The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-04
IMPORTATION OF DIAMONDS
 INTO THE UNITED STATES

Importation of diamonds into the United Stats shows a marked change during the war Prior to 1914 about two-thirds of the diamonds imported were chased 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 in Netherlands, Belgium and France, and that industry was of course en- tirely suspended In Belgium, in con- siderable part in France and also materially affected in Netherlands. As a consequence the value of cut diamonds imported into the United States dropped from $27, GOO 900 in 1913 to $1S,00O, 900 In 1914 and 5000, coo in I1915 By 1916 the uncut diamonds be- gan plainly to take the place of the cut diamonds in the importations and In 1918 for the first time showed a greater value in imports than those classed as 'tcut and not set.' In tho very latest period, the eight months ending with September, 1918. the inn ports of uncut diamonds amounted to $1o, ,424, o00, and the group "cut but not set" $6, ,501, 900.
 With the reduction in importation | of cut diamonds and increase in that of the uncut has also come a change In the countries from which import ed. Prior to the war only aA small proportion of the diamonds entering the United States came by way of 1 Great Britain, although 9S per cent. ! of the worlds diamonds are produced | in her South African colonies. Of the 1 S25 coo, 600 worth of diamonds import i ed in the fiscal year 1914 all of which preceded the war, only about $6, GOO, 900 worth came from Great Britain, near ly s10G00.O0O worth from Belgium, ap- proximately $s,O00,000 worth from Netherlands and about 8, GOO 900 worth from France. By 1917 the supply from Belgium had entirely terminated, that i from France was only $1 800, ,000 in value, and that from England about SIS, o0o,0 GOO as against s6, OOo, 900 at the beginning of the war. The increase In importations from England oc- cured almost exclusively in the un- cut diamonds which she had appar. ently drawn direct from her Soutf African colonies and sent in the un- cut form to the United States, whicf has of late actively developed the dia- mond cutting industry.
 The value of the diamonds in the
 United States at the present time i. apparently more than S1,00o, 900 0OO A
 early as 1900 a distinguished diamond
 expert of the United States said, "I- may be safely said that $500, GOO, ,0Ot
 worth of diamonds are owned in the
 United States and a compilation jus
 made by the National City Bank O
 New York shows that the value O.
 diamonds imported since 1900 Is $5O6
 coo, 900. This alone would bring tn, total value of the diamonds Of tn,
 country above the billion dollar line
 but when it Is remembered that $175, 900, ,00o worth of the diamonds import
 ed since 19G0 came In the uncut state
 and that their value was doubled b,
 the cutting process which occurret
 within this country, 1t Is apparen that the value Of the stock in tn
 country Is considerably more thal $1, ,000, ,000, 900, to say nothing of tn further fact that prices of diamond , havev increased materially during tn war.
 About one-half of the worlds dia monds aare now apparently owned 1 the UnEed States. An estimate mad | in 1900 by the authority above quote , put the value of the worlds stock c l diamonds at rather more than s1, GOO
 900, 900, and indicated that the Unite
 States then owned about one-third (
 the total stock. With the rapid add
 tlons to our own stock through tn
 importation of s5O6, 900, 900 worth sine
 1900 1t seems probable that fully one
 half of the worlds stock of diamond
 is now held in the United States.