The sun., 1910-01-31
NEW LABORATORY SAPPHIRE
FRENCH CHEMISTS SSAYTHEY'VE
GOT THE REAL THING NOW.

Blue Color Obtained From Oxide OF IrOT
and ETitanium and Hardness said "a
ne Up TO ScaIe-SOme stones TO Bt
Here I'm a Few Days for ExamInat tlOn
Maiden lane dealers in precious stones
have been warned in cable messages that
new kind of artificial sapphire made in
Paris is on its way to New York and will
be here in a few days. The dealers are
now fearing that the trade in natural
sapphires may be thrown into confusion,
as the ruby trade was when synthetic
rubies first appeared.
The French manufacturers have noti-
fed their correspondents in Maiden lane
that the new sapphire meets all the Chemi-
cal and physical tests of a synthetic stone.
identical with its natural prototype ex-
cept in origin. Up to this time no arti-
fetal gem except the synthetic ruby has
met these tests.
As soon as the new stone appears here
IL will be subjected TO the most careful
investigation and analysis to ascertain
if it is the same in composition, hardness.
specific gravity. color effects and other
qualities as natural gems. A failure to
meet any one OF the tests would be fatal
to the claims made In behalf OF the stone
The local representatives OF the French
manufacturers say. however, that failure
is out of the question. One of them said
yesterday that artificial sapphires sold
as synthetic in the last year or two have
been lacking only slightly in hardness
and color properties and that the foreign
chemists who have been working to
overcome these effects would not dare to
make false claims. which could readily
be disproved.
The sapphire is the same as the ruby
except that one is blue and the other red.
II was fifteen years ago that artificial
rubies dem oralized the worlds gem
markets. They were called synthetic
or reconstructed. as they were made by
fusing inferior rubies and ruby dust
Ten years later came the d scoverv
that the rubies could be made without
the expense OF getting inferior rubies
or ruby dust Instead alumina was taken
from ammonium alum and chrome alum
was mixed IN the fused mass to give the
desired color OF pigeons blood. The
stones made in this way have since been
called scientific rubies.
Ever since that discovery the chemists
have been exerting their wits to give
n
fused alumina, which makes up g8 per
cent. OF the sapphires as well as the rubies
According to the cable mesa ges oxide
of iron and titanium are the elements
which have at last yielded the long sought
blue color
The dealers admit that they are in
doubt as to the effect of the discovery
or the demand for the natural sapphire.
When reconstructed rubies appeared
people practically ceased to buy the
natural stones and It took years for the
real germs to get back their old standing.
The synthetic rubies at first sold as high
as $50 to SIS carat. but they may now be
bought below S. a carat in the best quail
ties Natural rubies of good size now
cost more than diamonds. Fine sap
phires have been selling OF late years
from 500 to 5000 a carat.
Several wholesale dealers who were
asked for their opinion as to the effect
of the new product said that il il is really
a genuine synthetic sapphire" it may
disturb the values of natural gems of the
same kind for Sime. but that ultimately
the natural stones will regain any pres
tige they may may lose