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CORUNDUM.
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On
the other hand there would appear to be an arrangement between the
diamond merchants of London, Paris, and Amsterdam, by which the
uniform value for a diamond carat is fixed at
It
may be imagined that the diamond does not lend itself readily to the
art of the gem engraver, still several engraved diamonds exist. Of
these two signets are preserved in the Royal collection at Windsor. One
representing the Prince of Wales plumes was cut for Charles I. when
Prince of Wales, the other and more important specimen is the armorial
signet-ring of Queen Henrietta Maria. This had found its way into the
last Duke of Brunswick's collection and then became the property of the
city of Geneva. The late Dr. Drury Fortnum bought it and presented it
to Queen Victoria. It was engraved in January 1629 to the order of
Charles I. by one Francis Walwyn, who received the sum of £267 for his
work and for the cost of the boart used. There are other
engraved diamonds, mostly of the seventeenth century, of European
workmanship in various museums and Royal treasuries. But neither from
the artistic nor mineralogical standpoint are they of much importance.
CORUNDUM.
Sapphire, Ruby, and Oriental Amethyst.
Next
to the diamond in hardness must be placed the many varieties of the
species called corundum. This includes the sapphire, the ruby, the
oriental amethyst, the oriental topaz, and a whole
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