The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-04

II Is Largely Worn by the Wealthy,
and Providence Supplies Most of II.


The value OF the jewelry displayed
IN the boxes OF the Metropolitan opera
mouse and at private and public enter
taipments, where the wealthy are wont
10 meet said well known tewelry
expert lis usually much overestimated
AS matter OF fact, the greater part
Oh TINS jeweIry is false. paste. glass or
some modern composition or other.
However, persons who are aware OF this
TACT are often inclined to draw false
conclusions from it, II Is not by any
means TO be assumed that the wearing
or false jewelry is an evidence of vul-
garlty; that women who adorn them
selves with paste desire to impose by a
fictitious display of wealth On the
contrary, the jewelry worn by "a woman
OF limited means is more likely TO be
genuine than that which adorns her
Weather sister. A poor woman dare
not appear bedecked with a magnificent
tiara OF false diamonds, for every one
would know at once that they were
paste.
With the wife OF a millionaire Il is
different. The public know that she
can afford real gems and consequently
do not question the genuineness of
those which she may be pleased TO
wear. and these are usually false. Few
women care to run the risk of having
their valuable jewelry stolen, so wear
the counterfeit in public, while the
vault.
This custom is now more general
even I'm countries where there is a
hereditary aristocracy. The family Jew
els, which have been handed down from
generation TO generation, and the value |
OF which is enhanced by historic asso-
cation, are not taken from the safe half |
a dozen times in generation
Ihere lis very large demand for |
artincial Jewelry nowadays. Providence, |
*. L., is the centre OF the industry i'm !
this country. and the articles produced |
are highly admirable as evidences of |
careful and skillful work The aver |
age jeweller, let alone the layman. Is
quite unable. without the aid OF chem |
lcaIs, TO distinguish the false from the |
true. Jewelry buying is always done by /
experts. who take the greatest possible |
precautions. Among the most difficult |
stones to judge are sapphires The ex-
ANIMATION is always made In the open
air. as indeed is the case with many
gems, ana only at a particular hour and
under particular atmospheric condi-
tons. all, of course, regulated by the
amount, direction and quality OF the
light. The afternoon OF cloudy day is
the usual time chosen. Diamonds are
not so difficult to Judge as some other
gems. There are some simple tests
which may generally be relied upon.
Take card and bore a small round
hole in IL, and then look at the hole
through the stone. II the diamond be
false you Will see two holes: If IL be
genuine. only one. Again. put your
Iinger on the other side of the gem and
look through 1t. If you can see the
grain OF the skin your diamond is ar
tincial: otherwise IL is genuine. OF
course. these tests are not absolutely
with the best made modern
,ounterfeits, but they will guide YOU
10 the truth i'm SO cases out of a hum
ired. Still. IL must always be remem-
Dered that artificial Jewels are being
improved every day. and. consequently.
'endered more difficult to detect Some | ,
" these sham stones are quite costly.
4 is only an inferior artificial diamond
hat you can purchase for SIS. Indeed.
n many cases. sets are made up of
genuine and false stones mixed. IL is
10 uncommon thing to see an orna-
nent consisting OF large artificial dia-
nond surrounded by small genuine /
ubies. THE Sun |