The record-union., 1896-04-06
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH.
What They Look Like and Prices They
Bring.


What They Look Like and Prices They
Bring.
Mr.. Abrahams, having taken my in
struction in hand, was determined to
perform his task thoroughly. Going to
a mighty safe, he took out and brought
to me a small paper package, which he
spread open on the table. 1t contained
some ten transparent yellow humps,
which reminded me of certain gum
like jujube I have seen at chemists
These are some rough diamonds"
said he.
And what would one Of those ten be
worth?" I asked.
This one" said he, taking a lack
luster pebble between his fingers. 'if it
were cut, would fetch f150."
Then he brought for my inspection
quite a large packet of what looked
like mass of grayish, steel glistening
gravel. There must have been thou
sands-many hundreds, at any rate-of
items in this pile.
Anyone of those would not be worth
much?' said I.
You are right said Mr.. Abrahams,
''but there's fourteen or fifteen hundred
/ could not help, as I observed the
proximity Of the pile, thinking of Laz-
arus at the gate of Dives, but woke up
to consider two fresh lots of treasure.
whites and "by-waters, SO termed
from their color. After that Mr.. Abra-
hams opened to my wistful gaze paper
full of what he called broken stuff or
cleavage. This consists of broken dia-
L. Il
rial.
See this piece said Mr.. Abrahams,
1T weighs four carats We shall sell
it probably for 25s carat, because the
cutter will get brilliant Of only
third of a carat out of it in all likelihood.
So that in buying that brilliant you are
paying for good deal Of skilled labor"
But the brilliant from one of those
rough diamonds, the yellow ones, the
whites, or bywaters, would be relatively
larger?''
"Oh, yes" said Mr.. Abrahams, "the
brilliant is, as a rule, thirty EIGHT per
cent. of the rough stone"
And do many middlemen come be-
tween you rough diamond merchants
and the manufacturer"
"The trade" replied my courteous in
formant sis cut to that extent that it
doesn't allow of many profits. The
manufacturer buys direct from us. The
dealer here has very little scope, you
see, and is not an important factor in
the business"
"And which are the centers Of the
manufacturing. e, the diamond cut
ting-business?
Amsterdam and Antwerp, and since
the heavy tariff on brilliants was i'm
posed, the United States
What is the American tax on brill
iants?"
Twenty-Five per cent, and on rough
stones 10 per cent That has caused
rough diamonds to be manufactured in
America, mainly in New York There
are some cutters in Brooklyn but that
is practically the same as New York
There ere now many manufacturers
there"
"And where does the labor come
from?"
"Oh, the Americans have imported
most Of it from Antwerp and Amster-
dam"
But men might see In that an argu-
ment for protection. Let us put tariff
on all articles Of luxury they will say,
and you create native industries, while
the worst result is that the rich pay
more for their gewgaws.'"
But" said Mr.. Abrahams, shocked at
my suggestion, ''think of the encourage
ment to smuggling; 25 per cent, and
diamonds so portable, so easily hid"
"One might quilt a fortune in the lin
ing Of ones coat. Do they search? ?"
Yes. and it is very annoying" said
Mr.. Abrahams. IT know very respect
able people-friends of my own, who
would not do anything Objectionable
Tor the world, like smuggling. you know
have been searched by the customs
officers"
IT'S an abominable indignity if
you're innocent, and a horrid nuisance
If you're not" said 1, sympathetically.
We'll, now" I went on, we've got as
far as the diamond cutters Of Antwerp,
Amsterdam and New York. When
these manufacturers have turned the
rough diamonds into brilliants. to
whom do they sell? To the retail shop
keeper"
NO" said Mr.. Abrahams, "the man
ufacturers trade with the dealers in
brilliants. diamond-cutter couldn't
keep his factory going If he had to deal
with the retailers. He sells his parcels
to the dealer, who goes around with
them to the shops, 1t may be to some
small man with matter of two hum
dred rings in his window, who wants
only few tiny brilliants to complete
an ornament. But that doesn't con-
Germ our firm. We deal only in rough
diamonds and have nothing to do with
brilliants'
In response to a question of mine
about diamond thieves, Mr.. Abrahams,
tc whom the subject was palpably not
a pleasant one, replied:
ooh, they don't knock a man down.
They lay traps for him as in the we'll
known case of the postman in Hatton
Garden and in the affair of Mr.. Speyer
last year. Such robberies, of course,
demand a good deal Of ingenuity in
laying a plot"
They are rarely caught, the diamond
thieves?"
Very rarely. You see, diamonds are
SO easily disposed of, and it's almost
impossible to swear to the identity of a
diamond, if it's mixed with Others"
Then Mrs. Langtrys chance of see
ing her jewelry again is small?'
THE gold is probably melted down
by this time" said Mr. Abrahams, "and
who is TO swear to the diamonds and
stones after they are out of the set
tings s?"-Westminster Budget