The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02
To TRACE STOLEN JEWELS.
jewelers. Keep n Descriptive Record
of Their stock.


left for repairs or resetting is also minute
" described on its reception. so that the
| owner may get back the same article and
not some substitute. Diamonds and other
| precious stones are weighed and the exact
shade Of color noted. The location Of
any flaw is particularly described. and
every popularity is put down. The set
/ ting Of course. is recorded. often with a
| drawing Of the design. The article Is
| numbered or lettered, or otherwise desig-
| mated, and the name Of the workman to
| whom il is cOnfided is recorded. All work
| men are more or less under the surveil-
/ lance OF an overseer, 50 that except with
| his connivance no substitution of precious
stones can be made. In fact, the entire
/ shop would have to be in conspiracy to
l insure the success of such substitution.
I IL would be at once detected, too, unless
! stones OF the same size, weight and color
We're substituted which, of cot Sc, would
make the substitution profitless.
| When an article which has passed
through the hands Of jewelers. who keep
accurate records of their stock and OF the
Jewelry left with them for repairs, is lost
or stolen, after leaving their possession,
the owner can at once get from them
| description with which to seek the Jewels
| recovery. If the article has not been
| changed in any way, ii will be recognized
! as soon as seen, but there's the rub. Jew
] elry thieves, as rule at once remove all
| DISTINGUISHING marks on their plumber.
! The gold forming the setting of diamonds
| and other precious stones is melted up,
and the stones disposed of with nothing
| TO distinguish them from other stones OF
| the same size and general appearance.
| Diamonds are nowadays cut in the same
| fashion. with the same number of facets.
/ and thousands might be collected which,
] when removed from their settings, would
/ look exactly alike, the small differences
| of color being imperceptible. They might
| also be within One-siXty-fOurth of a carat
! of the same weight, which is practically
| weighing the same. Jewellers may keep
records as perfect as they can be made
/ W
| diamonds, which are not conspic-
| uous for size so accurately that
| they can be Identified when removed from
| their setting. That, at least, is the opin-
| ion of a leading jeSveler whom the reporter
! interviewed on the subject.
! 1T is possible, however" he added, for
| the owner of diamond to be so familiar
! with it's color and with features impossi-
| bic to record, that he or she might pick
| 1t out from a number of other stones
| when recovered from a pawnshop or from
! thieves. Then, if brought to us, suppos-
| ing we had sold it or handled it, and II
/ weighed within one sixty fourth of a carat
of the weight given in our record as that
of the diamond we had, there would be
practical certainty that it was the same
/ stone. But a case like that is so rare as
/ to be scarcely worth consideration.
| "A diamond without a flaw and of no
| decided color, unless very large, cannot
| be traced if stolen, and, as a rule, cannot
! be identified when found. OF course, a
| very large stone is recognizable almost as
| soon as seen; if not, its weight will at once
prove its identity; for stone of the size I
| speak of, being comparatively few, are
! all so well known that they can easily be
| distinguished from each other. A thief
who steals big diamond, therefore finds
| ii as difficult to realize on as a painting
| by. an old master or famous modern
The jeweler who talked thus frankly
told of an experience he had with a Gus
| toner who brought an emerald valued at
$3.50 to be reset. When she explained
what she wanted done, she said:
Now, can you guarantee that will get
this stone and no other back? Another,
| even II much more valuable, would not
compensate me for its loss, for / value
! this from association more than for its
| intrinsic value"
81 cannot give you such a guarantee.
| madam" said the jeweler. "All / can do
| is to exercise precautions against its loss
or any substitution, and to make good the
money, value in the even of one being
How long will it take to make the set
Two DAYS"
And it viii be in the hands of work.
man all that timer"
What is to prevent his stealing it?"
He is within sight of the foreman"
- oh! the foreman-you couldn't watch
the workman
II could If you would pay me 500 a dav.
Ihats the only way to insure absolutely
5ne return of your emerald, as l cannot
90 the work myself. If the workman II
was given to was seized with a sudden
temptation, he might steal and secrete
even II caught directly, as he probably
would be, you would not be the gamer.
Wen. I shan't leave it, thenr'
AS you please; but may | ask what |
you do with the emerald at home? WHAT'S |
TO prevent your servants stealing it?"
Inc emerald owner went away with |
emerald. 'He
Gong back to the system of describing
JeWg9elty, the Jeweler who told this story |
sald that 1t worked perfectly when the |
stolen ornaments We're not altered nv the
thieves. The description not only enabled
them to be traced, but enabled the ov.y,a,. |
10 prove ownership when they We're recov- |
cred. Against dishonest servants who us |
ually pawn the stolen property unchanged |
IN any respect, it proved of entire efficacy
but against professional thieves, who |
make it a practice at once to DESTROY the
characteristics of what they steal it was |
of little use. The sum and substance Of |
what he said was that one must possess |
a diamond worth fortune one which mas
comparatively few. equals, and one with !
an easily distinguished flaw, to stand a |
good chance for recovering it If stolen
Another jeweller, who is at the head of |
the diamond department of a large estab-
lishment said that its system of describ- |
ing the jewelry it handled was practicaiiv
perfect, and afforded an almost certain |
means of tracing ornaments which had |
been stolen and of identifying them when
recovered. He did not care to 20 into de-
tails, for obvious reasons, and did not dis
cuss the possibility of failure in tracing
stolen jewelry due to the destruction az |
characteristic marks by the thieves.
one can De certain, however that nre-
cious stones left for resetting with a lew
eller who, keeps an accurate descriptive
record of his goods will be practicable SO Re
from substitution when in his hands for
the .workmen would never have the oppor-
tunity to put one stone in place of an6tb
without almost immediate detection
Exposure would follow so quickly that the
culprit would be at once arrested The wo-
man with the emerald might safely have
left it with the jeweller who refused So
quickly that the culprit would be al once
arrested. The woman with the emerald
might safely have left it with the Jewell
ler who refused to guarantee against
what was really a most unlikely contin-
gency, for not even a. $500 stone even
If 1t could be successfully secreted after
being stolen. would be worth a long inn
prisonment
Thieves, too, have not always the time
or the means to remove completely the
distinguishing marks of Jewels so that |
furnished with a good description. even |
Capt. O'Briens detectives may trace the
stolen ornaments and identify them when
found.
MOZLEY's LEMON ELIXIR
CrroS Tp6fOastinr |