The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-24
VENEREED DIAMONDS.
How the Most Deceptive of Arti-
fetal Gems Are Made.

fetal Gems Are Made.
From the London TitBits
| The demand for jewelry has Of late
years Increased 70 such an extent that
1t has been found necessary to cope
with IT by artificial means Quite re.
Gently, NJ. Moisson, French scientist
has discovered how to make real dia-
monds out of sugar with the aid of
electricity, and other savants have
been equally successful with carbon,
but the stones are small, and>do not
meet the requirements of the million.
which prefers large Jewels at a low
price.
Artificial diamonds have been made
! for more than a hundred years, the
process being first discovered by a
German named Strass. and the pecu-
liar kind of glass that bears his name
| exactly resembles the diamond when
cut. Strass is nothing more than rock
crystal. to which borax. arsenic, pot
ash and other chemicals have been
added. The ingredients when thor
oughly pulverized and sfted are placed
In a crucible and subjected to enor
nous heat in furnace. The melting
occupies from twenty to thirty-fiye
houiS' anu Shill is neeueU TO see that
the proper temperature is maintained
or the strass comes out cloudy and ut
terly useless.
AT the expiration OF that time the
crucible is removed and placed in an
other chamber where the heated at
mosphere is permitted to gradually
cool and solidify the mass. which is
then ready to be cut as required Ex-
actly the same process is followed in
making emeralds, except that large
proportions of fine white sand and
green oxide of chrome are melted into
the strass Opals are by far the most
difficult stones to initiate; indeed, il
is only within the last decade that
they have been successfully copied with
the aid of electricity and solution of
silcates.
So far the work has been practically
easy, but il now becomes difficult in
the extreme and only the most skillful
workmen are engaged in the depart
ment through which the strass next
passes. The diamonds" that are sold
for few pence each are merely pieces
of white strass cut by machinery, and
yellow tint can be detected in them,
But the more costly gems, though
made of the same material, are sub
jected to delicate process known as
"facing-up."
Every one is aware that when real
diamonds are cut a quantity of fine
dust is given off which is apparently
Valueless. But lapidaries collect the
sWeepings from the tables and sell
them to the makers Of artificial gems
at "A per pound who purify them with
acid that destroys everything but the
pure diamond dust. This is mixed |
with another acid and placed under |
enormous pressure. which results in |
sheets of diamond dust as thin as pa
per being given off.
The facets of the sham stone are |
then covered with transparent cement |
and a layer of diamond paper laid |
upon them. When dry, the false Jew |
els, veneered with the real dust, are so |
similar TO the genuine stones that they |
are often set in pure gold, for no one |
but an expert can detect the differ
ence, and then only with the aid of a |
magnifying glass. This is,
OF course the most expensive artificial
gem made, inasmuch as one that has
been properly veneered cannot be pur-,
chased for less than los.
Thus 1t will be seen that no small
amount of skill Is required to make
stones, and the workmen in
the cutting polishing and facing-up
departments can command high
wages. In the first-named, AZ los. TO
go per week is the average salary.
while those who undertake the deli
cate task OF veneering are by no
means too highly remunerated at the
rate of from f3 to 96 per week. No
metal work is done at the factories
where these stones are made, the set
ting being left to other firms, who re
'eiVe the gems in cases holding from
100 to 800 each. Large quantities are
Used for theatrical purposes; the best
are set in gold rings and brooches, but
he majority find their way into the
collections of Jewels" owned by lasses
among the poorer classes.