The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-22
BUYING DIAMONDS.
How Inscriptions Dealers Work
Upon Their Patrons.
From the Philadelphia Times.

| From the Philadelphia Times.
To the private Office of a prominent
jeweler yesterday entered a middle-aged
woman, richly caparisoned in fiounce and
| furbelow, and evidently forming part Of
| the dough that makes up the upper crust.
She held in one hand a diamond earring.
The jewel was large and brilliant With
| entire GOODNESS of demeanor she said: Il
| lost the mate to this. VIII you be kind
enough to tell me what it will cost to
! obtain another exactly like it?'
The jeweler eyed her keenly and then
said: Madame, where did you lose your
earring?"
The effect of this simple question upon
| the woman was surprising. She was evil
IDENTITY unprepared for the query, and
there was certainly something in 1t that
disturbed her 1t makes no difference
where L lost it, she answered in de-
| cidedly sharp tone. What will il cost
me to obtain another exactly like this2'
and she held up the sparkling stone.
Did you advertise for the one you lost,
madameg' persisted the jeweler blandly.
What has that got to do with the
matter?' she replied in an angry tone.
well, NADINE was the smiling reply,
| IF you advertise for the earring which
| you lost you might recover it, and then
| you would not be placed under the neces-
| sity of ascertaining what it would cost
to replace II. Advertise nrSt, madame,
| and If you do not recover the jewel, come
! in again and viii answer your qQes-
| lions" Saying this the diamond dealer
/
/ ing woman to the door.
"Why will women lie in such small
affairs?" said the jeweler YEARLY, "and
why will nearly every purchaser of dia-
/ mond look upon the merchant with whom
| he or she deals as rascal? That woman
| hasn't lost an earring. She has purchased
| a pair, perhaps on trial, and she will &c
to nearly every jeweler in town with
/ that pretty lie and endeavor to get a
/ price upon that stone. it Is one OF the
| finest diamonds, and evidently came from
| nf whom
! sists on believing is engaged in a scheme
| to rob her. The chances sslse-tllat she Will
| eventually get in the hands of some ufi-
scrupulous merchant whom she can find
| even in big stores He will tell her that
| the stone is 'off-colored and contains a
flaw He win show her poor diamond
of the same size as the other, and fix
upon it price which he knows IS less
than the fine brilliant could be sold for.
The result will be that madame win send
her fine brilliants back IN rage ana Duy
the inferior stone for twice what 1t is
worth. This evil has grown to such an
extent that it is sometimes impossible TO
detect the fraudulent character or the
stories brought us. They are all very IN
genious. As a result big houses, except
in rare cases, refuse to place prices upon
The ieweler continued: people have
the queerest notions about diamonds and
other jewels, and some of them give us
much trouble. The most general delu-
sion is that diamonds have a standard
value just as arbitrarily fixed asg that OF
a double eagle. You will frequently hear
people say: 1t is an excellent Investment
to place your money in fine diamonds, for
they are worth just so much carat, and
you can always sell them for just what
handsome brooch for 500, and after wear
ing it a year or two endeavors to sell IL
to her jeWeler, or, perhaps, to his rival.
She is offered 500 for it. She then throws
protests that she has been sWindled.
What nonsense it all is! With diamonds,
as with other merchandise, a stone Is
worth exactly what it will bring. Were
it otherwise there could be no profit in
diamond dealing. How could l make
money in selling double eagles when
would have to pay $40 for them, and could
not sell them for penny more? Here is
g. very fine Indian brilliant upon my fin
ger ] bought Il at forced sale and paid
nearly $500 for it. Yesterday was offered
81, 800 for it, but would not sell because ]
am in love with the stone. Yet l can
not say that the stone is worth s., 800. II
was worth it at the time that sum was
offered for it by one who wanted il, but
if were compelled to sell it next week al
twenat tSo our hours notice, l might not
pect to wear brooch for two years and
then obtain for it the same money she
paid. for it? Last week l bought new
friend, Come and take an $500 drive with
me. He looked at me as if he thought
carriage that cost me s., 800. We will drive
it through the park. Tomorrow l will
not be able to obtain 81 900 for it, with
jeWelry it is much the same way
But il would take me a day to tell
you all that / would like to-" said the Jew
eler, as he drew breath. another thing
that people never consider is the risk we
run Through the changes of fashion. the
stock we must carry and the length of
time we must hold it, Here is a drawer
full of coral jewelTy. 1 cannot sell it at
any price! Here is a coral set | paid
900 francs for You can have it for $40
Why? Out of fashion and no one can tell
whether it will again become the mode
for half a century. Here is a cats eye
they are also a species Of garnet-that
cost me 800 francs 1t has no price at an
upon IL now. A few years ago melee.
diamonds formed in settings were the
rage. What do / mean by 'melee?' They
are the small brilliants, ranging from one
quarter down 10 the one-sixty-fourth of
a carat Here is a melee brooch for
which three years ago 7 asked 500 I
can duplicate II now for s225 But three
years ago melee diamonds sold for $500
and 500 a carat; now they have very lit
tie value. Here is another case in point
This fine chronOmetef which ! carry cost
me $780, To-day ] could not duplicate ID
for less money. and yet / could not get
so for e. II is IN as good order as ii
ever was. Put. alas. II Is a key-Winder
and not a stem-WinQer and now no one
will purchase any but the latter kind