CIHM Microfiche Series (Monographs) ICIMH Collection de microfiches (monographles) Canadian Instituta for Historical IMicroroproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductiont historiquas Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniques at bibliographiquas The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Feature* of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilma le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a ete possible de se procurer Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-4tre uniques du point de vue bibliographique. qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger 1 •i Vi.' 1; ;■ "■■.'"; ■,- ■*J 'V '-^ m n^lg ^ wsm HH HHBMyi mm l«S m »-i..«>i^ i iii iwn tarn HHH BBH IMMMMM ||M|»M|||^ mgmm ■MMMHM| ffi^ f -';t'^i fM ^^^^H IH ^^^^H ^^^^^^H Hi ^^BH ■ ^^^^^HH ^M ■i. ^ " ,'- ■ ^^H^l ^H ^^^^H ^^^^^^H ^1 ^^^H ■ ^^^^^I^H n i ^ ^"" ^^ -. - it%^ . . -■ ^W! ''■■'- — ■ ^ ^!^ ii .-. ,-^ .rt , ■,-"■»• on Nor 11. T(u \crv ur.ititv ing rc-xptiuti .u.'u\!-jj Mur '■ T:ilk vin Jewels" last yeai' !ias pi-Mtupt^d us to continiK it- puMicatior. this sum:ncr .i!so, in the hope that its perusal ii!a\ pinve of MUeie-i to \ou ::ni.\ pioHt to "iMsvKes, KVkil t;R()S. COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY IR^rie Bro0-, DIAMOND MERCHANTS, US, 120, 122, 124 ^ome street, Toronto* , t ■i if HiiG h.l 11 .'.l'»»».V.in,- \ on COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY IR^ric J6ro0-, DIAMOND MERCHANTS. US, 120, 122, 124 lt)onac street, Toronto. Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada in the year 19 01, by Ryrie Bros., at the Department of Agriculture. APR 7 J372 ■' V NOTE. ♦ 'J^HIS little "talk on jewels " was recently given by special request before the Rosedale School Art Leaijue ^ our Mr. James Ryrie, and was so favorably received that we have been prompted to publish it in this form, believing that its perusal will be of interest to all who love jewels. RYRIE BROS., DIAMOND MCRCHANT*. TORONTO. •iiaiifr" '':wjmi .^^,H>?^„ f^" \-"n5« '*"-"» » **'c i?- -?**'*H,S^'i^^ nt if the story of these royal jewels eould l)e told in detail it would l)o found once more that — " truth is stranger tlian lietion." As too many statistics are liable to l)ring ou an atta(;k of nuMital (lyspepsia, I will refer to hut three of these jewels— the three that are most likely to he of interest to you. Befoie doing so, however, as I will frequently have to refer to the term "Carat," I Mould like to say that we nuist not confuse it with the teiin "Karat" as a[)plied to gold. In the latter case it refers to quality, whilst as ajjplied to diamonds it refers to weight only. Puie gold, as you kuow, is divided into 24 })arts, each of which is termed a "karat."' As in its ])ure state it is impossible to manufacture it, its wearing (jualities being too soft, it is necessary to introduce an alloy of some other metal, and wlu-n we speak of ISK gold it means IS ]);irts ])ur(; gold and (» pai'ts of alloy. As a[)plie(l to diamonds, liowever, the term is rcsent«!d by a carat, I would say that the end of an oidinary had pencil repre- sents the suifaco of a stone between one and one and a half carats. In speaking of a 100 carat stone, however, it must not be supposed that it is ecpial in surface to 100 pencil ends as the weight is distributed over the entire stone, depth included. At most su(;h a stone would not represent over 8 or 10 of these. i CHAPTER II. THK (illKAT JEWELS. The first of the crown jewels of which I shall make mention is the " Kohinoor," which is the Indian for "Mountain of Li'dit." The earliest positive knowledge we have of this stone was in the Treasury of Delhi in the year bVJG and it then weighed 703 carats. Through unskilful cutting it was reduced to 186 carats and the royal owner was so incensed that he ordeied tlie arrest and imprisoimient of the culprit for many years. A TALK ON JEWELS. After various vicissitudes, in which bloodshed and rapine were not unknown, we next find it at tlie capture of Lahore when it