The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-24
FALSE PRECIOUS STONES.
Diamonds worth stnge Kings
Ransom" TO He Had for Little.

]
Philadelphia Letter to Providence Jour
The University of Pennsylvania has
newly aquired a most interesting col
lection of counterfeit gems. 1t embraces
practically every known species of imita-
ton in this line. All varieties Of pre-
cious stones are represented. many Of
them being such admirable reproductions
of the originals as to deceive the eye Of
anybody not an expert.
Most of them came originally from Idar,
in Switzerland which is the great mar
ket of the 'word'for imndtion. cut stones.
Real gems used to be cut there on an
extensive scale, but that business has
gone elsewhere. TIL cutters are prospr-
ing, however, for the demand for false
jewelry has never been so large as now.
There is an enormous sale at present
for cheap and counterfeit precious stones.
Astonishing quantities of these are dis
posed of in Europe to the peasants, who
care more for glitter than for quality
Immense numbers of them also are eX-
ported-particularly to the United States
They are mounted in cheap settings at
Providence and Attleboro, the bulk Of
them going to the west, where they fur
nish a favorite article of merchandise
for fakirs.
At Idar various ingenious processes are
employed for making cheap natural stones
to initiate gems of value, Acids and
pose. Counterfeit cats-eyes, for example
are produced by soaking in acid a kind
of stone called tiger s-eye." The latter
comes from the Cape of Good Hope, and
is extensively utilized in such ways. The
comparatively rare pink tigers eye is re-
produced by treating the ordinary mate
rial with aniline dyes. The natural III
ger's-eye is extremely pretty and fetched
a big price before large deposits of it
were discovered. In 1875 it was sold in
Ne a
you can get all you want of 1t for $50
a ton. Thus do values adjust themselves
to the law of supply and demand.
If Prof. Clarke is correct in his belief
that real diamonds of marketable size
are destined soon to be produced in the
chemical laboratory, the gems now most
priced and considered to represent the
most stable form of value, excepting
gold alone, will drop TO few cents a ca
rat. Bartenders will regard 1t as vul-
gar TO wear them ana there Will be no
market for cheap limitations The de-
mand for counterfeit diamonds now,
however, is enormous They are inn
cents apiece by the gross, most of them
being of a peculiar and very brilliant
kind of lead glass, known as paste"
Practically all of the diamonds which are
stolen from actresses in such surprising
quantities annually are of this kind. WO-
men who ape successful on the stage usu-
ally have good business heads, and they
know too much to travel about the coun-
try with $4,000 or $780, 600 in a jewel case.
Even ladies of fashion are very apt to
lock their gems up in safe deposit vaults
employing counterfeits for everyday use.
A person of sense does not take valuable
necklaces, etc, on an ocean steamer.
If you are known to possess the real dia-
monds it is all that is necessary.
The finest paste diamonds are beyond
detection, except by an expert Ordinary
ones are utilized to a great extent for the
stage For 81 one may purchase crown
fit for monarch and ncrusted with prec-
iOus stones. A queens tiara that looks as
good as real across the footlights costs
only 49, The setting has to be done by
skilled artisans and makes most of the OK
pense, the loose stones coming at only Is
cents TO 81 each at retail. The latter are
sold in quantities for robes and other the
atrical garments.
A diamond necklace may be had for So,
while a dagger covered with rubies and
diamonds as big as pigeons eggs is val
ued at $3.50 IL real such a dagger
would easily fetch 100000. An Elizabeth
ian crown covered with pearls, some of
them as large as hazel nuts, is worth only
81. Foreign orders and decorations for
the stage are quoted at from SO to $18.
There is no kind of gem that is not inn
itated by the artisans of Idar with won
derful skill. The ruby is counterfeited by
combining q piece of garnet with piece of
glass, the former served for the front
and the latter for the back. The two are
stuck together with a transparent baIsam.
as to diffuse whatever tints may be de-
sired through the stone or glass to which
1t Is applied In this way two pieces of
rock crystal united with balsam makes an
opal, and an aquamarine Is produced by
a slight modification of the same process.
Artificial turquOises Of enamel are sold for
$3.50 a dozen, and rubies, which are red
garnets backed with tinfoil, come at s.
other kinds of precious stones are brought
within easy reach of Door folks.