The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-08-27
THE LApIDARY'S ART.
HIS SKILL IN CUTTING, SHAPING
AND POLISHING FINE STONES.

HIS SKILL IN CUTTING, SHAPING |
AND POLISHING FINE STONES.
In precious stone-cutting the first step
Is to chip 1t with large. square-edged
hammer on an iron plate or to slit 1t by
means Of circular disk of thin sheet
iron placed horizontally and made to
revolve by simple machinery. Dia-
mond dust, mixed with sperm or other
oil, is applied to the edge of the iron
plate, a raised edge around the table
preventing the loss Of dust. A small
quantity is put on the disk, and from
time to time renewed. When cut the
stone Is ground ON horizontal wheels
called laps made of lead, iron, copper.
tin or alloys, and sometimes of wood of
different degrees of hardness. On these
is spread emery, diamond or corun-
dunn powder. For some gems wheels
are used covered with cloth. leather or
hard brushes. The emery, finely ground,
gradually imbeds itself frmly In the
lead or other soft metal, Of which the
wheels are made. The stone firmly ce-
mented to gem stick with shellac and
brick dust. is pressed against the wheel.
The facets, or fiat surfaces which give
brilliancy to transparent stones, are cut
by simple contrivance. By the side
of the horizontal grinding wheel is
| q N foht nIt h xa nj
of wood. resembling a long-necked
very narrow bottle reversed. In this in
different places notches are cut. AS 1t
revolves the gem presses on the wheel
and the surface is cut away. To make
new facet the rod holding the gem
is held against notch which gives a
new inclination or a new angle. A
wooden instrument Is used by some
I lapidaries to hold the gem stick, the
facets being adjusted by mechanical
contrivance. Only in the very common
est imitation work Is the stone held II
the hand. The diamond powder used
is made from bort, or imperfect coarse
diamonds selling from rs cents to s.
a carat. The workmen acquire won
derful facility in shaping and polishing
stones, and from a given pattern vii
produce the required object with grea
rapldity
where Cutting II Done.
The finest cutting Of precious stone
! is done in London. Paris, New Yor
and Boston, and in the Jura; OF semi
: precious stones in Paris and the Jura
of garnets in Bohemia; of amethys
> citrine, Spanish topaz Drown topaz, !
!, Paris, Oberstein, etc.; of blue, whit
/, and green topaz, amethysts, green gal
9 nets, jaspers, agate, rock-crystal' etc
}. in wonderful perfection In the Urs
e Mountains. Imitation stones are CT
h in Paris and the Jura; in Turnau an
= cahlonz. in Bohemia and In Providenc
:. r. I.
= Until the fourteenth century all gen
n were either cut en- cabochon, that
q convex on one side like carbuncle,
n in the form Of beads drilled iro
1t both sides in such rude manner tn'
l. the two perforations met very mpe
IS fect,v. The latter may have been u
Is or,ertal custom brought to Europe
r,hoanicians or other merchants ITO
'r that quarter. or introduced during q
= neriod of the crusades. some Oh :.
:. finest gems in the crowns OF Aus'il
Germany and Russia are sappnlres a.
or,ara,ds that have been pierced in tn
10 manner.
er Tho orientals polish precious ston
ut - oil manner Of irregular shapes
or oora,np TO the form Of the piece WIN
IN so,ra and even lately in India gel
have been cut partly with facets a
nart,v rounding, and drilled IN nu
hor Of nlaces to be suspended by WI
Rubies, sapphires, chrysoneryls'
n oxonar,tes. moonstones and lndl
at earnets are almost entirely cut IN -
TO don Paris and the Jura. These
e. sent to Europe, principally to Lono
as u,bere the commission houses rece
~ offers on the various parcels II
10 America, France and other quarters
= the globe.
- Gem cutting is carried on in Ceyl
n but almost entirely in the primitive =
en lonese style, viz: with little regard
- beauty, but simply for the purpose
- retaining as much weight as posi-
oA The English Oriental stone cutters
:" preferable, although some of the n
remarkable work ever done is that
'au the French lapidaries.
GU Cutting of Garnets.
en-
nat In modern times the cutting of
,tb nets has been almost entirely conf
no to A single district in Bohemia, wi
,,,v the industry has flourished since
,,s. early part of the sixteenth century.
ion may be that many Of the garnets TO
ver in the early Etruscan and Byzan
all remains, consisting Of fiat plates,
ted nets set in gold, as we'll as beads
ees gems on which were incised mytho
he ical subjects, were originally brot
,sit by traders from Pegu and other 10
se6 tiles in India, rather than from the
eed hemia district where there are now
,m- miners, sou cutters and 5000 des
,ars engaged in this single industry in
, of kingdom. At Jeypore, in India,
itch also situated large cutting works
red ploying native workmen who have
lon taught the art by foreigners.