The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-19


ming baths, theaters, and other amuse-
ments.
Next to diamonds in value come sap
phires and rubies, these being respectively
the blue and red varieties of the mineral
corundum. True rubies come chiefly from
Burmah, Ceylon and Siam. and the gem
producing districts are now chiefly owned
OF controlled by Great Britain. The much
priced pigeOn'S-blood rubies of Burmah
are almost impossible to obtain. those
winch get into the European collection
being generally old gems In Burmah the
gems are found in layer of soft yellow
sahd al a depth of a few inches. The
method of procuring them is as primitive
as IL is IN Siam. Pits are dug, and the
natives carry the earth out in baskets.
In Ceylon, the rubies are found at the
loot of Adams peak The hopes enter
tanned as to both Burmah and Ceylon
nave been disappointed, nor does there APP
pear to be chance of future success I'M
less by means of machine working.
Next IN point of value to the ruby ranks
the emerald. These, for long time, were
supposed to be found only in the UJral
mountains, but the greatest yield is from
the American continent to-day The Ural
mountains have for thirty years been un-
worked, owing to the enormous working
privileges required by the Russian govern
ment. At Muse the emeralds were mined
above and thrown into a waterfall which
carried them down, the soft limestone
rock being worn away in the descent and
the gems collected in sluices below.
Garnets were one of the early articles
OF commerce in the east. The center of
garnet cutting has been in Bohemia Rus
sian eXcavations in the Caucasus have
brought to light very beautiful garnets.
among which are slabs or plates set in
gold, as we'll as beads, which may have
peen brought from India, as they are the
Almandine and not the Bohemian charac-
ter of garnet. In Bohemia the rock is an
altered peroditfte and the garnet is also
met on bed rock in what is evidently a
glacial deposit. The earth is raised to the
surface, washed, and the garnets sorted
by girl labor.
Turquois furnished marked example of
geographical transportation of gems. For
many years it was found in Turkey and
sold at Teheran and Cairo. On the Amer
lean continent we have turquois in New
Mexico. Some of the most remarkable
objects of archaeological interest are the
famous inlays found in New Mexico, the
turquois used evidently being of Mexican
origin. One showing a skull is inlaid with
turquois and obsidian, the eyes being of
iron pyrites. The American mines yield
ten times as much as Persia in it's palm
lest days, and Peru and Bolivia may yet
rival Mexico
The opal must have been known to the
ancients as far back as Roman times, for
Pliny describes it with great enthusiasm
Until century ago, it was worn and
known as the iris. The principal source
of the opal has been in Hungary for three
centuries. For long time the opal was
under a cloud, owing, probably, to Scotts
Anne of Geierstein," but the beauty and
recent profusion of the gem have dissi-
pated the superstition It is largely a gem
of the new world, some Of the finest com
ing from Mexico and Honduras.
The rock crystal was known among the
ancients as CONCEALED ice, and is rarely
found in pieces of sufficient size and clear
ness to make it of value in the arts. In
Japan pure rock crystal is worked into art
objects, notably crystal balls. Recently
these have been cut from quartz found in
Brazil and Madagascar, and even i'm the
United States. but little of the American
material is fine enough for the large balls.
The many centuries In which Japan was
closed to the world led to an accumulation
of crystal balls. Forty years of tourist
buying have drained the country, so that
perfect balls of four inches i'm diameter
are rarely obtainable, and a six-inch ball
sells for $4,000. The famous crystal bali
given by Mr.. Ames to the Boston Museum
of Fine Arts is rs inches in diameter, and
cost $4,000.
In Japan the method pursued was TO
chip out a crystal ball. and then run it
in small semi-circular gutter, grinding it
with sand or emery, and finally polishing
it with rouge and chamois. and even, it
is said, with the hand The European
method is to take a grindstone six or eight
feet in diameter cut a semi-circular groove
in it and hold the crystal in a socket
against the running grindstone, thus shap-
ing il in a week or ten days, work which
when done by Japanese methods would
require months.
Nearly twenty centuries ago Pliny de-
scribed graphically how crystal was hunt
ed for at that time, and his description
serves for the method followed to-day.
Men are let down over the side of cliffs
to look for cavities, and when found the
men go in and take out the crystals and
are then hoisted up by ropes. In the grot-
to In the Swiss Alps twenty tons were
found.
At Oberstefn about SO,OOg people are en-
gagged in the agate-cutting industry. The
methods now used are the same as those
of century ago. Large polishing wheels
are used, and the men engaged in the
work must lie fiat on their chest; they
rarely live to be over 40 years of age. If
it We're not for the coloring methods
known to the agate cutters at Oberstein
their trade probably would not be so great
as 1t is. The gray agate is the original
color of the chalcedony II is porous, and
the heated waters run in and around I'M
til the agate is filled up; occasionally
there are layers Of white entirely imper-
vious to coloring matter. BY giving to a
gray agate some coloring matter an agate
or onyx of two of three colors may be
obtained. The black is the result Of stain
ing the gray agate by first boiling 1t i'm
sugar and water or blood and water or
any other carbonaceous substance and
then carbonizing it by dipping it in sui
phuric acid. The entire world is supplied
with agates from this source.
1t was the sending of two Italians 10 the
Ural Mountains that led 10 the establish
ment of the famous laboratory work there
and ultimately to the establishment of a
school for stone cutting carried on by the
government. The boys are taught design
ing, modelling. and cutting. The sending of
these two men led 10 the development of
the gem industries OF the Ural Mountains
to such an extent that to-day at least
], 900 people obtain a livelihood In the
search for the cutting OF the jaspers and
other gems OF the Ural districts
Since 1868 the United States has import
ed S2aO.O00,000 worth Of cut diamonds with
a duty OF 10 per cent The rough stones
could not have cost more than one-half,
and had the cutting been done in this
5000 men could have been employ