Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-29
THE DIAMOND CLUB,
Curious Organise tiOn i'm London Where
Precious Stones Change Hands.

Curious OrGanizatiO in London Where
Precious Stones Change Hands.
From the London Express.
This is an age for clubs. Each profess
sion, almost each calling. has its own par
ticular club, where members can meet one
another or their friends, dine, read the
newspapers, transact business or play
games of some sort. The majority Of the
clubs are well known, if only by name, but
very few have even heard of the Diamond
Merchants Club, in Hatton Garden.
The name speaks for itself. 1t is called
the Diamond CIub--or. to give 1t it's full
name, the Diamond Merchants and Jewel.
ers' Club, Limited-and the chief requisite
for membership IS that the newcomer
should be concerned with or in the dia-
mond trade. Hatton Garden is a busy
thoroughfare, and seems to reek OF dia-
monds, so to speak. The principal room
of the Diamond Club has a half glass roof,
which let's in glare Of light on the trans
actions which take place. In this room
may be seen more millionaires at one time
than in any other spot in the world. An
other room Is cunningly darkened so as to
give relief to tired eyes.
One member may be reading a news
paper, when another comes over and tells
him he wants a few diamonds. explaining
the kind, etc. The first man will imme.
diately give him two or three little paper
packets to inspect, naming the price and
the second man will take them over to the
window, while the first will calmly
tinue reading his paper.
The first man is probably broker, who
has obtained the diamonds from mer-
chant, and he has a certain price from
which he cannot abate. If the purchaser
considers the price fair and the stones good
he will suggest that they go into one of
the little partitions or cubicles which are
set apart for this purpose. These little di-
1Sin he Euht-fOr If fS absolutely
necessary to have a bright light. very little
business being done on dull day-are fit
ted up with shelf and pair of scales,
and when the small bolt is slipped on the
door the buyer and seller are free from
any interruption.
The scales in a glass case, for the
slightest bit of dust would affect the deli
cate mechanism, a single hair making a
difference in the working of this wonderful
little continuance. The largest weights are
made of metal, but the others from kind
of tinsel, so light that a breath will blow
them away. Some idea may be gathered OF
their minuteness when one realizes that the
smallest one only weighed the sixty-fourth
part of carat! For the purpose OF snow
ing IN the beauties of the stones they are
laid on different colored papers-blue for
pearls, black for opals, etc.
The club was originally started by two
men who had at last realized that 1t was
not safe to hold these business conferences
in a public house, which had hitherto been
the custom. 1t was such success mat
prietors and turned it into a limited la
bility company. 1t has progressed so rap
idly that it has quite recently moved INTO
new premises. which the president OF the
club, H. Bernhardt, was most courteous
in showing me over. ,.
Mr., Bernhard is the diamond merchant
from whom most of our great actors ana
actresses buy their diamonds, and it speaks
we'll for him that when they have once
been to him they never go anywh 1 else;
Merchants Club are foreigners, although
many Englishmen are among the number.
Dominos and cards are provided, but no
game of cards is allowed before o'clock,
and then only solo whist may be played,
the slightest tendency to gamble being
strictly prohibited.
This is. perhaps, the only club that opens
and shuts early, for very few others open
at 10 in the morning and close at at
night Perhaps the members consider 1t
wiser to deposit their wares in some SAFER
place than a pocket before nightfall; what
ever the reason, the lights are out, the
doors shut and everything is quiet when
other mems clubs are just beginning to be
alive.