Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-10

pilation by the foreign trade depart ment of the National City Bank of New York of the importation of prs-. cious stones in 1916 shows that it is to the pearl that that year owes its record as that of the greatest impor- tation of precious stones.
 The value of precious stones import ed in the calendar year i9lS for the first time crossed the 50 million dollar line, amounting in round terms to b2 millions against 2T millions in 1915. 20 millions in 1914, and 47 millions la this high record for 15is iS duo solely to the popularity of the pearl, of which the impoFtations Of 1916 amounted to approximately i2 million dollars. against little over four mil lions in ahe preceding year and a tri+ he over i've millions in the former high record years. 1873 and 1s1E.
 Indeed so little was the pearl fin ia stones that the department of com nnerce did not find it necessary to take a separate record of it's inSportations the group "all other precious atonesp In 1911. however, the importatiOnH amounted to nearly two million dol- lars. in, 1912 about five millions. in 1913 five millions. in 1914 Ca year of small imports of luxuriea) about two millions, in 1915 little over four mil lions, while in 1916 the total was about 12 millions, or more than in any two preceding years in the history of pearl
 That the pearl is growing in popular favor more rapidly than the diamond is evidenced by the fact that pearls the value of diamond innports, In 1915 about one-fourth of the value of the diamonds and in preceding years about one-sixth of that of the diamonds brought into the country.
 The explanation offered by import CTS and dealers of the more rapid percentage of growth in the importa- ton of the pearl is that pearls are fact prices of pearls have advanced even more rapidly tha nthoSe Of dia- monds. The average value per unit Of quantity has inereased in diamends while in pearls the increase has been about 25 per cent. in value per unit of quantity.
 France, and smaller quantities from the United Kingdom. though Of course these countries, which produce no Psrts of nsSs te Worid and pat them nto t6 marketable condition. The chief places in which they are obtained arc the pearl oyster haherieg of tho sulu ar chipeIago, the Philippine faiands, the coasts of Australia Burma and Cey- ion, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Pearl Islands in the Bay of Panama. The diamonds imported by the United states are drawn from Great Britain, France, and the Neither lands, but are chiefly produced in South Africa.
 The value of precious stones im- ported into the United StateN since 1900 is over $500, ,eO0, ,000, of which dia- monds were about s42k.D00,0QA and pearls approximately 40 millions tho cauendar year la1e having made the highest record of ali precious stones with a total of over S2 million doi- lars. pearls forming R larger percent age of this large Importation -of 1916 than fin any preceding Vaar fin the his- tory of the importation of precious stones This hfgh record of 1916 is however, due to the large increase in the importation of pearls, the din-4 monds imported fn f9zS having been slightly less in value than in the call endar year 1918. 1---~~---a4.@ The people of the United States now own fully. two-1lfthe of the known dia- monds of the world, their value ex- ceeding those of any other country. while the annual importation for dd- mestic use is also greater than that of. any other country.