1. The jeweller makes rings, lockets, bracelets, brooches, ear-rings,
necklaces, watch-chains, and trinkets of like nature. The materials of
the best quality of these ornaments are gold, pearls, and precious
stones, although those of an inferior kind are often used.
2. There are several stones to which is applied the epithet
_precious_, of which the following are the principal: the diamond, the
ruby, the sapphire, the topaz, the chrysolite, the beryl, the emerald,
the hyacinth, the amethyst, the garnet, the tourmalin, and the opal.
To these may be added rock crystal, the fine flints of pebbles, the
cat's-eye, the oculis mundi or hydrophanes, the chalcedony, the
moon-stone, the onyx, the carnelian, the sardonyx, agates, and the
Labrador-stone. These stones, together with different kinds of pearl,
are also called gems or jewels.
3. The precious stones are valuable, as articles of merchandise, in
proportion to their scarcity, weight, transparency, lustre, and
hardness. In most of these particulars, the diamond is superior to any
other; but those of the same size are not always of equal value, for
all are not of the same color or brilliancy. The very best are said to
be _diamonds of the first water_. The diamond was called adamant by
the ancients, although this term was not confined exclusively to this
stone.
4. The weight and consequent value of the most precious stones are
estimated in _carats_, one of which is equal to four grains troy
weight, and the value of each carat is increased in proportion to the
size of the stone. In England, the cost of a cut diamond of the first
water is thus estimated:
1 carat is = _l._8
2 do. is 2 × 2 × 8 = 32
3 do. is 3 × 3 × 8 = 72
4 do. is 4 × 4 × 8 = 128
By the foregoing examples, it will be seen that the weight is
multiplied by itself, and the product by the price per carat, which
may be some other sum, according to the general characteristics of the
stone.
5. This rule, however, is not extended to diamonds of more than 20
carats in weight; nor is this or any other rule of estimate strictly
adhered to in every case; nevertheless, it probably comes pretty near
to general usage. In the same country, a perfect ruby of 3-1/2 carats
is worth more than a diamond of equal weight. A ruby weighing one
carat may be worth 10 guineas; two carats, 40 guineas; three carats,
150 guineas; six carats 1000 guineas. A ruby of a deep red color,
exceeding 20 carats, is called a carbuncle; and of these, 108,
weighing from 100 to 200 carats each, are said to have been in the
throne of the Great Mogul.
6. Some of the European sovereigns have, in their possession, diamonds
of great value, several of which were originally brought to England
from India. The _Pitt_ or _Regent diamond_ was purchased in India by
Robert Pitt, grandfather of the Right Honorable William Pitt, for
£12,500 sterling. It was brought to England in a rough state, and
£5000 were there expended in cutting it; but the cuttings themselves
were worth £7000 or £8000. It was sold to the Duke of Orleans, for the
King of France, at the enormous price of £136,000. Its weight is 136
carats; and, before it was cut, it was as large as a common pullet's
egg.
7. A celebrated diamond, in the possession of the emperor of Russia,
is denominated the _Effingham_ or _Russian diamond_. It was brought to
England by the Earl of Effingham, while governor-general of India, and
sold to the Empress Catharine for £90,000. It is inferior in shape to
the last mentioned, but superior to it in magnitude, it weighing 198
carats. The Queen of England has a diamond which cost £22,000.
8. The largest diamond hitherto known was found in the island of
Borneo, and it is now in the possession of the Rajah of Mattan. Many
years ago, the governor of Batavia offered, in exchange for it,
$150,000, and two large brigs of war with their equipments and outfit;
but the rajah refused to part with the jewel, to which the Malays
supposed miraculous power belonged, and which they believed to be
connected with the fate of his family. The weight of this diamond is
367 carats.
9. Other jewels, belonging to different sovereigns, as well as to
private persons, might be mentioned; but a sufficient number has been
noticed to enable the reader to form some idea of the extravagant
expenditures often made for articles of imaginary value. We will
merely add that the royal family of Portugal is in possession of a
stone which was formerly supposed to be a diamond, but which has
lately proved to be some kind of crystal of little value. The weight
of this stone is 1680 carats; and, until its real character was
discovered, it was valued at 224 millions sterling.
