Evening star., 1899-02-04
TRICkED THE JEWELER

1.-THE people who go out hunting for good
things don't generally light, to any large
extent, on dealers in precious stones, and
Chicago dealers In precious stones have al
ways been regarded as particularly hard
propositions for cheerful workersto tackle
said diamond drummer who was in town
last week. But the way a Chicago jeweler
was recently done out of his eye-teeth by q
| smooth duck from nowhere in particular is
now the bright particular smoking-car
story among the dealers in precious stones
out that way. The man who was done tells
the story himself, and he does it pretty
cheerfuly, considering what an easy mark
he converted himself into.
"A couple months ago this jeweler, who
runs one of the largest and finest precious
stone emporiums in Chicago-it is not far
streets-had call from quiet, we'll
groomed man, who seemed to be a whole
lot confident in his manner. This chap had
nVe or six rubies along with him. and he
handed them to the jeweler saying:
Are those rubies the real thing or not?
The jeweler looked them over and pro-
nounced them genuine.
They're small ones, but they're all
riSht-perfect rubies'
We'll said the smooth duck. I'd like
to'haVe you make positively certain of that
suppose you put them to all the tests to
which rubieS are generally subjected and
let me know if they stand all of the tests
Inc JeWeler told the man that he knew
rubies when he saw them, tests or no tests
out, just to satisfy him, he consented to
put these rubies to all of the regular gem
tests. He did so, and then he told his Visi-
tor that the gems We're unquestionably
rubies, and rather line little ones at that
Are, eh?' said the visitor Well what
are they WORTH
" To buy, or to sell?' inquired the jeweIer,
shrewdly.
Either way was the reply
'Well,' said the jeweer L could prob
aeiy sell them for couple of hundred dol
lars. They're worth about hundred to me-
All right said the oily proposition.
You can have them for So
Inc JeWeler was dumfounded. OF
course, his suspicious were aroused at
once.
Where did you get these rubies?, he
asked his visitor, somewhat sharply
made them was the cool reply. IF
sold them to you l would be making a
profit of about So on So
You're insane said the ieweler
Not by long shot, am l, was the
smooth mans reply. I simply have dis
covered d method of making absolutely
perfect rubies that the finest expert in the
world can't detect from rubies taken out
OF the ground. You call yourself a Judge
OF stones, don't you? Well. you pronounce
those things rubies. Theyre nothing of
the sort. can make bushel of them in a
month. "
The jeweler was amazed at all this, nat.
nrahy enough. He had further talk with
!i1 anu lie IOuIlu lndt the latter had
peeh experimenting for years in the manu-
lacture OF precious stones; that he had
even succeeded in making perfect diamonds
Out had given that idea up because he could
not make diamond manufacturing CONNER
cially possible
How many more of these rubies have
you on nand? the jeweler finally inquired
of his visitor.
None was the reply. 4 had to scrape
pretty hard to get the few poor appliances
70 make those. had only produced those
lew when my money ran out If | had a
plant l could go on making them untiI the
cows came home
The talk resulted in the ieweIer visiting
the stranger III the latters shabby little
room that night, and the next night. and
the night after that. The stranger showed
the Jeweler a lot of his mysterious an
plianceS for the manufacture of perfect
rubies. and the jeweler saw a sure method
OF becoming rich in d canter. All the ruby
manufacturer needed was a plant and 10
get the plant running he needed at least
So,ooo After two weeks of Investigation.
at the end of which the jeweIer was con-
Vlnced that his man really had the secret of
making rubies, he handed the genius a
check for $1,000 and told him to go ahead
ana get his plant together. The genius is
probably getting has plant together now
somewhere in the South Sea Islands for he
hasn't been seen since. The ieWeler still
has on hand the 800 worth of genuine ru-
bes. dug out of the ground, with which the
stranger made a monkey of him and in
telling the story on himself he hands them
around and says. rather dismally Pretty
good for handmade eh p -