecticut western news., 1895-02-21
DIAMOND POLISHING.
CUTTING AND PUTTING A ULSTER
 ON THE FIERY STONE.


  An Industry Not Known In This Country
 Few Years Ago-Now Our Cutters Ex-
 eel Those of Most Every European Coun-
 try-"Rose- Diamonds Made of Chips.
 Very few people who are fortunate enough to be able to wear diamonds know what amount of labor has been expended upon them from the time they were mined until finally they appear in the showcases of the jewellers ready for use. Fewer still are aware of the fact that the labor of the cutter and polisher adds at least $10 a carat to the value of the uncut diamond. These would squirm at the idea of taking even a seemingly Finished and polished brilliant and split ting it into two pieces, doubling the ex- pediency of the act on common sense grounds. The loss in weight from cut ting is over one-half, but it 60 adds to the value of the diamond that a stone of one carat, costing in tho rough per haps $40, would sell for Sll0 when cut and polished, and the refuse or leav- ings from the cutting might bring a tidy sum besides. The value, however, does not depend alone upon the weight of the stone, but it is affected also by blemishes and impurity of color. It is the stone with blemish, which is some times left in it in the hope that the ignorant and inexperienced purchaser may not discover it, which goes to the diamond cutter second time, that the connoisseur thinks needs cutting and necessarily reducing to take the blemish out of, and thus increased it's brilliancy and value.
 Less than Is years ago two diamond cutters cut and finished all the rough diamonds which came to this market. In fact, there was not a sufficiency of work even for these two workmen, for the brilliants were nearly all imported in finished state. ready for setting i'll any shape for the wearers. But the du- ties upon these became an important matter, as there was nothing to pay up- on the rough stone, at least nothing to speak of, and the finished article cost high because of the demands of Uncle Sam. He argued that people who could afford to wear diamonds should be will ing to pay high for the privilege. This matter of duty paid to the customs off cers became an incentive to the dia- mond cutting profession, and the num- Der of workmen was increased and tho inventive genius of our bright Ameri- can inventors set at>york to make labor saving machines for cutting and polish ing diamonds.
 Another fact that increased the incen- tive to encouraging American diamond cutters was that the work on the bril- liants was too frequently done in a care less manner in Europe, particularly out. side of the Dutch city of Amsterdam, and that American workmen could much better satisfy the critical taste ot OUT people who deal in and wear pre- cious stones, for the trade takes in all precious stones as well as diamonds. At that time the difference between a dia- mond imported and one cut and finished here was so marked that the demand for stones finished here was greatly in- creased, and within five years some six more diamond cutters had established themselves in New York, and all had more work than it was possible for them to do. The eight diamond cutters dressed and polished at least one twentieth ot all the diamonds sold in the city of New York, and the superior excellence of their work was recognized by all deal. CTS and became the envy of the older workers in Holland, who had heretoforu had almost complete monopoly of the trade. This showed that some things as well as others might be done on this side of the water better than the work men of Europe could do.
 Diamonds are imported. as a rule, from South Africa, where as large and as fine stones are found as in all of tho East Indies and Brazil, although many of the African diamonds are off color. They come to this country in the rough in all sorts of shapes and almost always uneven in shape. These lack entirely that luster which is the beauty of the brilliant and attaches to the name SC closely, for it is the brilliancy and lus, ter which make the diamond most valu- able, added, of course, to the fact of its hardness and consequent ability 10 take and keep very high polish By tho process of "cleaving" the irregularities of the rough stones are clipped of, and the general form of the diamond is se- cured, but without its possession of any of the circles which separate the face. These clipped of pieces, if of suitable color and withott flaws, are used fol making what are denominated ''rose' diamonds. What arc called, in the par lance of the trade, ''fasces" of the dia mond are cut by the rubbing together of two stones, and when this process ii completed and the stones have been sui fciently rubbed down they resemble two irregular glass pebbles, but ground or the fasces so that there is no sign nol any suggestion even of brilliancy. IT fact, they are entirely without luster oi beauty, and to the inexperienced ey, worthless pieces of glass. But when tn, polishing of these dull looking stones i. finished, and the process concluded there is a vast difference in the appear ance of the diamonds. s.-PhiladeIphia Times
 The message or Governor Brown of Rhode Island recommends the repeal of I---