The
value of stones above five carats is not attempted to be given, as it
is impossible to fix it with any accuracy. It depends entirely on the
demand for any particular size and the supply in the market; it remains
a matter of negotiation between the buyer and seller.
When
a Diamond has a very decided color, such as blue, red, green, &c,
it is called a fancy stone, and will bring a most exorbitant price. A
stone of five grains, of a brilliant emerald-green color, for which, if
white, not more than £28 stg. could be obtained, has been known to sell
for £320 stg. The terms first water, second water, &c, mean only
first and second quality. Diamonds, when perfect, should be clear as a drop of the purest water, and they are described as second or third water when more or less clear, until decidedly yellow or brown, when they are termed colored. The
value of stones of the first quality of a less weight than two grains,
(half a carat,) is, according to Mr. Emanuel, £10 stg. per carat; the
second quality, £8 stg.; the third, £7 stg. per carat.
The
plates representing the sizes of the Diamonds, given in this Treatise,
are drawn from nature ; still it is quite difficult to get at the
actual weight, for the Diamond cutters of the present day turn their
attention more to the production of the greatest weight from a given
quantity of rough Diamond, than to the production of perfectly
proportioned stones, for which reason we often meet with stones
weighing three carats, whose proper weight, if reasonably spread,
should be two, which renders them less valuable and not nearly so
brilliant as one of two carats properly cut; any over or under weight
only detracts from its beauty. A well proportioned spread Diamond finds
more amateurs than a heavy one. At present the following prices may be
quoted for Diamonds in gold currency, viz.:
*2 grains, (half a carat,) from......... $68 to $75, gold.
3 " " ......... 80 to 90 "
1 carat, " ......... 110 to 140 "
1£ " (6 grains,) " ......... 200 the stone, "
2 " (8 " ) " ......... 400
3 " (12 " ) " ......... 1,200 to 1,400 "
4 " (16 " ) " ......... 1,600 to 2,000 "
6 " (20 " ) " ......... 3,000 to 4,000 "
