Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-07
THE MAKING OF GEMS
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
OF CUSTOMS OFFICIALS
An Interesting Case Before the Board
Of General Appraisers at
New York.

| Customs officials of the government are
learning something every day about arti-
| fetal gems and how they are made. An
| expert knowledge is required to be able to
| tell the difference between the artificial and
| the genuine. The board Of general ap-
praisers in New York has recently had be-
| fore 1t the question Of what rate of duty
| should be assessed on artificial rubies.
| which now take the place OF the genuine so
| often that mono but experts can tell the
difference. General Appraiser De vries rem
dered an opinion that the artificial rubies
are properly dutiable at 10 per cent ad
| valorem as precious stones cut but not set,
either directly or by similitnde, under the
provisions of section Z. paragraph 435. OF
the Dingley act. The decision Of Mr.. De
vries has been forwarded to the Treasury
| Department
| The rubies In question were invoiced as
Reconstructed rubies." They were con-
signed to a firm In st. Louis which took
an appeal from the decision Of the surveyor
| Of the port in that city that they were
| dutiable at 20 per cent ad valorem. At the
| hearing of the case a member of the i'm
porting firm testified that the artificial
bies were made Of little chips Of rubies that
come from the rough ruby In the cutting
| of the latter, united together with glass
and put into kiln. They are subjected to
such a high degree OF heat, he said, that
| they are assembled and combined together.
These articles are known as "doublets."
The board of appraisers. however. came to
the conclusion that the articles in dispute
were not made that way, and that they are
| really artificial rubies.
The Making of Rubies.
The process OF manufacture of artificial
ruDies has been known for quarter of q
century to certain scientists In Europe.
and for many years was preserved as a
secret by the French Academy of Sciences.
Within recent years, however, defections
| on the part Of the workmen. necessarily
| intrusted with the secret of manufacture,
have impaired this information to others.
and the process of manufacture has be-
come known and the subject of scientific
| treatises and publications.
The article is made by combination of
oxide of chrome and aluminium. This is
the natural combination of the true ruby.
| The composition of this article and the
true ruby are Identical They have the
| same degree of hardness, specific gravity
| and color.
Marks Of the Counterfeit.
The only way the imitation can be dis
| tinguished from the real is that the former
| under powerful lenses shows a number of
concentric lines These appear In the man
ufactured. but never in the natural ruby,
| and are accounted for by the fact of the
powerful pressure necessary in the manu-
| facture of the artificial article
This distinction IS very difficult of detec
| ton. So far material, texture and uses
are concerned, the articles are, identical.
| The value of the artificial ruby is about
| one-tenth Of the natural.
Heat Necessary for Welding.
| It appears from the record that the de-
| gree of heat which would be necessary to
weld pieces of genuine rubies would melt
| them into a volatile substance which would
escape and for that reason the process of
manufacture contended for is impossible.
though pieces of ruby may be cemented
with glass as stated. The merchandise in
question Is Identical in material, texture
| and use with the genuine ruby. Whether
| or not this becomes precious stone Is I'M
| profitable Of inquiry. for in any event, be-
| ing identical in material, texture and use
| with precious stone, and not being pro-
| vided for under the provisions of para
graph lis, which provides for manufactures
Of certain enumerated precious stones, it
| becomes dutiable. either directly or by
simiIitude to precious stones. under the pro-
visions Of paragraph 435. at the rate of 10
per cent ad valorem.