The Forrest City times., 1896-02-14
MANY-HUED DIAMONDS.
Gems Are Found Bearing Every Colos
Known to the Spectrum.

oems Are Found Bearing Every COlOa
Known to the Spectrum.
Diamonds vary widely in hue; the
purest are perfectly colorless and trans.
parent, but they are found in almost
every color of the spectrum, the com.
monest being white, yellow or brown,
yellowish green, bottle green, and rare.
ly rose red, blue or black. Next tc
the yellowish-greenish, yellow dia
monds are the most numerous. The
black are very rare, and when the dia.
mond is between the brown and the
black its transparency entirely disap.
pears, or is seen only at the angles,
Perfectly colorless diamonds come
from the mines of India, Brazil, the
Cape and Australia. Perhaps about ten
per cent of the crystals which come
into the market are of fair color,
with flaw or spot of color, and the re.
mainder are off-colored, called second
quality or by-water. Nearly one-half
is only bort.
Colored diamonds exhibit their luster
and ciearness best when cut. especially
the yellow, which by artificial light are
very brilliant. Stones either perfectly
colorless or having decided tints of rose
red, green or blue are most highly
prlzed. Fine cinnamon and salmon
tlnts or brown, black or yellow stones
are also esteemed. If fiawless and with
out tint of any kind they are termed
'frst-water.' IL they possess a steelv
blue color, at times almost opalescent,
they are called blue-white. Such are
usually Brazilian stones. Exceptional.
ly perfect stones are termed gems. and
for such there is no fixed value. the
price depending on their purity, per-
lection, brilliancy and freedom from
flaws. 1t is impossible to estimate the
value of diamond by its weight alone,
as color, brillancy, cut and general per-
fection must all be taken into account.
Of two stones, both flawless and weigh
ing ten carats each, one may be worth
5000 and the other $12, 900. Exceptional
stones often bring special prices, where
as off-colored or imperfect stones sell
at from $50 to $75 carat. regardless of
their size.
AS the diamond is cold substance. q
mist is formed by breathing on it, and
viz A'iis'o cSiiS NilibC SuibltS us I'd Qe-
tect any color in the stone; or, if the
stone is unset, 1t may be placed on a
sheet of white paper and breathed on,
and while the mist is clearing away
the faintest trace of color, and even
flaws and imperfections, if visible to
the naked eye, will become apparent.
If the stone is unset, and we fold a
sheet of paper and look down on the
side of the stone, we can trace any
color that exists within, for the same
reason that piece of plate glass when
looked through appears green on the
ends. small pile of paper or diamonds
will show color, whereas single stone
may appear white to the Impractical
eye, as likewise a sheet of plate glass
one-fourth of an inch thick and one
foot long is seen to be green, though
piece of paper an inch square appears
white, the color in both cases being con-
densed in the quantity. For this rea-
son off-colored diamonds are frequent
ly cut with very low, fiat crown (the
part of the stone above the center).
This DISCUSSES the color, though at
loss of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..