The herald., 1895-11-24
DIAMONDS
IN THE ROUGH AND WHAT THEY
LOOK LIKE

form his task thor Iughly. Going to a
mighty safe he took out and brought to
me small paper package, which he
spread open on the table. 1t contained
some ten transparent yellow Jumps WHOM
remind me Of certain glm, like
juiube, l have seen at chemists.
"These are rough diamonds," said he.
"And what would one OF these be
WORTH" asked.
This" said he, taking q Iack-uster
pebble between his fingers. "if it were
cut would fetch $50 pounds"
Then he brought foi my inspection
quite lar.e pack OF what looked like
q mass of grayish, steel-glistening gravel.
There must have been tnousands-many
hundreds, at any rate--of items in this
| pile.
And one of these would not be worth
much?" said I.
"You are right" said Mr.. A brahams.
"but there's fourteen or fifteen hundred
pounds worth there. all the same"
l could not help it, as | observed the
proximity of the lie thinking of Laza-
rus ct the gate of Dives, hui woke up to
consiier two fresh lots Of treasure.
whit s" and "by-waters, so termed
from their color. Alter that Mr.. Abra-
full of what he called broken stuff or
cleavage. This cons SITS OF roken dia-
monds attached to baser. darker material.
See TINS piece," said Mr.. A brahams,
! cit weighs four carats. We shall sell it
probably for rs sblllings carat. because
the cutter will get a brilliant of only a
third of carat out If it IN all likelihood.
So mat in buying that brilliant you are
paying for a good deal of skilled labor"
But the brilliant from ono of those
| a toy .ta hn oil M ho
whites or the by-waters, would be relA-
tiv ~ .arger?"
' ooh, yes!" said Mr.. Abrahams. "the
brilliant is, as a rule. thirty-eight per
cent Vi the rough stone" %
And do many middlemen come be-
tween your rough diamond meruhant and
the mar ufacturer?"
the trade" continued my courteou.
| informs ant, sis cut to that extent that it
doesn't Low of many profits, The man.
dealer here has very little, you see. and
1t is not an important factor in the BUSH
ness
"And which are the cent.rs OF he
manufaoturin i. o., the diamond cut
ting business"
"Amsi efdam ana Antwerp. and since
be he wv tariff on briiliants was i'm.
pos q, the United states"
lants?'
CIV nty-ive per cent. and on rough
stnn,s 10 per cent. That has caused
rough diamonds 10 be manufactured in
America, mainly in New York. There
are some cutters in Brooklyn. but that
is practically the same ns New YorK.
There are now many manufacturers
there"
"And where does the labor come
from?'
"Oh, the Americans have imported
most Of it from Antwerp and Amster-
"but men might see in that an argr.
ment for protect on. Let US put tariff
on all articles of Injury they will say,
and you create active industries. while
the worst result lis that the rich paw
more Tor their geweaws.'
But said Mr.. Abrahams, shocked
at my suggeat,on, "think Of the encour-
apemsnt to muerling: 25 per cent, and
the diamonds so portal lie. so easily hid"
cone might qu'lt, fortune in the lin
ing of ones coat. DO they sea chg"
eyes, and 1t is very annoying said
Mr. Abrshams. Il know very res pectabls
peopls-frirhds of my own, who would
not do anything objection able for the
world, like smuggling, you know-ha-e
been searched by the customs officers
"It's an abominabl- indignitv if you're
innocent, and horrio nuisance if you're
not" said sympathetically.
"Well, now, | went on, we've got as
far as .he diamond cutters OF Antwerp.
| n 1
m Anufaotursrs have turned the rough dis.
mnnds into prillia is to whom 40 they
sell? To the retail shopkeeper?
"No," said Mr.. Aprahams. the manu-
facturers trade with the dealers in bril-.
liants. A diamond cutter couldn't keep
MS factory going if he had to deal wi
the retailers. He sells his parcels to the
dealer, who goes around WITH them to
the shops, it NAV be to some small man
with matter of 200 ring. in his " ndow,
who wants only a few tiny br lliants to
complete an ornament. But tuat doesn' t
concern our firm. We deal only in rough
diamonds, and have nothing to do with
brillisnts"
la response to q question of mine
about diamond thieves. Mr.. A brabams, to
whom the subject was palpably not
pleasant one, replied:
"Uh. thev don knock a man down
They lay traps for him, as in the we'll
known case of the postman in HIATT n
garden, ami in the affair OF Mr.. Sreyer
LAST year. Such robber.es. of course, de-
mani a good ,al of ingenuity ia layiu.
plot"
They are rarely causht-the diamond
thievss?"
VERY rarely. You see, diamonds are
SO easily disposed Of and il almost i'm
pos BILE to swear to the identity of a dia-
mond, If It's mixed with tho Others
! Then Mrs. Langtry's chance of seeing
her jswelry atain is small?"
"Ibc old is prob.ply M tied down by
i. this time saii Mr.. Abrahhms, 'anu
woo is to swear t. the diamonds ana
stnnes after they a-s lut IF tho ssttinss?'
-Westn inster Budget (Lundon).
The granite peiestals for the equestrian
atuss OF General Wiunel Scott naneo, k