The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-26
DIAMONDS COME IN THE MAILS
That Means of Conveyance Is Both
Cheapest and Safest

N~N"h" - conveyance Is both
Cheapest and safest.
From the New York Evening Post.
It is not generally known to what
extent the mails are used in the i'm
portation OF diamonds. On a recent
steamer day at the New York postof-
flee more than 100000 worth of rough
diamonds for local mporterssaWere re-
ceived from London. Up to&sthe LIST Of
September the importations through
the mails exceeded 100000 per month
this year, The actual figures far the
first eight months of this yeSs are
s4,ls2,0sf.s6. The importations through
the New York postpffice last wear
amounted to $4,747,460.
The diamonds that come throu gh the
mails are rough diamonds, and practi-
cally all the rough diamonds that are
imported come through the mails. All
or the large importers who cut dia-
monds in this city use the mails ex-
clus1vely as their carrying medium.
The head of the largest diamond i'm
porting firm In this country said re-
Gently:
We use the mails for importing our
diamonds because 1t Is the cheapest
t ana safest way to bring them over.
Inc postage on them amounts to only
about one-twelfth of what it would
cost US to bring them over in any other
way. The safest way to import dia-
monds, also, Is through the mails. In
the last half dozen years we have i'm
ported some hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of diamonds through
mond."
The diamonds come usually in small
packages, about six inches long by
two inches wide by one and a half
inches thick. They are packed in
strong boxes and securely sealed. A
package of diamonds usually bears
haf a dozen huge sealing wax seals.
The clerks at the general postofice
are able to tell them at a glance. The
packages are generally registered,
though sometimes they are not SO
great Is the confidence of the importers
in the safety of the mails The regis
tered packages go directly to the post
office from the foreign room. The per-
son or persons to whom the packages
are addressed are notified of their re-
ceipt and call at the postoffice A clerk
is then sent with them. bearing the
packages, unopened, to the appraiser's
office, where they ara examined. There
is no duty on uncut diamonds, but they
must be examined.
Packages containing diamonds are
usually so marked. The postof1ice au-
thorities are always informed by I'm
porters expecting conslgnments of dia-
monds through the mails and the clerks
watch for them. The packages are
never opened at the postoffice, as are
all other packages in the foreign
mails.
1t is only since 1892 that diamonds
have been imported thorough the mails,
at least to any extent. Before that
time the diamnod-cutting industry in
this country had not started and there
were no imports of rough diamonds to
speak of. 1t was not until the Dingley
law went into operation, placing rough
diamonds on the free list. that they
were imported so largely and the mails
were used for their Importation. Sin
August, 1897, the receipts of diamonds
through the postoffice have constantly
increased. The heaviest month was
October of last year, when diamond !
to the value of Ss25, 914.21 came through
the mails. The importations through
the mails last month amounted to $780,
3191s.