trash
wholesale, and when he didn't make the expected fortune he sold the
secret process to anyone who would buy. Of course, rubies went flop."
Jacob grunted his contempt for all fools, particularly in the gem business.
I
said: "Well, then this Professor Verneuil was struck by another idea.
He started off, not with powdered ruby, but—since ruby is but corundum,
after all—with corundum itself. Corundum is a form of alumina, which
occurs abundantly in the soil anywhere, so the professor took some
alumina, experimented with it for a while, and finally produced the
true scientific or synthetic ruby."
"And a lot of good synthetic rubies have done anyone," snorted Jacob.
"Well,"
said I, "if by 'anyone' you mean the trade, I grant you the synthetic
ruby hasn't done any good. But for industrial purposes it is just as
good as the Burma, and after all, most manufactured rubies are absorbed
by industry. As for the trade, there are the usual tests. By the way,
Jacob, I suppose you've had the tests applied to your latest
acquisition?"
"Bah,"
said he irritably. "Scientific bosh. I trust my own knowledge all my
life. You can't teach the old dog new tricks, my friend."
"Precaution
is precaution," I said. "Did I tell you what happened to me? My late
partner in Paris had a ruby consigned to him from Amsterdam and I sold
it in London to an expert, and he sold it to a West End jeweller. All
honest men! But the ruby was a dud. The experts all along the line had
trusted each other to apply the test. It was
