Evening star., 1914-10-13
War in Europe
Closes Markets.


kind of production. However, manu-
featuring jewelers. in this country are
able to do just as high quality work
as their European competitors. The
greatest difficulty to the trade will
likely be that of obtaining raw ma
terials. the stones. platinum and gold.
When shipping conditions become
bit more settled, our jewellers will
probably have no difficulty in buytnx
plenty of diamonds in the foreign mar
kets Should Europe's stock of cut
and polished diamonds be used up. one
american jeweler suggests that New
ork would have the opportunity to
become the greatest diamond-cuttinp
and polishing center in the world This
industry has been in the possession of
antwerp, Amsterdam and Lo1don: but
since the war. it is rumored, Halton
Garden district of London has been de-
serted. while the Rue de Pelican. in
Antwerp. is absolutely quiet.
Ihe Belgians fear that the Antwerp
diafnond-cuttins industry has been
| ruined past repair. The diamond mer-
chants have fled from the city SOM Of
them going to London to make the
endeavor of re-establishing their busf-
ness there. The diamond cutters and
the diamond merchants of Amsterdam
the trade in their city. Some of them
have Ventured the opinion that the
war will enable them to gain world
ascendency In the diamond industry.
but. according to unbiased trade re-
ports. the Dutch workrooms are as
quiet as those of London
The South African diamond fields Sim
ply the world with its stores of these
gems. The great
ooutn AFRICA est part of the
Supplies World. nua'n 80. =, african out,
by the diamond syndicate, which takes
the entire product of the De Beers
consolidated mines. limited This syn
dicate. the diamond trust, comes the
nearest of any business organization
IN existence to having complete mo-
nopoly. Only through the efforts of
this combination has it been possible
to prevent diamonds from becoming
a staple. an everyday ware. selling at
prices but little different from those
OF the initiated articles
| The policy of restriction of output
pS Was originally carried out by Cecil
hhooes- For time the large produc-
tion OF the South African mines threat
| ened 10 disturb the nice balance in
supply and demand which maintained
| uiamonds IN their superior and costly
| pace The mines near Kimberley, the
PREMIER mine in the Transvaal and the
mines OF German Southwest Africa an
nua!ly took millions of dollars worth
| OF diamonds from the ground. Then
.nere are small diamond-producing
mines dotted over Cape Colony and the
orange Free State. The product, year
| aiter year, has been on the increase.
The mines of German Southwest
africa: in 1919. had an aggregate out
put Of 100000 carats. An Antwerp
syndicate was formed for the purpose
OF taking up the whole of this produc-
| ton. and failed Further, the Trans
vaal production has developed steadily.
In $rder to control this vast output to
| the advantage of the diamond industry
| generally, a conference of all the lead
ing diamond interests was called few
months ago. The first meeting Of this
conference was held in London last
June. tentative agreement was
reached for the regulation of the guam
| titles of diamonds to be placed upon
the market each year. but the outbreak
! of the war prevented any definite ac-