The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-05-16
ARTIFICIAL GEMS.
How the Ruby and Sapphire Are Made
with Fadium.

with Hadium.
The scientific sensation of the mo-
ment in Paris is the fact that Prof |
Frederick Bordas of the College of
France has succeeded, after long and |
patient experiments in producing prec- |
ious stones by exposing the coarse Or
binary form Of crystallzed alumina
known as corundum or adamantine
spar to the action of radium.
The possibility that this process may
be used industrially for the production
Of certain kinds OF precious stones at
a cost which will seriously modify the
present market values of the natural
gems invests the subject with much
interest. All these gems are i'll COM
position crystalized aiumina. but
through long exposure to varying
conditions of heat and pressure during
the slow cooling and development of
the earth's surface they have assumed
different colors, to which the names of
ruby, amethyst, etc, have been given.
The discovery Of radium revealed the
active agent through which various
changes in certain substances, which
had hitherto been OF slow progress,
might be intensified and accomplished
In comparatively brief time.
The present discovery of Prof. Bordas
was suggested by the fact that the
minute glass tubes in which radium is
confined and kept for scientific use take
on gradually a beautiful azure color
resembling the sapphire. This was at
tributed by Prof. Berthelot to the pres
ence OF traces of manganese in the
glass, which the marvellous projectile
power of the radium reveals and re-
wives with varying grades and tints OF
cOlOratiOn. Prof. BOrdas therefore
placed crystalized corundum of several
tints in contact with minute tubes OF
radium, laid them away in dark place
not subject to changes Of temperature,
and found after a lapse OF several
weeks that the white corundum had be-
come yellow like the topaz, the blue
crystals had become green like the en-
erald, and the violet had turned to blue
like the sapphire.
Thus was overthrow the theory
held hitherto by scientists that each of
these precious stones had its own special
colOring oxide, and that these several
oxides-green, blue, red or yellow
have no definite relation to each other.
Prof BOrdas took his newly created
gems to leading lapidary jeweller
from whom he had purchased the cor
undum crystals, who identified and
tested them, and found that they had
been converted into a topaz, ruby.
and a sapphire, which fulfilled all the
tests and requirements of natural
stones
He then obtained from the same jew
eller new series Of c0rundum crystals
in pairs, each pair of an exactly similar
color. One stone of each pair was ex-
posed for a month to the action of ra-
dunn, the other retained for COMPARE
son. and the result OF this second ex-
pertinent was the same as before. The
light reddish cOrundum, valued IN COM
merce at about so cents per carat, had
been converted into ruby valued at
500 to $3.50 per carat. The dark red
corundum became deep brilliant vlo-
let, the violet amethyst had become a
sapphire, and the blush cOrundum
topaz.
The possible effect Of this discovery
upon the trade in jewelry and precious
stones can be readily inferred. Radium
is as yet one of the rarest and most
precious substances known to science,
but the duration of its power is prac-
tically unlimited, and since one MILL
gram (OO154 grain) of radium is SUI
ficient to convert several corundum cry
stalls into precious stones within the
space of month, and since this pro-
cess may be repeated indefinitely with
the same speck of radium, it is natural
ly, though perhaps prematurely. assum-
ed that this latest discovery may have
an important industrial value and lead
to serious notifications in the CONNER
cial prices of certain precious stones.
Prof. Bordas, however, regards his dis
covery as a mere laboratory experiment
and disclaims any intention to secure
for it a commercial value.-Harper's
Weekly.
Machine Made Lace Industry.
Co1o