The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-02-23
TESTS FOR DIAMONDS
SIMPLE METHODS BY WHICH ONE
MAY DETECT MUTATIONS.

The Hardness Of the Genuine sfsns'
Its Resistance 20 HyAsssueSie Aeis
and other Of It's Peculiar PseSsr-
siss-Csierea Diamonds.
II you doubt the genuinsnsss Of ycur
diamonds or stones which you ccntsm.
pIats purchasing II 10 not necessary %
submit them to an expert BY study
Ing the following methods Of testing
these gems. says the Columbus Pres.
Post, you may become your own ez-
pert.
For the Hrst lesson take q real dis
mond and an imitation. Drop them In
glasses Of water. The imitation VIII
blend with the water and become al
most inyisibIe. while the real one win
be distinctly visible, shining out white
" through the liquid Dry and clean
the two stones, and on the hat side Of
each put tiny drop OF water. On the
real the drop will hold Its giobular
form and can be led about with q pin
point. The drop on the glass one VIII
spread.
Study the two stones with magnify.
ing glass. The facets Of the false one
are even and regular On the other
they are Of varying sizes. The reason
for this b that q diamond cutter with
a good gem will sacrifice symmetry 10
weight. preferring to 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 40 finished q
lob a. hs can of II, the appearance
counting for more than the stone IL
self.
III real diamond be used as minia.
ture reading glass. aided BY a large
magnifying glass. tiny dot on paper
appears clear and clean. Substitute
the false stone, and several points o.
one badly broken ono will be seen ow
Ing TO unequal refraction.
Then you can try the familiar expert
ment OF scratching a sheet Of glass
Because your stone win scratch does
not prove its genuineness, however
Try TO break the glass evenly on thu
scratch. No other stone can cut through
the outer skin OF sheet OF glass and
give certainty to an even fracture liz
q diamond, m s5ei
Your true diamond II proof agalns
the hardest Gle. but the instrument vii
easily scratch any initiation that hal
ever been made.
Having scratched your pretty bit o
glass I'LL 1t n worthless. drop II ans
the diamond into hydrofuoric acid. Be
| fore long the glass will be dissolved
but the diamond viii not suffer At all,
Then there Ii still another expert
| ment. Take BIT Of atutf with red an
white markings. pass the stone 70 b
tested over II and closely observe IN
result. IL the stone be an imitation
the colors will be Distinguished
through It; II 1t be q diamond no dill
ference of color will be appreciable.
A genuine diamond rubbed upo
wood or metal, after having been pre-
yiousiy subjected to the rays Of tn
electric arc, becomes phosphorescen
In the dark. This cannot be said o
any Of the limitations. II the ston
TO be tried be covered with borax past
and after being well heated In the 9
cchol fame dropped into a glass
water the proof will be instantaneoui
The glass imitation will fy into bit
while the genuine stone win not be a
fected. Finally, try TO crush betwee
two hard plates diamond and an In
itation and learn the difference.
After the diamond the sapphire Is II
hardest stone. With her more beaus
ful sister she possesses also the Qualis
: Of resisting the attacks Of the file, b'
| she IA, however. cloudy In appearan'
and Of a milky hue. The topaz
|, slightly yellowish and surrenders to u
cutting teeth Of the tile There are
!, great number OF white diamonds, b'
q pure, clear, transparent stone witho'
a shade of color is more rare than
often supposed.
Besides white diamonds there a
some which exhibit the shades Of rs