Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-15
More Than Half
theDialllondso Of
World Are Now
In the !. 5. A.
Ely H. R. cox.


e. S. in the year just ending were
twice as much in stated value as in
any preceding year in the history OF
our import trade. Figures compiled
by the National City band OF New
York Indicate that the value of dia-
monds and other precious stones i'm
ported in the calendar year 1919 will
exceed $100,0O0,0O0 against the for
mer high record Of So 100000 in the
calendar year of 1916. Whether this
means that the people Of the United
States are disregard.ns the advice to
avoid extravaganza or are considering
diamonds 4 proper class OF "perma-
nent Investment" is undetermined, but
at least it is a fact that the import
value Of the diamonds brought into
the United States in the current year
will be twice as much as in any pre-
cedins year and will aggregate about
500, OOO, 600. since diamonds alone
form about s. percent of the grand
total Of the group diamonds and 9th
er precious stones" Of which the total
imports in the nine months ended with
September were $76.663, 11S, while
the further fact that the imports Of
this class have been running at the
rate Of $11.O0O.O00 4 month Of late
indicates that the grand total for the
year will considerably exceed $780,
OO0.0 and that Of diamonds alone
probably a full 100000. 900.
The aggregate value Of the diamonds
in the United States is now consider
ably above $1,000. 0O0. 600 and if val
ued at the present prices will approx
innate $4,000. OO0. 600. A statement by
a distinguished diamond expert made
as far back as 1900 put the total value
of diamonds in the United States at
that date at about $3.50, 0OO. 900. and
as the importations since tina: time
have aggregated about 5000, 0O0. 900
and the expectations practically moth
ing the grand total ut. prc-war values
would be at the present time rather
more than $1,000, 100000 and when
it is remembered that values of d.a-
I monds have advanced from 80 to 100
percent during the war period. it is
quite apparent that the grand total.
when measured by present market
| values, would not be far from $4,000
100000 and would certainly reach
that figure within a very short time
with the current imports totalling
s100. 1000. 900 a year.
More than half the Diamonds of the
world are now owned or held in the
United States. says tie banks state
melt. An estimate made by the high
est authority in the United States
showed that the United States held in
1900 considerably more than one-third
of the diamonds Of the world, and as
she has been since that time 4 larger
importer Of diamonds than any other
country and has taken 4 very large
proportion Of the diamonds turned out
since the beginning of the war. it is
apparent that our share of the worlds
stock Of diamonds is row fully one
half.
The bulk of the worlds diamonds
comes, Of course. from South Africa,
which. in fact, turns out about nine
tenths of the diamonds produced in
the entire world. These crude .dia-
monds so chiefly to Europe for prep
aration for market, Netherlands being
the largest single diamond cutting
country.
The vaults Of cox's Jewel
Shop contain more than a
thousand Of these gems.