The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-23
GREAT DEMANDFOR
PRECIOUSSTONES
Report for Year lust Past
Shows Remarkable
Boom.
DIAMONDS IN THE LEAD
HARD TO PIX MARKET VALUE
OF STONES.

Washington, ID. c., Oct. 22.-In his
annual review Of the diamond trade and
Industry. Consul-GenerEl Henry ".
Diedrich. OF Antwerp, Belgium, asys
that during the year recently closed
events moved very rapidly all the world
over, there was progress ana I'M
prOVement IN every direction. II was
q veritable diamond-bOom year. He
writes;
4 new diamond producing country
that had been discovered the year be-
Iore seriously entered into competition
with the older ones in supplying the
market with raw material. or late
years the diamond output OF South
Arfica-the most important producing
center Of the WOrld-may be regarded
as having practically come from three
groups, the De Beers, the New lager
tontein, and the Premier. There are
others, but they are OF little iinpor-
lance. or the great trio, the De Beers
IS OF course, the most important All
these are strictly bound 10 deliver
their output TO the diamond syndicate
al London, which dominates the sales
OF rough diamonds 10 the cutters In
Antwerp. Amsterdam. and elsewhere,
diamonds out OF ali proportion TO their
actual cost value.
such was the condition when sud-
denly. IN May. 1905, the discovery was
NMNNuMAFu Oh q new QlAU4eA4 4AFA4s
also In South Africa, near Luederitz
Bay, in the German colony of South
west Africa AT first little attention
was paid To these rumOrs, but soon
that country was OVerrun By venture
some parties all scraping for diamonds,
q large number of which were actually
found. The German government es-
tablished law and order during the
past year, and temporary arrange
Hent was made whereby a syndicate
A. d
leading banks. is 10 control the entire
output Of this new field and 10 turn
over 70 The government a large por-
tlon OF the profits WHISTLER or not
the London diamond syndicate offered
10 take over the German diamonds on
the same terms and conditions as II
did DC Beers and others. the offer. II
made, apparently met with refusal,
as the Germans prefer TO not only
monopoliZe the output OF these new
mines. but at the same time TO also
gradually build up an entire diamond
Industry OF their own, from delivery
OF rough stones TO supplying the I'm
ished product 10 the market.
Meanwhile another German eOmbina-
ti0n has been formed, and is now ne
Fotiatlng with the government for the
purpose of working the mines on terms
90 suit tie government, guaranteeing
10 iI not less than SO per cent OF the
profits. Thus the German people VINO
bad to sacrifice many lives in their
South African province. now have
fair chance of having al least the
money and time spent for the protec-
ton and Improvement of the colony
said 10 amOunt TO about $4,000, 00e or
SEQ. 600, 000-rcfunded in good time.
with handsome interest
Since the present Berlin syndicate
took charge OF the mines about year
ago, up 10 October, 1903. about 273,70l
carats of diamonds were delivered TO
them. which were sold for $1,000, 800.
az which SS13.SoO We're covered into the
public treasury. In the meantime the
prices have been advancing, and for the
first nine monthly shipments they av-
erRged per carat as follows. 1884,
sf49 SG.54. sG.40. sG-79. 5000 S6.77.
$40 and $500. At present the average
production in each month amounts 70
5000 clrats
The German South African diamonds
are not large as a rule. Some few were
found of ia. iO7, and - carats;
tones of carst are not rare: but by
Tar the most average only One-thlrd.
Though some OF these stones. but not
many. as yellow or red or green or
blue. most OF them could vie with the