The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-03-31
SCARCITY OF. GEMS.
The More Precious Stones Are Grow.
ing Higher in Price.
Mines Are WOrLue and In Pros
ducers Are More GraspInE Than
Ever-An Interesting Chap
ter On Gems.

aids n rubies rise higher, owing to
the working out of some of the few
mines where these gems are found.
There are diamonds aplenty, but the
De Beers syndicate manages to hold
the price to its present height, and it
is not likely that the great diamond
trust will ever be broken, states the
Washington Star. What, then, is the
world of ordinary folk to do for gems?
Eventually, jewellers say, the pub
lie must come TO a proper apprecia-
ton of the worth of the so-called in
ferior stones. These are much priced
in other countries. If there is one
part of the world which might justly
be said to have a right to decide mat
tiers where precious stones are CON
cerned, it should be the orient, their
first home, where they are loved and
understood as they never can be in
the western world. The verdict of the
east is in favor of a number of Jewels
which rarely find their way to the
windows of a tirst-class dealer in this
country.
Chief among the neglected stones,
the day of which in the orient seems
TO be in a fair way of dawning at last,
are alexandrites, white and pink cats
eyes, carbuncles and Ceylon rubies.
OF these gems few really fine speci-
mems find their way to the Ameri-
can market, and such as are seen are
generally in crude or inappropriate
settings. The result is that these
stones do not appear to the best adj
vantage, and so have met with less
public favor than they deserve.
Take, for instance, the alexandria,
which possesses the remarkable quail
y of changing its color from a green
sh yellow in the daytime to a glow
ing red at night. When encircled with
diamonds it forms a beautiful orna-
ment, and can be set effectively in
gypsy rings, with emeralds or sap
phires.
To the superstitiously inclined the
alexandria should appeal strongly
Orientals hold that it not only pro.
tects the wearer from footpads, but
that those troubled with insomnia ear
obtain a good nights rest by gaz
ing intently upon the stone after il
has changed color. The pink anC
white sapphires are more highly prizeC
in eastern countries than the famil
lar blue variety, because they pre-
serve better their luster and color a
night. In fact, the white sapphire
sheds such brilliancy by artificial ligh
that it requires an expert TO distin
guish it from a diamond. Yet boil
pink and white sapphires are seldom
offered for sale out of the orient.
The carbuncle is another gem whicl
oriental jewellers set artistically, to
gether with moonstones, in bracelet
and girdles of gold filigree work. l
does not usually require the pocket
book of a millionaire to become tn
possessor of one of these ornaments
but when the stones are of the pures
quality they may be costly. A girdl
of carbuncles and moonstones in tn
possession of Queen Alexandra is val
ued at $4,000.
To many people the carbuncle ha
n serious defect. The superstition
say that this stoneo occasionally deye.
ops black spots, which are infallibl
, signs of impending misfortune. Whe
a black spot appears in a carbuncl
: owned by a Hindoo, he loses no time j
: presenting it to some one for whoI
he cherishes a secret aversion. II
thus passes the stone with its unluck
spot on to where he thinks it will d
: the most good or evil.
AS to the cats eye, so potent a char
Z against sickness is this gem consiC
: cred by orientals that the loss or con
y pulsory parting with one is We've
as little short of personal calamit,
More than this, the cats eye is SUI
posed to endow its possessor with Sc,
ond sight, so that he can perceive an
checkmate the evils of his enemie
Be this as it may, a fine cats eye, whe
surrounded by brilliants, is a maj
nificent ornament, and the only re
son one can assign 10 its meeting wit
less favor in the west than the eai
is hat it is too often confused wit
A the worthless Chinese pebble sold VI
der the same name.
For $4,000 you can purchase a fai
ly large perfect diamond, and for Il
same sum even rubies and emerald
at their present high value are wit
in your reach. And $4,000 was Il
8 price paid by the nizam of Hyder
s bad a few years ago for the cat
eye which adorns his state turba
True, it is a matchless specimen al
as large as a pigeons egg, but
serves to show that cats eyes ha
some right to be classed as amor
gems of the first order.
L~eft-Handed P~inE-POnE.
A southern girl gave a left-hand'
5. ping-pong party which proved the j