The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-08
PLATINUM ONCE UNPOPULAR.
Called a Gold Adulterant Fifty Years
Ago by Jewellers.

Can you imagine anybody in these days
'adulterating' gold with platinum: Yet
that very thing was done fifty years ago
to the considerable profit Of the sadult-
Grafton and annoyance of the purchaser.
The profit was due to the fact that plati-
mum then sold at about S. an ounce as
against approximately $50 for gold. Now
the ratio is much higher the other way
The annoyance lay in the difficulty of de-
lection owing to the acid resisting quality
of the metal
The authority for the foregoing state.
mcnt is Julius Wodiska of New York
who recently began his 5lst year of con-
tinuous association with the iewelry IN
dustry For 10 years he has been manu-
facturer Some of his "reminiscences of
changing fashions and tastes in jewelry,
printed in the New York Times, are in
teresting
in the days Of my apprenticeship"
said Mr.. Wodiska, the demand was all
for gold jewelry Of the most elaborate
form. People went in for show then Just
as much as they do today, with the result
/ that the demand for massive pieces of
/ jewelry dominated all else Watch chains
were very heavy and Of fancy design.
! From most of them dangled huge seals or
| charms Elaborate affairs showing vari
Gus kinds of semiprecious stones set III
heavy gold mountings were much III vogue
AS for rings, those worn by the men
carried out the days style for massive
ness. The vogue ran strongly to canoes
and onyXes, some of which were, roughly,
three fourths by five eighths of an inch.
Nomcn's rings, Of course, were lighter,
and We're set with amethyst, topaz, tur-
quoise and other semiprecious stones
Rings set with half pearls also had a ready
sale
with the women large brooches and
earrings were also in high favor, and one
Of the most desirable gifts at that time
consisted of "a highly onamented brooch
set with a large cameo and having DROP
earrings TO match Some of the earrings
by the way, were so large and heavy that
they tore through the lobe of the eal
after having been worn a few times
The mode in bracelets called for very
heavy effects Most Of them contained ne
stone, but they were covered to the last
degree with ornamental work Wild,
bracelets were much in demand, some o
them measuring an inch aud half across
Also IN great vogue for women % year
ago were the so-caIled opera chains Thes
were heavy watch chains which ran
through the large and fancy gold orna
ments, many OF which were set with semi
g precious stones. From these ornament
dangled tassels Of gold fox tail chain
The watches carried at that time, both b.
men and women, Wee of the hunting o
double case, variety. and were very heavy
! in keeping with the iewelry styles Of tt
; day
b Diamonds were not SO abundant the
2 as they are today. But they were plent
a full enough to supply all demands Tn
. leading retailers all did business in dis
1 mond jewelry, but few, if any, Of thes
: gems were to be seen in the average store
. about town. As to selling the stones. al
9 that was needed was guarantee that the
were genuine diamonds. No question
were asked by the purchaser about tn
cutting, the color, or the other facto
that go to make up really fine stone
"While the quality of the diamond
sold then was by no means inferior
those offered to consumers today, the sam
cannot be said of the cutting. Most
the stones then available were of the oil
mine cut variety, in which the stone va
cut square and corners rounded slight
The use of platinum in iewelry wit
out attempts to disguise it began abol
1897 But even then 1t was employe
chiefly in conjunction with gold 1t vi
not until 1905 or 1906 that platinum ";
used in iewelry independent Of gold
'.But it is not only in style and meta
that the jewelrv manufacturing busine
has changed Mr.. Wodiska conclude
Take the question Of wages Where
1870 or thereabouts, capable artisan 2
s. or 50 day and appeared satisfied Wi
it, in these more modern times he seen
less satisfied with that much an hou
and there have been marked changes
the mechanical side of the business, tC
Fifty years ago there were few pow
machines. What there were were operat
by steam and only the big shops had the
Most of the polishing was done by 70
lathe and most of the gold rolling by har
operated machines As for diamond CT
tiers, there was only one in all New Yorl