fell into the possession of the British soldiers and was by them presented to Her late Majesty on July 3, 1850. When exhibited at the great Exposition of 1851, notwithstanding its iini)erfections, it 'attracted very great attention, and a consultation of the leading scientific men of the day. Sir David Brewster among them, was held to consider the advisability of trying to perfect it by recutting. Al- though their opinion was averse to such an attempt, a Mr. Coster of Amsterdam, who was familiar with such matters, was so sanguine of the results that the gem was eventually entrusted to him and the result justified the action, as, whilst it now stands at only 106 1-16 carats, it has the same surface as before and instead of being lustreless is brimful of light and fire. Crossing the English Channel, we enter the French Republic, and amongst the treasures which they once possessed, we find the Pitt Diamond, now known as the Regent, which weighs 186=^ carats. This stone was originally bought by a Hindoo men^hant and after many interesting ad- ventures was purchased by the French I ft A TALK ON JEWELS. (Joveinnient iu 1717 for the etiuivaleiib of §073,000. In the rouy the great Napoleon in the poininel of his sword and fell into the hands of the I'rnssians at Waterloo, and thus passed into the hands of the Kint^ of Prussia. It is reinited to be one of the finest gems, althoutih stjuare in shape, hut contains one small fiaw. Crossing the intervening si)ace, we come to Russia, that country whieh is now enirasrinj; so much of the attention of the world's best statesmen, where we find the OrlofF, so called after the celebrated family of that name. This stone is larger than either of the others already mentioned and weighs 194^ carats. It, however, is "Rose cut." The meaning of this term I will explain to you more fully later on. At one time it is said to have been an eye of a Brahman idol, but was stolen b}' a Frenchman and sold in Mahibar for tlio ecpiivalent of $14,000. In 1774 it was pur chased })y the Russian CJovernment for the tHiuivalent of .$.370,000, an annuity of $U5,000 and a i)atent to the title of nobility. It is now in the imperial seei)ti' and at the coronation services of tlit present Em[)eror A TALK ON JEWELS. Nicholas II. i>laye(l jin iini)OTtiinb purt. As these stones me not purchasable it may be with a certain amount of envy that one hears their beauties extolled, but I will now make mention of one which is in the market and which may be obtained, provided you can come to satisfactory terms with the owners. This is known as the Jajj^ersfontein Excelsior and was found at Jagersfontein, Orange Free State, that country of which we have heard so much during recent mouths. On June 30th, 1893, it was found by a native whilst shovelling clay into a truck, who managed to secrete it on his person although a white overseer was standing near at the time. It was evident that theft was not his object, but rather that he might deliver it in person to the maiuiger. As he re- ceived a bonus of £150 and the gift of a horse and saddle, it shows that his judgment was not far astray. In its present state uncut it weighs 971. J carats or 7i oz. — nearly half a pound. It is a blue white and reminds one of a large broken icicle, being three inches long and two an a half inches roinid at its thickest point. Unfortunately it has a black s[)ot in the middle which will impair it as a single stone. Cut in two, however, 10 ♦ fit A TALK ON JEWELS. it Mill iiKikc ;i lic.'iiitifiiUy in:it<'lH;(l ]);iir. At tho mine it Mas valued at one inilliun dollars. If c'<)iitoin[)latiu«^ tho |)iir(;liase of this stone, however, I Mould ad\ isc you to add about 5j»10,0(M) for its outtin*^ and j)olishin^. A curious eireunistaneo in conne(;tion M'ith the lindin;^ of this stone is worth nien- tioninearance ill the rough is like a piece of gum aral.ic It is the hardest known substance, hut although so hard it can he hinut with oxygen at a temperature of about fourteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The origin