Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-11-09
Alsxsn,1riss 8azettf.
MONDAY EVENING, NOV. 8, 1886.
HARVARD'S GEMS.
The Ninety Carat Diamond Could Not Be
Bought For 100000.


Bought For 100000.
Many gems in the Neurological
museum of Harvard university are
tempting to the light fingered profess
sion, particularly the great Garland
diamond. This is magnificent yell
low stone from the Kim berley mines
in South Africa, and is a natural
crystal in the form of perfect oc-
tahedron, the finest crystal of this
form in the world. 1t cost $40, 600.
Then there are tourmalines in every
shade and form of that handsome
American gem, some of which, when
out as brilliants of two or three
oarats, would sell for $50 or $40. In
various cases are all the other sorts OF
precious stones-huge crystals and
masses of topaz, pieces of opal or
6 inches in diameter, beryl, Jasper
ohsloedony, catseye. onyx and car
nelian. Case No. l, down in one cor
ner of the exhibition room, contains
collection the great value of which
a glance will indicate. It is filed
with gold and silver, gold in mug,
gets, in quartz, in crystals, in grains,
In fattened masses from placer
mines-gold from everywhere and
silver in all its native forms, from
both the old world and the new.
All these things are treasures in
the eyes of would be thief, for
their intrinsic value is enormous.
But they are worth still more to the
museum. In estimating the worth
of collection of this sort two other
values must be considered besides
that os the open market-namely,
the scientific and the pseudo scien-
tito"
There is a class of collectors of
minerals who work scientifically,
but there is a still larger class who
do not. These latter people, how
ever, pay large prices for rare miner
ais, and thus create larger values
than the market price. But the scien-
tito value of these specimens, which
cannot be duplicated, goes higher
yet. For instance, the great Garland
diamond, which weighs nearly 80
oarats, would cut into gem of 65
or perhaps 20 carats, and it would
then be worth about So, 00O. But it
cost SO, 900, the pseudo scientific"
value. To Harvard university, how
ever, this stone, as natural dia-
mond crystal, is of indispensable
value; 500, 600 would not buy it.
When Harvard's collection was
small and was kept in few rooms
in Boylston hall, the chemical labor
atory, the university kept no guard
upon it, AS consequence thief
broke into a case one day, pocketed
a golden nugget which he coveted
and made good his escape. But,
alas, mot all is gold that glitters,
for when he had reached place of
safety and examined his prize he
found that he had stolen only a gid
ed cast and had left untouched
smaller but genuine nuggets that
had lain beside it, Now that the
meteorological department. has a
building of it's own, comprising one
section of the large University mu-
scum, and has so many valuable
things that might be stolen, it keeps
a constant guard. But a single po-
lioeman on duty in the exhibition
room, or even the two that are there
Sundays, seem insufficient protec-
ton when so much can be carried
away in the shape of a single dia-
mond. Four men could overpower
them, and all the gems in the mu-
scum would be at their disposal,
But nothing like this will ever hap
pen, for there is a complete electric
system, which will subtly and swift
ly report any attempt at robbery
Boston Transcript.