leather.
Accurately balanced scales for weighing the gems are another
indispensable item for any trader whose cargo is so precious that a
five-hundred-millionth of a metric ton may make a difference to him one
way or another of ten or twenty pounds. Most dealers have several sets
of scales: one maybe for single stones, another in which to weigh whole
parcels, small pairs handy for carrying in the pocket, and as often as
not a pair of scales enclosed in a glass case so that no stray current
of air or small floating particles of dust may unduly affect the
delicately poised beam.
In
the gem-importing trading centres like Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris and
London, the purchaser has the right, and not infrequently exercises it,
of having the accurate weight of a single stone or of a parcel of gems
determined by an unbiased third party. In the localities where the
dealers have their professional clubs or associations, an official
appointed for the purpose does the weighing and issues a certificate.
In London, where no such club exists, the Jewellers' Section of the
London Chamber of Commerce has established such a service for the
convenience of the trade on payment of a small fee.
The
price of semi-precious stones of the lower order is usually quoted per
gramme or per ounce (thirty grammes go to the ounce). For semi-precious
stones of the higher order and for precious stones the carat weight is
the standard unit. No less than five million carats go to make up a
metric ton, which gives an idea of the smallness of the carat weight.
The carat itself is subdivided into a hundred parts, any one of which
is called a point. One "point"
