The wonders of the world

by John Loraine Abbott

The utility of the diamond, great as it is in some respects, enters for little or nothing into the calculation of its price; at least all that portion of its value which constitutes the difference between the cost of an entire diamond and an equal weight of diamond powder, must be attributed to other causes.

The beauty of this gem, depending on its unrivaled luster, is, no doubt, the circumstance which originally brought it into notice, and still continues to uphold it in the public estimation; and certainly, notwithstanding the smallness of its bulk, there is not any substance, natural or artificial, which can sustain any comparison with it in this respect. The vivid and various refractions of the opal, the refreshing tints of the emerald, the singular and beautiful light which streams from the six-rayed star of the girasol, the various colors, combined with high luster, which distinguish the ruby, the sapphire, and the topaz, beautiful as they are on a near inspection, are almost entirely lost to a distant beholder; whereas the diamond, without any essential color of its own, imbibes the pure solar ray, and then reflects it, either with undiminished intensity, too white and too vivid to be sustained for more than an instant by the most insensible eye, or decomposed by refraction into those prismatic colors, which paint the rainbow, and the morning and evening clouds, combined with a brilliancy which hardly yields to that of the meridian sun. Other gems, inserted into rings and bracelets, are best seen by the wearer; and if they attract the notice of the bystanders, divide their attention, and withdraw those regards which ought to be concentered on the person, to the merely accessory ornaments. The diamond, on the contrary, whether blazing on the crown of state, or diffusing its starry radiance from the breast of titled merit, or “in courts of feasts and high solemnities,” wreathing itself with the hair, illustrating the shape and color of the neck, and entering ambitiously into contest with the lively luster of those eyes that “rain influence” on all beholders, blends harmoniously with the general effect, and proclaims to the most distant ring of the surrounding crowd, the person of the monarch, of the knight, or of the beauty.

Another circumstance tending to enhance the value of the diamond is, that although small stones are sufficiently abundant to be within the reach of moderate expenditure, and therefore afford, to all those who are in easy circumstances an opportunity to acquire a taste for diamonds, yet those of a larger size are, and ever have been, rather rare; and of those which are celebrated for their size and beauty, the whole number, at least in Europe, scarcely amounts to half a dozen, all of them being in possession of sovereign princes. Hence, the acquisition even of a moderately large diamond, is what mere money can not always command; and many are the favors, both political and of other kinds, for which a diamond of a large size, or of uncommon beauty, may be offered as a compensation, where its commercial price, in money, neither can be tendered, nor would be received. In many circumstances also, it is a matter of no small importance for a person to have a considerable part of his property in the most portable form possible; and in this respect what is there that can be compared to diamonds, which possess the portability, without the risk of bills of exchange? It may further be remarked, in favor of this species of property, that it is but little liable to fluctuation, and has gone on pretty regularly increasing in value, insomuch that the price of stones of good quality is considerably higher than it was some years ago.

The art of cutting and polishing diamonds, has a twofold object; first, to divide the natural surface of the stone in a symmetrical manner by means of highly polished polygonal planes, and thus to bring out, to the best advantage, the wonderful refulgence of this beautiful gem; and, secondly, by cutting out such flaws as may happen to be near the surface, to remove those blemishes which materially detract from its beauty, and consequently from its value. The removal of such flaws is a matter of great importance; for, owing to the form in which the diamond is cut, and its high degree of refrangibility, the smallest fault is magnified, and becomes obtrusively visible to all. For this reason, also, it is by no means an easy matter, at all times, to ascertain whether a flaw is or is not superficial; and a person with a correct and well-practiced eye, may often purchase to great advantage, stones which appear to be flawed quite through, but which are in fact only superficially blemished.

Before leaving the subject of diamonds, it may be well to notice some other valuable stones that are much sought and prized for ornament. One of these is the oriental ruby. This, in its most esteemed color, is pure carmine, or a blood-red of considerable intensity, forming, when well polished, a blaze of the most exquisite and unrivaled tint. It is, however, more or less pale, and mixed with blue in various proportions; and hence it occurs rose-red, and reddish-white, crimson, peach-blossom red, and lilac-blue, the latter variety being named the oriental amethyst. It is a native of Pegu, and is said to be found in the sand of certain streams near the capital of the country; and it also occurs, with the sapphire, in the sands of the rivers of Ceylon. A ruby which is perfect both in color and transparency, is much less common than a good diamond; and when of the weight of three or four carats, is even more valuable than a diamond of the same size. The king of Pegu, and the monarchs of Asia and Siam, monopolize the finest rubies, in the same way as the sovereigns of India make a monopoly of diamonds. The finest ruby in the world is in possession of the first of these kings. Its purity has passed into a proverb, and its worth, when compared with gold, is inestimable. The dubah of Deccan, also, possesses a remarkably fine one, which is a full inch in diameter. The princes of Europe can not boast of any rubies of first-rate magnitude.

