Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-02-19
SCARCITY OF GEMS.
The More Precious Stones Are Grow.
ing Higher in Price.
Mines Are WOrI0cd-Out and the Pros
ducers Are 8IOre GrRsping Than
Ever-An TntercStfng Chap
ter on Gems.

ter on Gens.
Every year sees the price of eIner-
aids and rubies rise higher, owing to
the working out of some OF the fen
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, jewelers. say, the pub
lie must come to a proper apprecia-
ton of the worth of the so-called in
ferior stores. These are much priced
in other countries. . If there is one
part OF the world which might justly
be said to have 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 i'll favor of number of jewels
which rarely find their way to the
windows of a first-class dealer in this
country.
Chief among tl,e neglected stones,
the day of which in the orient seems
to be in 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 30 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, Tor instance, the alexandria,
which possesses the remarkable quail
ty of changing its color from a green
ish yellow in the daytime to a glow
ing red at night. When encircled with
diamonds it forms beautiful orna-
ment, and can be set effectively in
gypsy rings, with emeralds or sap
phires.
TO the superstitiously inclined the
Iec1s the wearer frvm footpads, but
that those troubled with insomnia can
obtain a good nights rest by gaz-
ing intently upon the stone after it
has changed color: The pink and
white sapphires are more highly priced
- 100 ,,,, oo,r4r;a- 4ho,, tho fo1nil-
lar blue variety, because they pre-
serve better their luster and color at
night. In fact, the white sapphire
sheds such brilliancy by artificial light
that it requires an expert to distin-
guish it from diamond. Yet both
pink and white saPphires are seldom
offered for sale out of the orient.
The carbuncle is another gem which
oriental jewellers set artistically, to-
gether with moonstones, in bracelets
and girdles of gold filigree work. 1t
does not usually require the pocket
book of a millionaire to become the
possessor of one of these ornaments,
but, when the stones are of the purest
quality they may be costly a girdLe
of carbuncles and moonstones in the
possession of Queen Alexandra is val
ued at $4,000.
To many people the carbuncle has
one serious defect. The superstitious
say that this stone occasionally devel-
ops black spots, which are infallible
signs of impending misfortune. When
a black spot appears in a carbuncle
owned by a.Hindoo, he loses no time in
presenting it to some one for whom
he cherishes a secret aversion. He
thus passes the stone with its unlucky
spot on to where he thinks it will do
the most good or evil.
AS to the cats eye, so potent a charm
against sickness is this gem consid-
cred by orientals that the loss or COM
pulsory parting with one is viewed
as little short Of personal calamity.
More than this, the cats eye is sup
posed to endow its possessor with sec
ond sight, so that he can perceive and
checkmate the evils of his enemies.
Be this as it may, fine cats eye, when
surrounded by brilliants, is mag
nifcent ornament, and the only rea-
son one can assign to its meeting witt
less favor in the west than the east
is that it is too often confused with
the worthless Chinese pebble sold un-
der the same name.
For S25, 900 you can purchase fair
ly large perfect diamond, and for the
same sum even rubies and .emeralds
at their present high value are with"
in your reach. And $4,000 was the
price paid by the nizam of Hydera-
bad a few years ago for the cats
eye which adorns his state turban.
True, it is a matchless specimen and
as large as pigeons egg, but it
serves to show that cats eyes have
some right to be classed as among
gems of the first order.