Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-04-17
DIAMOND DRUMMERS
RARELY TRAVEL AT NIGHT AND DON'T
TALK OF THEIR BUSINESS.


or satcheIs, Yet the stock Each
Carries May lie worth ID to Half a
Million Dollars.
No set of commercial travellers carry
such a precious stock as the diamond
! talcSnl,%. There are about hundred
travelling statesmen in this country whose
stock consists of diamonds, and all but a
very small percentage of them travel for
| firms in New York city, for New York
has always been the diamond market OF
the country. OF course there are many
| jewelry statesmen who take along with
their other stock limited amount Of
precious stones, but they are not in the
class with the kind mentioned, who carry
no other goods and are not bothered with
sample trunks or satchels.
Few as is the number of travelling dia-
mond statesmen, they probably carry a
combined stock OF value equal to that
carried by ten times their number in other
branches of trade, or which, if converted
into dollars, would probably be equal to
the capital stock Of some OF the largest
concerns for which other statesmen travel.
From the point of view Of the light fin
gered gentry one Of these statesmen would
he worth for touch 100 Of bis fellow
travellers, and yet one rarely IL ever hears
| of diamond salesman coming to grief
| from contact with this class. Few as
have been the instances of jewelry sales
men being robbed on the road. the cases
| where diamond statesmen have suffered in
| this manner are even fewer. If yuu ask
! the travellers whose starting point is the
Maiden lane district why this is they will
! tell you that the diamond salesman is a
/ peculiar kind OF individual and that to
catch him mapping it would be necessary
to sit up a good many nights. While on
the road outwardly he appears as care
| less and debonair as any other drummer
who Tolls around the hotel or plays cards
in the smoker, yet underneath there is a
caution in his makeup which is required
Of the man who sells the most costly Of
the gifts Of Mother Earth.
! When it is taken into consideration that
travelling salesman for almost any of
! the diamond houses Of John street and
/ Maiden lane seldom starts out on a trip
of any length with less than 500 900
worth Of diamonds in his wallet, and more
often the stock is worth three times that
sum, it would seem to the average man
that he would have to be possessed of
the caution and nerve Of ten other men,
and that is just about what the diamond
salesman has. Then, too, it would seem
to be necessary that he possess the conf
dcnce OF his house to an extraordinary de-
gree unless the firm employing him cared
10 cXpend the amount OF money necessary
TO have him followed by detectives every
time he started out on a trip. While this
is true of some OF the men who carry
large quantities Of diamonds over the
country. yet probably three-fourths OF
diamond statesmen on the road are mem
bnrs ~ tho firm 70 ythioh thpy trav IL
the business belongs to one person, gener-
ally he himself takes goods on the road.
There are cases, however, where the
diamond salesman is only an employee,
but in these cases most of the selling is
done on commission, and tirere Is lot in
il to the salesman whenever he makes q
sale. Hence the risk to the house Is
pretty small. One Of the largest houses
in the diamond district has a salesman
out most of the year who is not a member
of the firm. Yet he frequently starts with
loose stones in his wallet aggregating in
value $500 GOO. Implicit confidence is
placed in him. and he has never violated
it. Even il he were INSCRIPTIONS his
commission is so large that it would pay
him more to keep the confidence Of his
employers in the long run than to disap-
pear with his wallet with the certainty of
| utl.lS lIdChtu Uy Tue sIet4dl utNcCllNc> "
whom such matters are generally intrust-
ed by the diamond dealers and jewelers.
of the United States.
The diamond man carries his goods in
a wallet about ten inches long. This wal
let is invariably carried in a pocket on the
inside of his vest. The diamond salesman
rarely travels at night. One reason for
this is that time is of no particular con-
Germ. Another is the greater risk in night
travelling When he does travel at night,
he either keeps his vest on or else he
wears shirt inside of which is a pocket
similar 10 that in the vest. OF course the
necessity often does arise of night travel
ing, and to be ready for it not few dia-
mond statesmen always have with them
such a garment in order to be comfortable
and not have TO 60 TO bed in the sleeper
with the vest on. Diamond statesmen sell
dom talk Of their business while travelling,
because they don't exactly care to be
known.
Diamonds are always shown in papers.
All of the statesmen carry q certain
amount of what is called in trade par
lance "melet'-that is. diamonds below
carat in weight, generally of the size
suitable for mounting in jeweIry. or
course the diamond salesman tries espe-
cialy to sell the largest stones, weighing
from a carat up. These are what make
their stock so valuable, and to sell only a
small portion OF them is worth 4 trip from
one coast to the other. What astonishes
those to whom care seems to be an essen
tial in selling valuable goods is the GUS
tom pursued in the diamond business and.
for that matter, the entire jewelry bust
ness. of leaving goods on what Is called
''memorandum." 4 diamond salesman,
il jeweer tells him he believes he can
get Il customer for some Of his stones,
will leave a paper Of diamonds with the
jeweler without anything given as secur-
ity. but with the understood right to get
them back when he wants them.
AT the end OF a week or two the dia-
mond salesman will walk into the store
where he left the stones, weigh them up
with a little pair Of scales he carries ia
his pocket, and for the difference in
weight of the stones he left in the first
place he will charge the jeweler. That is
why the diamond salesman travels by
easy stages, as often he has to wait in a
place for two weeks to make Il sale of this
kiud.-New York Sun.