The oriental sapphire ranks next in value to the ruby. When it is perfect, its color is a clear and bright Prussian blue, united to a high degree of transparency. The astoria or star-stone, is a remarkable variety of this beautiful gem: it is semi-transparent, with a reddish purple tinge. And beside these, there are the red sapphire, often called the oriental ruby, and the yellow sapphire, which is called the oriental topaz. And in addition to these precious stones, or gems, there are also the emerald, of a beautiful green color; the topaz, which is of a yellow or light wine-color, and which by being heated, sometimes becomes rose-red, so as to be passed off as a ruby; the jasper and chalcedony, which are of various colors; the onyx, which is a regularly banded agate, much prized for cameos, especially where the colors are very distinct and different; the cornelian, which is properly a red or flesh-colored chalcedony, much valued for seal-stones, &c.; and the blood-stone, or heliotrope, which is deep green, and somewhat translucent, and variegated by blood-red spots: all of which are much used in the various departments of jewelry.

We have reserved for this place, a notice of the hot-well at Clifton, England, which would have been mentioned in connection with the Geysers and other hot springs, but from its connection with the beautiful crystals known as Bristol stones or diamonds, some of which are so hard as to cut glass, and are exceedingly clear, colorless and brilliant. When set in rings, in their natural state, these stones often appear of as high a polish and luster, as if they had been wrought by the most skillful lapidary.

The warm spring, or fountain, in the vicinity of which they are found, is called the hot-well. It is in the parish of Clifton, and is so copious as to discharge sixty gallons of water in a minute. It rises forcibly from an opening in the solid rock, at about twenty-six feet below high-water mark. On its immediate influx from the rock, the water is much warmer than when it is pumped up for drinking, for it is raised by pumps some thirty feet. Its qualities in a medicinal point of view are supposed to be valuable; but it is not on this point that we propose to dwell, and therefore we pass on to the rocks in the neighborhood, near which the Bristol stones are found. Just below the hot-well, there rises a noble range of hills, which are not more remarkable for their hight, than for their being equally so on both sides the river, the strata in some places answering on each side for about a mile and a half in a serpentine course. These constitute one of the greatest natural curiosities in England. The rock beyond the hot-well, and on the same side, is named St. Vincent’s, a chapel dedicated to that saint having been formerly built on its summit. It is in hight three hundred feet, and has a majestic appearance. It supplies the naturalist with many curious fossils, the botanist with a variety of scarce plants, the antiquary with the remains of a Roman camp, and the less curious inquirer with a view of a most dreadful and surprising precipice.

The rocks in general, when broken up, are of a dusky red, brown or chocolate colored marble, very hard and close-grained, and which, on being struck with a hammer, emit a strong sulphureous smell. It will bear a polish equal to any foreign marble; and, when sawed into slabs and polished, appears beautifully variegated with veins of white, bluish-gray, or yellow. It is often employed for chimney-pieces; but it is principally used for making lime, for which purpose there is no stone in England so well calculated, nor is there any lime so strong, fine, and white, which excellent qualities occasion great demand for foreign consumption.

Here, and in the vicinity, laborers are daily employed in blowing up the rocks with gunpowder, by which process vast fragments are frequently thrown down, and repeatedly strike the precipice with a dreadful crash, which, combined with the loud report of the explosion, reëchoed from side to side by the lofty cliffs, makes a noise resembling thunder, for which it is frequently mistaken by strangers. It is the opinion of the greater part of those who have viewed these rocks, that they were once united, and were separated by some terrible convulsion of nature. A bridge of one arch, from rock to rock, over the Avon, has long been in contemplation; but if the blowing up of these rocks should still be persisted in, the design will be rendered impracticable. This is the more to be regretted, because stone of the same quality is to be procured lower down the river.