10. The value of precious stones was much increased in ancient times,
by the absurd notion commonly entertained, that they possessed
miraculous powers in preventing or curing diseases, as well as in
keeping off witches and evil spirits. These notions still prevail more
or less in heathen nations; and many, even in countries called
Christian, wear them, or something else, as amulets for the same or
similar purposes.
11. _The Gem-sculptor._--Figures and letters are often cut in precious
stones by the gem-engraver, or gem-sculptor, whose art, according to
the opinion of some writers, originated with the Babylonians; but,
according to others, it had its commencement in India or Egypt. In the
latter country, it was first employed in the production of
hieroglyphical figures on basalt and granite rocks. This art, which is
denominated lithoglyptics, or the glyptic art, was held in great
estimation by the Greeks in ancient times. It arose to eminence with
the other fine arts; and, like them, it had its zenith of perfection,
was buried with them in the ruins of the Roman empire, and with them
revived towards the end of the fifteenth century.
12. The productions of gem-sculpture are chiefly of two kinds. The
first of these are _cameos_, which are little bas-reliefs, or figures
raised above the surface. They are commonly made of stones, the strata
of which are of different colors, so that the figure is different in
color from the ground on which it has been raised. The other
productions of this art are denominated _intaglios_. The work of these
is the reverse of that first mentioned, since the figure is cut below
the surface of the stone, so that they serve as seals to produce
impressions in relief upon soft substances.
13. This artist performs his work by means of a lathe, with the aid of
diamond dust. The instruments are made of soft iron, and are fixed in
leaden chucks, which can be readily fastened to one end of the
mandril. The diamond dust is made into thin paste with olive oil, and
is applied to the point of the instrument. The small invisible
particles insinuate themselves into the iron, where they remain
permanently fixed. In producing figures and letters with a tool thus
charged with the hardest substance in nature, the precious stone is
brought in contact with it while in rapid motion.
14. The engraved gems of antiquity have been greatly esteemed, as
works of art, by the curious, and various methods have, therefore,
been devised to imitate them. This has been done in glass in such
perfection, both as to form and color, that good judges can scarcely
distinguish the imitations from the originals. The impression of the
gem is first taken in some kind of fine earth; and, upon the mould
thus formed, the proposed material is pressed, while in a plastic
state.
15. The precious stones generally have likewise been imitated with
great success. The basis of the different compositions is a _paste_
made of the finest flint glass, the materials of which have been
selected and combined with great care. The desired color is produced
with metallic oxydes. A great number of complex receipts are in use
among manufacturers of these articles.
16. _The Lapidary._--The precious stones and imitations of them in
glass are brought to the desired form by the lapidary. The instrument
with which this artist chiefly operates is a wheel which is made to
revolve horizontally before him. It is put in motion by means of an
endless rope extending from another wheel, which is moved with the
left hand of the operator, while, with his right, he holds, in a
proper position, the substance to be reduced.
17. The precious stones, being of small size, cannot be held with
steadiness on the wheel with the hand, nor with any holding
instrument; they are, therefore, first fastened, by means of
sealing-wax, to the end of small sticks. By this simple means, and a
small upright post, against which the hand or the other end of the
stick is rested, the workman can hold a stone in any position he may
desire.
18. The lapidary's wheel is made of different kinds of metals. The
diamond is cut on a wheel of soft steel, by the aid of its own dust
mixed with olive oil. The Oriental ruby, sapphire, and topaz, are cut
on a copper wheel in the same manner, and polished with tripoli and
water. Stones of a less degree of hardness are cut and polished on a
leaden or tin wheel with emery and rotten stone.
19. The ancients were not acquainted with any method of cutting the
diamond, although they applied its powder to polishing, cutting, and
engraving other stones. Gems of this kind, either rough, or polished
by nature, were set as ornaments, and were valued according to the
beauty and perfection of their crystallization and transparency. The
value of any precious stone, or jewel, depends much upon the skill of
the lapidary.
20. _The Pearl-fisherman._--Pearls are obtained from a testaceous fish
of the oyster kind, found in the waters of the East and West Indies,
as well as in other seas of different latitudes. These oysters grow in
some parts of the globe, in clusters, on rocks in the depths of the
sea. Such places are called _pearl-banks_, of which the most
celebrated are near the islands of Ceylon and Japan, and in the
Persian Gulf. The finest and most costly pearls are the Oriental.
