Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-03
EXPERTS DOUBT SWISS
INVENTOR HAS FOUND
SYNTHETIC DIAMOND
Leading jewelers. and Gem Mer-
chants Not Disturbed by
Geneva Claim by Way
of Paris
THEY NEVER SAW ONE"
Not Possible for Scientists to Produce
Them, Say Several Philadelphia
Dealers

The announcement from Paris of the
discovery of method OF producing syn
thetic diamonds by the Geneva Laboratory
of Inorganic Chemistry doesn't seem to
worry leading jewelers. and diamond mer-
chants of Philu delphia.
The Geneva Tribune, referring to the
reported discovery, says that, In the resi-
due formed In the separation OF carbonic
auhydrides i'm the form Of snow by chloro'
phyions pyridine in solution and other nj.
trous organic liquids, free carbons OF
varying weights have been found, very
hard and heavy white tetrahedral and
octohedral crystals which burned without
leaving ashes
AT the Franklin Institute, South 7th
street, It was said today that In 1913 NJ.
i. de Bosmann, a Paris engineer, had
produced by means of an electric furnace
several minute microscopic crystals when
he asserted were pure diamonds, but the
cost of production wac so great and the
results 80 disappointing that further eK'
perlments were abandoned
"I remember hearing Of the discovery Of
synthetic diamonds about 90 years ago,
said Abraham Slckles. OF NJ. SlcSles &
Sons "but / have never seen one ana
don't know Of any one who has. There are
synthetic rubies and sapphires, but don |
think II possible yet to produce synthetic
diamond Several attempts have been
made without success to produce synthetic
cmcralds, and although the chemical com
position of the emerald is well known IL
cannot be reproduced. They can't give tho
true emerald green, and 1 don't believe
any better success will be met in the at
tempt to produce synthetic diamonds
w. r. Eisenhower, the diamond expert
of j. e. Caldwell & Co, said he had never
seen a synthetic diamond, but he had
heard of fake synthetic diamonds being
made A few years ago, he said, man In
Paris had claimed he could manufacture
synthetic diamonds and Interested several
prominent persons to put money into the
scheme, among others Mr. Welt, the head
of the diamond syndicate but the whole
affair was a swindle, as he failed to deliver
the goods.
"I would not say that synthetic dia.
monds will never be made, but any that l
have heard of up to the present were
| fakes" said A. Alexander, head of the dia-
, mond department of Bailey. Banks &c Bid
die "As far as I know, the experiments
that have been tried In this connection
have been so costly as to be prohibitiVe'
"a synthetic diamond, If 1t were possi-
BILE to construct one, could not deceive an
expert," said Colonel ]. Warner Hutchns
| 1928 Walnut street. "There are synthetic
sapphires and synthetic rubies, but they
are easily detected, and 1t would be much
| easier to detect n synthetic diamond. Inc
pure white sapphire comes hearest " |'e
| diamond in appearance, and they are otten
substituted for diamonds in the small sizes
used in cluster work. They are easily de-
tected in many ways, especially by a spe
| cial little file, about the size of a manicure
file. made for the purpose.
''I have heard many times about the
discovery Of synthetic diamonds, but moth
| ing ever comes of the reports, and this
| latest story from Geneva by way of Paris
| 1 presume is like others that have gone
| before it."