The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-18
GEMS EASY no COUNTERFEIT.
An Enormous Demand for Imitation
Precious stones.
From the New York World.

From the New York World
The University of Pennsylvania has
newly acquired most interesting col
lection of counterfeit gems. 1t embraces
practically every known species of imi-
tation in this line. All varieties of pre-
cious stones are represented, many of
them being such admirable reproductions
of the true originals as to deceive the
eye of anybody not an expert.
Most of them came originally from
Idar, in Switzerland, which is the great
market of the world for imitation-cut
stones. Real gems used to be cut there
on an extensive scale, but that business
has gone elsewhere. The cutters are
prospecting, however, for the demand for
false jewelry has never been so large
as now. There is an enormous sale at
present for cheap and counterfeit precious
stones. Astonishing quantities of these
ants, who care more for glitter than
quality. Immense numbers of them also
are exported-particularly to the United
States. They are mounted in cheap set
tings at Providence and at Attleboro,
Mass, the bulk Of them going to the
west, where they furnish a favorite arti-
Gle for merchandise for fakirs.
Great quantities of agates are cut at
Idar for sale TO African savages. These
must have peculiar forms, such as are
demanded by various tribes. The latter
commonly are so particular that they
viii not accept them at all unless fur
nished in the shapes TO which they are
accustomed. Primitive peoples generally
prefer stones of a green color. Nearly
all Egyptian amulets are made of green
porcelain glazed. Green is the color of
life and symbolic Of vital principle.
At Idar various ingenious processes
are employed for making cheap natural
stones to initiate gems of value. Acids
and ooloring matters are used for this
purpose. Counterfeit cats-eyes, for ex-
ample, are produced by soaking in acid
a kind of stone called tigers eye" The
latter comes from the Cape of Good
Hope, and is extensively utilized in such
ways. The comparatively rare pink
tigers-ey is reproduced by treating the
ordinary material with aniline dyes. The
natural tiger is. extremely pretty
and fetched big price before large de-
posts of it were discovered. In 1915 1t
was sold in New York city for S12 a carat
at present you can, get all you want of It
for $3.50 a ton.
II Prof Clarke is correct in his belief
that real diamonds of marketable size
are destined soon to be produced in the
chemical laboratory, the gems now most
priced and considered to represent the
most stable form Of value, excepting gold
alone, VIII QfOp 10 a rev cents a carat.
Bartenders will regard II as vulgar to wear
them, and there will be no market for
cheap limitations.
The demand for counterfeit diamonds
now is enormous. They are imported into
this country at a cost of 25 cents apiece
by the gross, most of them being of a
peculiar and very brilliant kind of lead
glass known as paste" Practically all
of the diamonds which are stolen from
actresses in such. surprising quantities
annually are of this kind. Women who
are successful on the stage usually have
good business heads, and they know too
much to travel about the country with
$4,000 or 100000 in g. jewel-case.
The finest paste diamonds are beyond
detection except by an expert. Ordinary
ones are utilized TO a great extent for the
stage For 81 one may purchase a crown
mt for a monarch and incrusted with
precious stones A queens tiara that
looks as good as real across the foot
lights costs only g.. The setting has to
be done by skilled artisans and makes
most Of the expense, the loose stones
coming az only rs cents 20 81 each al re-
tail The latter are solid In quantities
Tor robes ana other theatrical garments.