Evening star., 1935-01-13

owes its name to its exquisite, lmpid, sea-
green color. Other desirable hues are pale sky
blue, green blue, wine yellow and golden yell
low.
Most Of us are familiar with the quartz
known as the amethyst, varying from palest
violet shades to deep purple. Clear and trans
parent varieties are most popular for gem pur-
poses though some Of the paler tints are highly
prized because Of their peculiar habit Of chang
ing to deep cherry red under artificial light.
The garnet. last on our list of the big six'
Of semi-precious stones. has wide color range.
including reds, browns, yellows, blacks and
greens. Emerald green OF the deepest, purest
hue is perhaps the most expensive. But in
such case the expert usually calls the stone
a demantoid. Connoisseurs are fond of a clear
wine red. while the ruby colored garnet is often
times found mounted in various and multiple
forms in jewellers shops
Every one should know few of the funda-
mental facts about how gems are cut. OF
course, every jewel Is cut to improve its ap-
pearance and bring out its hidden beauties.
Strangely enough, most precious stones entirely
lack appeal in the rough state. Even the dia-
mond lacks the flashing fire which chiefly
recommends it. AS for the ruby, its glorious
color needs to be brought out in the most care
fully wrought cut or setting. The same thing
holds true in the case Of the "star ruby" queen
gem OF all its kind. Even when somewhat
turbid IN color some star rubies bring price
as high as $4,000 II carefully cut with dome
like face, so the characteristic star will flash
across the top OF the stone Such rubies, to
command top prices. must be veritable giants
with weight from ~ to 20 carats
Among the outstanding cuts for diamonds
there are three in particular that will help you
evaluate such stones. The modern one perhaps
most In demand is the so-called brilliant cut"
This Is too complicated to describe in detail,
but the net result Is series Of So facets cut in
u round, uniform way, revealing the partly
hidden beauties Of the stone and Offering q
maximum OF this gems characteristic fire.
A type of cut used extensively for our grand
mothers jewels, but rarely seen today, is the
rose cut" which makes the jewel appear round
on top and fiat on the bottom. Then there is
the square cut" used both for emeralds and
diamonds. As its name suggests, this makes q
square or oblong shaped stone.
Just one more fundamental point about cuts.
Again and again am asked, Is a cheaper gem
usually cut more carelessly than a more expen-
sive one? Not necessarily. Most stones are cut
in the same general way. The jewel is ground
down on a little gadget called lap wheel and
then polished with polishing powder, often
times diamond dust. However common sense
will tell you that an inferior stone will not have
that finished, crisp appearance Of the higher
priced variety, no matter how carefully cut, just
as suit Of clothes made of cheap material will
never hang just right, no matter how well
styled and cut.
Here's q consideration about settings most
people don't know about: Pure gold is always
the same color-a lovely golden yellow. White
gold Is much sought after as q Jewel adornment,
but bear In mind that white gold is not q pure
metal-it has other metals mixed with it.