The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-02-21
FALSE PRECIOUS STONES.
monds Worth Stage Kings Ran
som" to BE Had for Little

som" to Be Had for Little.
The University of Pennsylvania bo,
newly acquired a most interesting col
Lection of counterfeit gems. It EN-
braces practically every known specie,
or imitation in this line. All varietie,
Oh precious stones are represented
many OF them being such admirable
reproductions of the originals as to
deceive the eye of anybody not an ex.
pert.
| MOST OF them came originally from
ldar, in Switzerland, which is the great
market OF the world for imitation cut
stones. Real gems used to be cut there
on an extensive scale, but that busi-
ness has gone elsewhere. The cutters
are prospecting, however, for the de-
mand for false jewelry has never been
SO large as now. There is an enormous
sale at present for cheap and counter
felt precious stones. Astonishing
quantities of these are disposed of in
Europe to the peasants, who care more
Tor glitter than for quality. Immense
numbers of them are exported--par-
tjcularly to the United Staes. They are
mounted in cheap settings at Prpvi-
dence and Attleboro, the bulk of them
going to the west, where they furnish
favcrite article of merchandise for
fakirs.
At ldar various ingenious processes
are employed for making cheap nat
ural stones to initiate gems of value.
Acids and coloring matters are used
for this purpose. Counterfeit cats
eyes, for example, are produced by
soaking in acid kind of stone called
"tiger's-eye." The latter comes from
the Cape of Good Hope, and is extern
sivcly used in such ways. The compar-
atively rare pink tiger's-eye is repro
duced by treating the ordinary mate
rial with aniline dyes. The natural
tiSer's-eye is extremely pretty, and
fetched high price before large depos-
is were discovered. In 1875 it was
sold in New York city at SIP a carat
at present you can get all you want
" it at $3.50 a ton. Thus do values ad-
ust themselves to the law of supply |
md demand.
If Prof. Clarke is correct in his be-
ief that real diamonds of marketable
ize are destined soon to be produced
n the chemical laboratory, the gems
low most priced, and considered to
cpresent the most stable form of value,
keeping gold alone, will drop to a
eW cents a carat. Bartenders will re-
ard it as vulgar to wear them, and
here will be no market for cheap imi-
ations. The demand for counterfeit
now, however, is enormous
hey are imported into this country
t cost of 25 cents apiece by the gross,
lost of them being of peculiar and
cry brilliant kind of lead glass, known
J paste" Practically all of the dia-
londs that are stolen from actresses
| such surprising quantities annually
'e of this kind. Women who are sue
,ssful on the stage usually have good I
usiness heads, and they know too 8
UGH to travel about the country with
10000 or S1G0, 900 in jew ell case. Even
y |
leir gems up in safe-deposit vaults,
APPLYING counterfeits for everyday
&c. A person of sense does not take
luaDle necklaces, ETC., on an ocean
Gamer. If you are known to possess
e real diamonds, it is all that is neces-
ry.
The finest paste diamonds are beyond
lection, except by an expert. Ordi- !,
ry ones are utilized to great extent r.
the stage. For 81 one may pun
use a crown fit for monarch and :.
crusted with precious stones. a o
een's tiara that looks as good as real G
ross the footlights costs only 49, :
lie setting has to be done by skilled
tisans, and makes most of the eX-
nse, the loose stones coming at only
cents or 81 each at retail. The lat
are sold in quantities for robes and
Ter theatrical garments. A diamond
cklace may be had for So, while a
gger covered with rubies ard dia-
'nds as big as pigeons eggs is valued
$3.50. If real, such a dagger would
lily fetch 100000. An Elizabethan
'wn, covered with pearls, some of
IN as large as hazel nuts, is worth
y 81. Foreign orders and decora-
rs for the stage are quoted at from
to SIS.
here is no kind of gem that is not
tated by the artisans of Idar with
nderful skill. The ruby is counter
ed by combining piece of gar
with a piece of glass, the former Il
wing for the front and the latter for ri
back. The two are stuck together t.
h transparent balsam. The bal lie
/ is colored in various ways, so as az