The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29
TO KNOW ABOUT GEMS
FgR gAN fELL'A DI4MOGDs CIR
DIE FROW ITS PAVILION.


Applied 10 Jevsls--FIaNSs and COIOr
IN the papers keep on printing thing.
about precious stones, laughed a,jswener
the other day, 'the pubic will begin tolearn
q few things about our business. Sorry
Not |. ] only wish my customers did know
pbre, Id be easy In my mind, and 30 would
they. '.
SsThaes not Saying that all dealers or oil
customers would be. There ara plenty Of
the former who have taken advantage Of
the almost absolute Ignorance .of the
average person on the subject lof gems.
you needn't ask me what things people
don't know. | can tell you in about
thre words, though, what they do know.
They know that Hibies are red and sap
phires blue, and . few half truths Of that
sort
The ieweller then proceeded 10 tell some
Of the things which are a. a sealed book 10
bis customers. He began with the form
Of q cut stone.
He declared that most persons do not
really know one style NJ cutting from
another. They have a vague idea that
. rose diamonds are thin, but that's about
y, a. far as their technical knowledge goes on
that line.
- The brilliant Ia the finest form Of cutting.
tits not always exactly the same, but all!ths
forms Of il have certain main features In
common.
The front or top Of a brilliant CONSISTS Of
an eight sided facet, called the table, which
is surrounded by thirty-two smaller facets.
These reach 10 what Ia known as the girdle,
the thin edge separating the upper part,
called the crown or the bi1et, Of the stone
from the lower part. or pavilion.
The pavilion has twenty -four facets ter
minating In a small fat facet called the
oulet. This makes fifty eight facets. count
ing the table and the culet. Sometimes
there are added eight extra facets around
the culet.
%. OF late years il has been discovered that
q stone should be cut with a good deal Of
what IL termed spread. II used to be
thought that a stone should have one-third
above the girdle and two-thirds below.
Now the best are cut with less than a third
above and the change makes for greater
briliancy.
A properly proportioned stone will show
.as much light and color in the very centre,
under the table, as at the edge where il ia
out thin to receive the light II a diamond
il too deep Il has a dead centre. a black we'll
without light or color. Iii Ia too shallow
II has a CLASSY look and il technically known
as q fab eye.
Many persons buy these fish eyes because
the stone looks az II II were larger than Il
really Is As a matter Of fact their lack Of
brilliancy is 80 much more conspicuous
than any detail Of size that a fshy stone is
a bad bargain at almost any price. A for
the thick stones, called lumpy by dealers,
4 person simply pays for that much extra
weight and after all gets a dead centred
stone ..
The American cut brilliant has the same
number Of facets a. the regular brilliant.
ffty-eight; but the proportions are differ
cot The twentieth century lisa compare
lively new form Of the brilliant cut.
s., At first It bad eighty-eight facets, and in
stead Of having the table il was carried 10 a
Tow point In the centre, Later IL was cut
with eighty facets, the central ones being
almost fat. Opinions vary as 10 this cut
ting. but 1t Is probably best suited TO shallow
stones, whose defects it would help to. con-
ceal.
The rose cut is used only for thin stones.
u Is cirullar; the front ia covered with m:
angular facets and the back is quite fat.
The Dutch rose has tVenty-four facets,
the Brabsnt roGs twenty-fuur, trelve or
six meets, the rose recodps has hirtySsiG
the marquise and the pendoloque have
t~wsnty-four each, and the double rose has
twsnty-fouT above and instead Of a fat
back tWspy-four below
Bnolettes are pear shaped or oval stones
covered with triangular facets. They are
generally drilled through the narrow end
30 that they may be worn a. pendants.
Indian cut is a clumsy form in which
most stones from that country reach Europe.
They are cut by the natives with the sole
idea Of Fetaining as much weight as possible
withoat rerard IN the hrilliance secured
They always have TO be recut for Europe
and America.
Colored stones IL they are cut too thin
are weak or black centred. Color canghs
distributed only by cutting the stone fun,
and deep, though Of course il it is very
dark Il must not be made too thick.
Step glt is the form in which emeralds
are almost always cut. 1t is nearly square
or oblong, and generally has a large table
with straight facets around II parallel to
the edges Of the stone,
8 Heabochon cutting hasa rounded front
and Q fat back. This Ia the form for tur-
quoises, catseyesA opals and other opaque
stones. but it il s0inetinCs used also for the
Transparent eemb. A carbuncle is simplS
a garnet cut en- cd5ockI. '
Diamonds are grouped under different
names according 10 their color. Old mine
DIAMONDS we're originally Brazilian stones
from the old diggings, but it is the term now
applied to most old cut diamonds Of good
color,
Jagers, pronounced Yahgers, is the trade
term for blue-white stones. 1t comes from
the fact that the Jagersfontein mine pro-
duced . great many Of these blush dis-
mondh
Rivers are the purest white stones, so
called because the diggingS on the River
Vaal Yielded this type. 1t Is said that In
general stones from wet diggings are better
than those from dry. 3d.,
Next 10 Rivers come crystals and top
crystals. which finish mp the pure white and
blue-white goods- From them on the
grades become more and more of color in
shades Of yellow, brown and green.
The stones which have the faintest tinge
Of yellow are called Silver Capes. Next
come the Capes and then Bywaters, which