The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15
SIMPLE TESTS FOR DIAMONDS.
Hardness OF the Stone and Other OF Its
Peculiar Properties.

II you doubt the genuineness OF your
diamonds or stones which you contem-
plate purchasing, il is not necessary TO
submit them to an expert. By studying
the following methods Of testing these
gems, says the Columbus Press Post, you
may become your own expert
For the first lesson take a real diamond
and an imitation. Drop them in glasses of
water. Tho imitation will blend with the
water and become almost invisible, while
the real one will be distinctly visible shining
out Whitley through the LIQUID. Dry and
clean the two stones, and on the fat side
Of each put tiny drop of water On the
real the drop will hold its globular form
and can be led about with pin point.
Tho drop on the glass one will spread.
Study the two stones with a magnifying
glass. The facets OF the false one are even
and regular. On the other they are OF
varying sizes. The reason for this Ia that
o diamond cutter with a good gem viii
sacrifice symmetry to weight preferring
n leave some slight Irregularities In the
planes and edges than TO reduce the stones
value The material in false stone being
of little value, the cutter makes as finished
lDlP - isf Atll VI w. NAlt dHHN0l ahNS NOhiAN
Tag for more than the stone itself
II a real diamond he used as a,miniature
reading glass, aided by large magnifying
glass, a tiny dot on paper appears clear
and clean. Substitute the false stone. and
several points, or one badly broken one,
gill be seen. owing 10 unequal refraction.
Then you can try the familiar expert
ment OF scratching a sheet OF glass. Be-
cause your stone will scratch does not
prove its genuineness, however, Try to
break the glass evenly on the scratch. No
other stone can cut through the outer skin
OF sheet Of glass and give certainty to
an even fracture ike a diamond.
Your true diamond il proof against the
hardest file, but the instrument will easily
scratch any Imitation that has ever been
made.
Having scratched your pretty bit Of
glass till IL is worthless. drop 1t and the
diamond into hydrohuorc and. Before
long the glass viii be dissolved, but the
diamond will not suffer at all.
Then there Is still another experiment.
Take bit OF stuff with red and white mark
ings, pass the stone 10 be- tested over IL and
closely observe the result. II the stone be
an imitation the colors will DO distinguish
able through IL, If II be diamond no diff
serence OF color will be appreciable.
genuine diamond rubbed pom wood
or metal after having been previously
rlbjected 10 the rays OF the electric arc
| becomes phosphorescent in the dark; this
cannot Do said Of any of the limitations
II the stone 10 be tried be covered with
borax paste and after being well heated in
the alcohol fame dropped into a glass OF
water, the proof will be instantaneous.
>, The glass imitation viii fly into bits, while
the GEM inc stone will not be affected
Finally. try TO crush between two hard
plates diamond a'29 an imitation and learn
the difference.
After the diamond, the sapphire IL the
hardest stone; with her more beau tiful
Sister, abe Possesses also the quality Of re-
sisting the attacks OF the file, but she Ia,
however, cloudy in appearance and 81
milky hue. The topaz Is slightly yellowish
and surrenders 10 the cutting teeth OF the
file. There are great number or white
diamonds but a pure. clear, transparent
stone without a shade 81 color Is more rare
than IA often a ppose1.
Besides white diamonds, there are some