COLOR AND FLAWS 143
generations
owned fine gems, if they are interested in precious stones,
instinctively prefer them. They are almost invariably the choice of
persons to " the manner born." Most of the white stones marketed are of
the steel white variety, and they are finer than the blackish, which
are few and undesirable.
The
quality of yellow-white stones varies from a clean bright yellow to a
dark and somewhat muddy shade, in gradations so fine that only an
experienced eye can detect them by comparison. The more clean the
yellow of the tint, the better it is. Brown-white range from ashen to
red-brown and are all undesirable, as they look dark when mounted.
It
should be remembered that in writing of quality of color no reference
is made to its depth, but its character only. In a general way the
quality of color is better, as in fancies, when it is clean and bright,
and poorer as it becomes dark or muddy.
Color
is affected by the mounting in which the diamond is set. Usually
platinum neutralizes yellow tints to some extent, and is helpful to
most white diamonds. To some, however, it imparts a leaden appearance.
Polished gold is more apt to give an appearance of color to a white
stone than the dull yellow of roraan gold. Nothing marks more the
individuality which diamonds possess than a study of them in different
mountings. They will appear smaller or larger, whiter or more
off-color, brilliant or leaden, according to the mounting in which they
are placed. As an illustration of this fact, the writer remembers a
sample ring made by a manufacturer of mountings some years ago. It was
a peculiar style and was universally decried by the
