Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-17
DIAMOND DICK EXPLAINS
The Making of Precious Jewels And
From What They Are Made.
He Gave
N. p. FRANDsEN, THE JEwELER.
OF ZOE South 18th Street, the Only MAN.
nfactured Diamond Known to Science.
Many Curious Questions Prom
Curious People.
lFor the Press-l

Among all the precious stones few are
so extensively Initiated as the pearl. The
real ARTICLE Is a silver white iridescen;
gam extracted from the pearl oyster. The
real pearl is really an unfruitihed egg of
the oyster Its imitation is arrived at by
a chemical process; the liquor employed in
the manufacture is called essence
'D'orient;" the base Of the compound is
prepared by throwing into water of am
monia the brilliant scales of small river
FISH called the blay The white of the
scales of the black fish is sometimes used,
as well as that of the dace and the roach
The scales are first carefully washed and
put to soak Ia water, when the pearly like
film falls away and forms a sediment at
the bottom Of the weasel; this sediment is
worth TO the manufacturer R5 per ounce.
White wax OF musciage. or gum arabic,
form part Of the mixture for the most eX-
pensive limitations made, to warrant it
being placed side by side with that Of the
expensive oriental pearl. which bring most
fabulous prices, but bafie me to detect
from its most costly prototype. They arc
blown into shape by patent process and
sometimes rolled in a cylinder OF course
they arc not sold in the west from the
fact that pearls are not the rage. and
ness is not appreciated The art OF science
is too great for the common class to un-
derstand it's value, and when the woman
Of the west wants pearls she can go to q
10-cent counter and get a whole string of
glass beads for this amount: she thinks
all limitations are alike; but among the
foreign and eastern titled moneyed classes
they are largely worn They say they
would sooner have them than the genuine
because they are made perfect, The dia
mond is popularity supposed to be the most
expensive of precious gems, but a good
ruby will bring longer price carat and
carat. than a good diamond II invested
in the real pigeon blood color. heavily dis
tnbuted and without flaw, a good ruby
will bring ten times much diamond.
The ruby like the pearl, is favorte tar
get for imitation. In France, where the
making of precious stones is largely car
ried on, Henry Prairie, a chemist. is able
TO collect the dust and small stones Of the
ruby and with an electric apparatus. fuse
them into one stone 1t is not classed as
an imitation, 1t has all the chemical
and physical characteristics OF the real
article OF the finest grade.
Eight years ago, when acted as foreign
buyer for a number OF New York I'm
porters, I heard that a Mr.. Prairie OF
France had struck ruby mine and after
an exchange OF several csblegrams I sailed
for Paris upon my arrival he laid before
me stock of gems that would invoice
. into the millions of dollars. asked him
n few questions "You are the buyer for
The leading firms OF America said he.
Nand IL you don't know a perfect gem
when you see II they had better get a man
who does" put It through the most Sc
we're chemical analysis and was satisfied
ss TO Its genuineness I then called ht ,the
custom house to inquire as to the duty and
found that could land them in this gov
srnment at half the usual price That
night at the hotel put my thoughts into
execution. He would have landed me. but
the price was too low and the snap was
too great. I could have stranded every
nrm ] represented, they were anxious
and their capital was at my command.
However, II was not on account of my
good Judgment. as the stone is really genu-
ine and of the first quality. but guessed,
and guessed right, and a blind goose will
md kernel Of corn once in a while. It
soon leaked out that the rubies from Paris
were made by art and the price dropped
down from $500 to $50 per carat, It Is not
necessary that this accident made me solid
with every American importer. The emer-
aid is another gem extensively initiated, a
perfect emerald is the rarest gem in the
world. although the trade ranks 1t after
the ruby and the diamond. The best emer-
aids come from Peru. the limitations from
France. The real article becomes electric
by friction, and herein lies the difference
between 1t and the imitation; in making OF
the latter oxide of chromium enter largely
In the composition. the paste being made
UP OF a green. crystalized mineral which
IL found I'm Asia. and to which protoxide
OF copper silica is added Many precious
stones are initiated in this manner OF what
the trade calls "doublets" a thin LAYER. a
mere shaving OF almapdlne IA specie OF a
EarneD is placed on the artificial base with
glue that requires microscope to detect
the Joint; It has all the outward character
istics Of the real article. Few jewelers.. II
any, would pass this of for a genuine
stone, but when IL is mounted II plays the
part OF genuine 20 perfection Artiacial
diamonds up until two years ago flooded
the market the dealers in glass diamonds
made fortune after fortune: n moor liz.
norant class were made~to believe that nv
pages Of advertising they for 81 cents and
little more could get a big diamond.
The nature Of the real article is pure
carbon In itS crystalized condition. and
modern chemistry is so advanced now days
a. TO show the way clear in making a dia-
Der. 1901, I sailed for PARIS for an investl.
cation and after long scrutiny with all
the analysis known ~ science l Joined,
with the other six woi,ders Of the world
IN admitting that the little Frenchman had
laid before US an unsuitable problt tn Dur
tns my long connection with my employers
never betrayed their unlimited confidence
they had In me, but this time the tennpta-
tion was too great and I stole the snap
away from them I took all the money
i had borrowed all I could borrow ana
bought enough to control the sale OF II for
the United States and Canada. From what
Il is made do not know. hut can truth
fully say that II all diamond admirers
would know tho true merits OF Il they
would all make money as well as myself
instead OF giving 1t TO the South African
Diamond trust for an old yellow orf-color
stone that ought to be put into a drill ana
pay ten times as much as it is worth