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GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES
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intaglios and cameos. The term jewel is applied to a gem only after it has been mounted.
The
epithet phenomenal has been applied in this work to stones which
exhibit a play of color, like the opal, moonstone, sunstone, and
labrador spar; or which change their color by artificial light, like
the alexandrite ; or show a line or band or bands of light, as the line
in the cat's-eye and the star in the ruby or sapphire asteria.
Public
interest in semi-precious stones has increased greatly during the last
ten years. Formerly jewelers sold only diamonds, rubies, sapphires,
emeralds, pearls, garnets, and agates, but at present it is not unusual
to have almost any of the mineralogical gems, such as zircon, asteria
or star sapphire or star ruby, tourmaline, spinel, or titanite, called
for, not only by collectors, but by the public, whose taste has
advanced in the matter of precious stones as well as in the fine arts.
Ten years ago $100,000 was an unusual amount for even the wealthiest to
have invested in diamonds: to-day there are a number of families each
owning diamonds to the value of half a million dollars. Ear-rings worth
from $5,000 to $8,000 a pair excite no wonder to-day: formerly, they
were seldom seen. Of the French crown jewels sold in Paris, May, 1886,
more than one-third, aggregating over $500,000 in value, came to the
United States.
Three diamonds are owned in this country weighing 55 1/4, 77, and
125 3/8 carats respectively ; the latter, known as the Tiffany diamond,
is the handsomest large yellow diamond ever found. A number of
necklaces worth over $100,000 each are owned in the United States, and
one necklace, worth $320,000, was recently sold at the death of its
owner. Among other diamonds worthy of note that 'are owned in the
United States are four of the Mazarins' from the French crown jewels,
and a diamond that belonged to the Empress Catharine of Russia. Besides
these, there is one single stone weighing 25 19/32 carats, valued at
$45,000; a ruby of 9 3/8 carats, worth over $33,000, and a number
1
In the inventory of the French crown jewels, 1791, mention is made of "
the tenth Mazarin." Cardinal Mazarin had fostered the diamond-cutting
industry in Paris, and the diamonds called " Mazarins " are supposed
either to have belonged to him originally or to have been recut under
his direction. All of the ten Mazarins, however, were not found.
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