The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-08-15
WANT PINK PEARLS.
Fashion Leaders Demand the
Expensive Rare Variety.
Custom House Figures for Recent
MAnths Show Increased Imports
Of Rare Gems-DeaIers Dis
count the Duties.

New York.-The high cost OF living
has not decreased the demand of the
American people for diamonds and
other precious stones. The imports
Of gems to tie United States IL the
fiscal year ending with June will
amount to more than s50,000,000, ac-
cording to an estimate made by a
Maiden lane authority, who bases his
prediction on the total gem receipts
at the port of New York in the first
eleven months.
The appraised value of the dia-
monds and other precious stones that
have already passed through the New
York custom house is $43,6S6,2SO,
record-breaking figures for a similar
period in any year The figures for
this year are estimated at S5O,0OO,OO
Fear on the part of the big New
York gem importers that they will
have to pay a higher duty on gems
under the new tariff bill has caused
them to rush in large quantities OF
diamonds and other precious stones
since the provisions of the bill be-
came known. In May the receipts
totaled $4,6O6,323, record-breaking fig
ures for that month. In April $685.
681 worth of gems passed through the
appraisers stores. The figures for
March reached S4,341,179 February
receipts totaled s4,299,4 ,435, and in Jan
uary $3,S99,995 was the appraised
value of the gems imported. Under
the present tariff schedule the cut
gems are dutiable at ten per cent,
and there is no duty on the rough
product. The Underwood bill pro
vides for duty of 20 per cent on
cut and 10 per cent on uncut gems.
The New York gem merchants, work
Ing through their association, are
fighting for retention of the present
schedule.
In the fiscal year which ended on
June 80 1912, the importation of gems
to New York amounted to $39,445,2S5,
of which amount the cut precious
stones and pearls are reported by
Jewelry Examiner William B. Tread
well at $29,261,794. and the uncut
stones, principally diamonds, at S1O,-
183,491. In 1911 the total reached
s38,374,s91 and in 1910 the highest
previous record was made when the
receipts amounted to s44,885,O57 The
imports in 1907 were $41,112,371 and
in 1906 S40,217542, which are the
only fiscal years which have reached
the $40,000,000 mark,
There has been q tendency on the
part of the De Beers Consolidated
Mines to increase the price of dia-
monds during the year now ending,
and there is now present large num-
her of New York dealers in the Euro
pean markets who report that they
have difficulty in getting gems suit
able for the American market.
There has been a marked increase
in the demand for colored stones, ant
fine Ceylon sapphires Of 10 and l:
oarats have been sold at from $400 tc
$500 carat, which is an enormous
Increase in price since the beginning
of the year. These gems are the mos
fashionable at present and 1t Is pre-
dicted that fine sapphires will soor
,ank next to emeralds if they do no
surpass them in price. One reason
cor this is that there are no fine sap
phires coming to the market and onl,
the reserve stock is being offered a
high prices.
The demand for fine pearls ha
,een unprecedented in the last yea
md there are at presnt few desirabl
gems of this kind offered to Amel
fcan dealers. The increase in tn
price Of these gems has been phenon
email. Ludwig Nissen, a New Yor
gem dealer, on sailing recently fc
Europe, said fine large pearls frol
FIVE to fifteen grains in weight hav
advanced at least rs per cent in th
last fifteen years, and exceptional
fine pearls have shown much grea
er increase. He said that the reaso