of the diamond has until very recently been a perfect mystery. India had been the only source of supply until discovered in Brazil in IT'JS. Although usually found in beds of rivers and adjacent places, in both of these countries wherever found it was always recognized as an immi- grant and not in its native place. This was evident from the fact that it was always nonadherent, none of them having ilat sides indicating that they had been 12 K A TALK ON JEWELS. l.i()k«n olFaiiy «»tlicT IkkIv, l.ut \\« re t'.MiiHl just iis Olio niij^lit i»i«.'k iii> a stray coin in tho sands of the suaslioro tliat liad been di'opped l»y ai'cideiib or ('aiiii'd in l»y tlio action of tho water. It remained, however, for what is known as tho (hy di^^^n^^s of Sonth Africa inlerineted in tho li<;ht of tho laboratory to e borne in mind is that even in this district the gems a; J not scattered indiscrimiiuitely l)ut in shoots or pipes extending down into the bowels of the earth. One other fact worthy of noti<'e is that these i>ii>es are filled throughout w ith the same soib of clay and not A\ ith the various strata <»f tlie earth as mi'dit be expecteirit, and Mhi -d shajtc, that they cannot he nscd for such purposes. These are called "llort," and are simply ])(mnded in a mortar, the dust hein*,' used for the euttinj; of better stones, as the diamond, l»eiii«jf the hardest known suh- stanee, can he touched with nothing' hut diamond, hence the ex^iression, "Diamond cut Diamond.'' Other stones are what are known as splinters and are nsed for p(»intin«,' drills for manufactnriii<^ and other ])uri)Oses. Then we have the very small pieces used hy jrla/.iers for cutting' ^dass, which, althou'> J'ait of an inch deeis still dictate with unerring A TALK ON JEWELS. precision tlic lines upon Avliicli tlie lucak must run. Tlicio is nothiu«r in the condition of life concerning the diamond mIicii it is inti'o- duced to the lijj^ht of day that is proplu'tic of the future that awaits it. No forecast, however faint, of the part it is to play as a seal of i)li<^hted love. There is no poetr\' about diamond mining. Much of the labor is done bv convicts, African convicts at that, [)erhaps the lowest form of civiliza- tion. Such laborers as are employed are eniraijcd for terms of six or twelve months, during which time thev aie allowed n(» diiect conununication with the outside world, thus removing all inducements to steal. At one time it Mas fouml that lal>orers often swallowed stones, but of late years thev are closelv confined for one week before the expiration of their term of ser- vice, their clothes are entirely changed and a most rigid examination made of their persons, thus removing all danger of theft. In the earlier davs illicit dealers, called I.D.'s, caused a great deal of trouble, as they were a ^ Mce for the purchase of these stones from itie natives, and the most rigid j)enalties have, theicfore, been enacted, few Climes being looked upon so gravely. The mines in South Africa number seven 18 A TALK ON JEWELS. or ciirlit. That known us (lie Kimhcrlev, one of the most iniportant, covci's al>out twiMity acres. As already explained, tlio stones nvo found in a soit of l»lne clay, wliieliis spread upon deposit inix iloois several miles in extent for " weathe'-inj^" in the sun and rain. After being' separated the stones are washed and passed throu«rh several sortings until they are ready for market. This market is n«>t in Africa, l»ut \n London. As already indicated, the entire ontj)ut is ahvaxs sold to a syndicate at a fixed tind tliat po.ssihly it staited thcK and lias kept on in. leasin^r^ just as is the case with tol>acc(), for which it is also one of the principal emporiums of the M'orld. CHA3TER IV. thp: crTTiNo of thi: ]>ia:mom». The process of cutting is purelv a mechanical one. The stones aie first, cleaved, that is, trimmed, befctre Ijcinj,'- in- troduced to the polishing- wheel. This is simply a wheel of ahoub 18 or 20 inches in diameter, which revolves with the fhit sur- face uppermost, the diamondheing fastened