New Britain herald., 1919-01-03
HALF OF DIAMONDS
 IN WORLD ARE HERE
Those Owned in U. s, Valued at
 Billion and a Hall

New York. aJn. 3.-Importation of diamonds iato the United States shows a marked change during the war period Prior to 1914 about two thirds of the diamonds imported were cIassed as "cut but not set while only about one-third of the to- tai value was classed as uncut. The diamond cutting. of the world was carried on prior to the war chiefly n Netherlands. Belgium and France, and that industry was of course en- tireIy suspended in Belgium, in con- siderable part iA Franco, and also materially affected in Netherlands As Q consequence the value of cut diamonds imported into the United States dropped from $27,000,000 in 1913. to SlS.000.00O in 1914 and So Oo0, 900 in 1915. By 1916 tho uncut diamonds began plainly to take tho place of the cut diamonds in tho inn portations and in 1918 for the first time showed q greater value in inl- ports than those classed as 'cut b'i' 11ot set Tn the very late4t per1od' the e.ght months ending with Sep tenber, 1918. the imports of unC@t diamonds amounted to $l0424,Qoo' and the group "cut but not set, S6,- 501, ,000,
 With the reduction in importation of cut diamonds and increase in that of the uncut has also come change in the countries from which import ed Prior to the war only a small proportion of the diamonds entering the United States came by way of Great Britain. although g per cent. of the worlds diamonds are produced in her South African colonies. Of the 325,000,000 worth of diamonds lm- ported in the fiscal year 1914, all of which preceded the war, only about s6,000,00O worth came from Great Britain. nearly 10000,0O0 worth from Belgium. approximately S8,O0O,Oo0 worth from Netherlands and about $2.oCo,000 worth from France. By 1917 the supply from Belgium had entirely terminated, that from France was only $1,500,000 value, and that from England about $13,000,000 as against $6,0O0,00O at the beginning of the war. The increase in importa- tions from England occurred almost exclusively i1 the uncut diamonds which she had apparently drawn di- rect from her South African colonies and sent in the" uncut form to the United States, which has of late ac- lively developed the diamond cutting Industry. .
 The value of the diamonds in the United States at the present time is apparently more than $1,000, 100000 As early as 1900 distinguished dia- rnond expert of the United States said, Tt may be safely said that $500, O,0OO,O00 worth of diam onds are owned in the United States" and a compilation just made by the Nation al City Bank of New York shows that Yhe yalue' of dianrOndS i'm ported since 1900 Is $506, ,00O, o00 This alone would bring the total value of tho diamonds of this country above the billion dollar line, but when it is re- membered that $175, 100000 worth of diamonds imported since 1900 came in the uncut state, and that their value was doubled by the cutting pro- cess which occurred within this coun- try, it is apparent that the value of the stock in the country is consider ably more than $1,000, 100000, to say nothing of the further fact that prices of diamonds have increased material ly during the war
 About one-half of the worlds dia- monds are now apparently own q in the United States. An estimate made in 1900 by the authority above quot ed put the value of the worlds stock of diamonds at rather more than $1,~ GOO, ,000, 900, and indicated that the United States then owned about one third of the total known stock. With the rapid additions to our own stock through the importation of $506, ,000,~ 900 worth since 1900 it seems prob able that fully one-half of the worlds stock of diamonds is now held in the United States.
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