21. Pearls are considered by some to be morbid concretions, or
calculi, produced by the endeavor of the animal to fill up the holes
which may have been made from without by small worms. Others suppose
them to be mere concretions of the animal juice about some extraneous
matter which may have been intruded by some means into the shell.
22. To collect the shells containing these singular productions, is
the business of _divers_, who have been brought up to this dangerous
occupation. They must generally descend from eight to twelve fathoms,
and must remain beneath the surface of the water for several minutes,
during which time they are exposed to the attacks of the voracious
shark. In addition to the danger from this cause, the employment is
very destructive of health.
23. In preparing a diver for his descent, a rope is tied round the
body, and a stone, weighing twenty or thirty pounds, is fastened to
the foot to sink him. His ears and nostrils are filled with cotton,
and a sponge dipped in oil is fastened to his arm, to which he may now
and then apply his mouth, in order to breathe without inhaling water.
In addition to these equipments, he is furnished with a knife, with
which the shells may be detached from the rocks, and with a net or
basket, in which they may be deposited.
24. Thus equipped, he descends to the bottom, and having filled his
depository, or having stayed below as long as he may be able, he
unlooses the stone, gives the signal to his companions above, who
quickly draw him into the boat. At some pearl-fisheries, the
diving-bell is employed, which in some degree obviates some of the
dangers before stated.
25. The shells thus obtained are laid by, until the body of the animal
has putrified, when they commonly open of themselves. Those which
contain any pearls, generally have from eight to twelve. The pearls
having been dried, are assorted according to their various magnitudes;
and, to effect this separation, they are passed through nine sieves of
different degrees of fineness. The largest pearls are about the size
of a small walnut; but such are very rare. The smallest are called
_seed pearls_.
26. Pearls are of various colors, such as white, yellow, lead-color,
blackish, and totally black. The "white water" is preferred in Europe,
and the "yellow water," in Arabia and India. In regard to their form,
they vary considerably, being round, pear-formed, onion-formed, and
irregular. The inner part of the pearl muscle is called _nacre_ or
_mother of pearl_, and this is manufactured into beads, snuff-boxes,
spoons, and a variety of other articles.
27. Pearls were objects of luxury among the ancients. A pearl valued
by Pliny at a certain sum, which, reduced to our currency, amounts to
$375,000, was dissolved by Cleopatra, and drunk to the health of
Antony, at a banquet. These beautiful productions are not estimated so
highly at present. The largest will sometimes command four or five
hundred dollars, although very few, which are worth over forty or
fifty dollars, are ever brought to this country.
28. The gem-engraver and the jeweller were both employed by Moses, in
preparing the ornaments in the ephod and breast-plate of the
high-priest. In the former were set onyx stones, and in the latter,
twelve different stones. On the gems of both ornaments, were engraved
the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
39. We, however, have evidence of the practice of the arts, connected
with the production of jewelry, long before the days of the Jewish
lawgiver. We learn from the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis, that the
servant of Abraham presented a golden ear-ring, and bracelets for the
hands, to Rebecca, who afterwards became the wife of Isaac. Perhaps
these were brought from Egypt by the patriarch, about seventy years
before.
30. Men have ever been fond of personal ornaments, and there have been
but few nations since the flood, which have not encouraged the
jeweller in some way or other. In modern times, the art has been
greatly improved. The French, for lightness and elegance of design,
have surpassed other nations; but the English, for excellence of
workmanship, have been considered, for ages, unrivalled.
31. In the United States, the manufacture of jewelry is very
extensive, there being large establishments for this purpose in
Philadelphia, and in Newark, N. J., as well as in several other
places. So extensive have been the operations in this branch of
business, and to such advantage have they been carried on, that
importations from other countries have ceased, and this, too, without
the influence of custom-house duties.
32. The capital necessary in carrying on the business of the jeweller,
is considerable, inasmuch as the materials are very expensive. The
operations likewise require the exercise of much ingenuity. These,
however, we shall not attempt to describe, since our article on this
subject has already been extended beyond its proper limits, and since,
also, they could be hardly understood without actual inspection.
[Illustration: WATCH MAKER.]