The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-28
DIAMONDSHARD TOSELI
SURPRISES FOR PEOPLE WITH
GEMS TO DISPOSE or.

NAA AA ruAtN AAltlA uiA4lHIlr tu-udl
are worth thirty per cent less thar
twenty years ago. declares the Nev
York sun Yet the belief IS firmly
fixed ID the minds Of q great many
persons. judging from the inquiries
made Of jewellers. that diamonds are
q safe investment and that their val
ue rarely. Il ever. nuctuates. Diamond
dealers are constantly receiving visits
from people who think that a diamond
( purchased years ago has retained ITS
value and that they win have little 81
no trouble IN getting for it almost.
# not quite as much as they paid per
haps twenty years ago. To the aver
age diamond dealer these people are.
as a general thing. a source Of an
nOyance for the reason that they are
always incredul0us when told Of the
change Ia value diamonds have under
gone. When the jeweler offers them.
say twenty per cent Of what they paid
for the stone years ago. they generally
regard il as an absurd proposition and
/ make for the next dealers. only to
find that his price is the same and
thar the possession which they had
looked on as valuable asset has de-
preciated Ia value
As a matter Of fact. in these days
diamonds are much like stocks in be-
ing up in value one minute and per
haps down the next The Boer war.
Of course is largely responsible for
this. The largest source Of the worlds
diamond supply being in the territory
affected the market for diamonds has
been uncertain ever since h0stlitles
began Diamonds to-day are worth
fifty per cent more than they were
just before the trouble IN the Trans
vaal started Even with this abnorm-
al influence on the market, diamonds
have not reached the prices Of twen-
" and thirty years ago. FOR the rea-
son that the output to-day Is about
a third greater than then.
That Is one Of the reasons why per-
sons with heirlooms IN the way -of
gems. to sell do not get the prices they
expect Another reason Is that the
style OF cutting has changed almost
as radically as the fashions 10 clothes.
10 day to the diamond dealer q stone
purchased twenty years ago is in ap-
pearance as old fashioned as q suit
of clothes Of that period IS 10 the tail
or Instead Of being cut oval or
cushion shape as diamonds were then.
stones to-day are cut round. thus in
ereasing the number Of surfaces. 1t
used to be the style to have q large
table as the upper surface Of dia-
moud is called. and 70 obtain this
stone was cut in the form OF 4 cushion
This style was changed not many
years ago upon the discovery that BY
cutting a stone round and Increasing
The number Of hevels lts brllliancy
was greatly increased. This style has
come to be adopted 10 the exclusion
OF all others and a diamonds value to-
day depends upon its size when re
duced 10 this form.
All diamonds o. an old fashioned /
cutting can be reduced 10 the round /
form and as i result Of The process |
greater brilliancy Is added to them. /
but the change from the old 10 the /
new shape Is not accomplished with 4
out 4 considerable loss Ia size. Hence I
a diamond heirloom brought 10 the
dealer 10 bc converted into cash Is
api TO be less valuable as a trade ar
tielo than its owner imagines III it
was purchased more than twenty 4
years ago be viii be- indeed lucky II /
be realizes a third Of its original price
The other day man made tour
0f The diamond houses Ia Maiden lane
with "A pair of diamond earrings Tor
which be paid twenty years ago ST0O
IN an hut two places the stones were
pronounced faulfless buf old.fashioned
The highest ofer hc received any
where Tor them was $50 although be
expected three times az much
"Thai only Illustrates. said dia
mond expert ewhaf a hard thing &c
is 20 sell diamond ieweiry and get
anything like what you paid for IT,
Diamond dealers are constantly COM
PEELED 20 disabnse peoples minds OF
the idea that because they have good
looking diamonds they ought to get a
big price. Diamonds are q great deal (
more plentiful than they were when
great deal Of the jeweiry that Is OF.
fered f0f sale was bought Ii Is not
80 very long ago that the Kimberley
mine was the only one Ia South Africa
and diamond from il was looked
upon as q great thing In fact. the
name added a little 10 its intrinsic
value. With the opening OF new mines
the prices have gradually fallen. until
they are nothing ike they used 20 be-.
There Is also another reason WHY
person has q hard time finding a nur-
chaser for diamond jeweirr. That s.
The dislike which dealers have of buy
ing stones I'm this way. Uniess d per
son IS vouched for there is always the
chance that The stones have not come
Into bis possession properly Take a
pair 81 earrings. for Instance. in this
showcase. which are worth N round
figures about 5000 II may surprise
yon but doubt good deal II q per