in a steel arm and made to rest on it. Diamond dust mixed Avith oil is phiced upon this wheel, and as it revolves at a very high rate, facet after facet is tliuscnt. These facets are not cut hy chance, but on mathematical lines; just as holding a miiror at a certain angle reflects the sun, so the facets reflect and refract the ravs of light. There are 58 such facets on evei-y regular full cut ])rilliant diamond. What T have already refeired to as "insc cut" simply means that the stone is not suffi- ciently deep to acbnit of reguhir cutting, and rather tlian sacritice too much, instead 20 A TALK ON JEWELS. of lu-ing cut to Ji point uii(lernejitli, it is flat, with facets on tli • top. This, of course, rcMthrs the stone of nnuih less viihie than a hiilliant, i)ossil>ly about one-(juarter of the vahie of a brilliant of similar ^i/.e and \vei liands hi<;h for which .S.")7,u'- these fresh water stones are lackiiH"- in lustre and do not approach the Oriental in value. Since tlie invention of the divin«' bell, in certain directions changes have taken place in the mode of pearl fishint^, but the system now found nearCeylon holds true of all pearl lishinjj among the natives in all countries. There is an island some ten or twelve miles from Ceylon which has a frontage of aliout twenty miles, from which pearls have been reguhirly taken for 2,000 years. As you know, they aie found in shells some- times called oyster shells, but you njust not confuse them with our dainty "blue jioints" as they are too coarse and rank for eatin««-. and average in si/e about 9 inches, some of tJKjm running as nuuihasone foot in 1< ii«-th, Tiie season for pearl fishing lasts for three months, begiiming Feb. 1st. The boats are ten to lifteen tons and carry a crew of about thirteen, with ten divers, five of .'% A TALK ON JEWELS. whom are ii[) whilst tlie other tivearo down at the bottom of the sea. Their visits to Davie Jones' locker mast not be confused with the average afternoon call, as it does not allow of much chtuice of gossip, as an expert diver can remain only in some HO seconds, the majority not exceeding 60. When you deduct from this the time going and coming it does not leave much time for actual work. Each diver is supplied with a ro[)e sufficiently long to reach the bottom at the end of which a large stone weij^hiny; about thirty pounds is attached and also a net work basket in which to bring up the shells. He simply puts his foot in a noose and drops overboard, hisdro[) to the Ijottom hastened by the stone. Upon giving the signal he is immediately drawn up with his treasure. As soon as a load of from 20 to 30 thousand shells is secured the boats return home and shells are simply piled in heaps around a sort of vat and allowed to decompose, when, of course, the shells open, and the pearls are washed out and gatheretl, the shells being gone over afterwards to find any that may be adhering to them. At one time it was supposed that the peail was a disease of the oyster, but it is now ncknc^wlcdged that it has its start from a little speck, some sav an abortive ef ('(mu-^c, IxMiig the most acceptable, but whatever the color it 26 A TALK ON JEWELS. must have a bright smooth skin, without which it is devoid of lustre. Although found in all manners of shapes, the perfect sphere is the most valualde, the pear shape, however, for certain purposes, heinj^ con- sidered e0, and another weighing about 15 gi'ains, instead of being worth S-to, as ona might sup{)ose, is worth about .^45 ])er giain or in the neighborhood of -SOOO. Some verv valu- able pearls have been discovere. RYRIE BROS., 118, 120, 122, 124 VONQE STREET, TORONTO. < (. ,X3^V ■ ■' ■'' 'r. - ■ -■ '■ " .^ ■ J • '' .V," ' » .- ^^ . ■ .'':■ ■■ •■\-i ■{%''■ ,7:.;f ;/ : ■ ■ ■ fy 1 '■ .' ,' ' t. " i' - ■ ■. ■ ' , • • ■ ''.'."' ' ■'' .; "'■.■■•+ ■- ly . ■*•.. ^"^•■ ' ■;/■«. ■■%' V^'-'^:-- ''-.v;'' -^ 1 • v •.^^« >.- '• •«. ''^- ■ '. .'.'■' -.) f- ',i'' *'. ' ;^ ■ < 8- ' . »>■ All lovers of DiaLinonds will be interested in the ree^ding of this little book* Kkil W-.