Finger Rings

1895

What to Wear and on Which Finger You May Wear Them.

While for many years diamonds and other jewelry have been pronounced bad form for street wear, it being permissible for them to make appearance with dinner and evening gowns only, rings of every variety are allowable from morning until night.

The wearing of a ring on the second finger went out of fashion long ago, and even the handsomest of jewels worn there is considered a mistake, stamping the wearer as, to say the least, decidedly provincial.

Thumb rings have been attempted very often, but the fad has never had many followers, one reason perhaps being that it is a very uncomfortable practice.

The first finger is as bad as the second, as far as fashion decrees, and to the third and little fingers falls the entire responsibility of wearing these jeweled circles.

The idea of the third finger of the left hand being reserved for engagement and wedding rings still holds good, but as many other rings as can find place on that finger are also permissible.

Some women give evidence of considerable artistic taste in the artistic way in which they order their jewels set. The marquise rings are always favorites, for they make the fingers look long and slender. Three large stones, two diamonds and a ruby, emerald or sapphire make a ring which is very popular.

Turquoises in every shape, but always encircled with diamonds, are very fashionable and extremely becoming to the hand.

Very rarely is any single stone, unless it be a diamond, set alone.

The fad of wearing a birthday stone is a well known one, and almost every woman has a ring set with the stone accredited to the month in which she was born.

If the stone, as is generally the case, be not one of those classed as precious, it is generally set deep in a small gold band and worn so that it does not show forth very prominently. —Vogue.

Boys "Catch" Peck of Gold

1920

Two Young Fishermen Bring Up Hidden Treasure From River.

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island. — The Pawcatuck River gave up one peck of gold to Claude and Clinton Azarmarskie while fishing in the rear of the home of Tristram D. Babcock at Avondale.

The catch, made in a grain bag, consisted of watch chains and ornaments of 14-karat gold. The boys took bag and contents to their home and Patrolman Curtin was notified.

The police believe the chains and lavalieres were stolen and that the thief, fearing detection, threw the bag into the river. The boys are hoping for a reward, and if the owner of the valuables is not found they will ask that the bag of gold be returned to them.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Aug. 7, 1920, p. 5.

Recover Pin Stolen in 1874

1920

Police Find Student's Jewel After Lapse of 46 Years.

ELKTON, Maryland. — A valuable stickpin, stolen from the late Wilber Eliason of Chestertown, forty-six years ago, was recovered by the police of Kansas City, Mo., when found on a prisoner. The pin bears Mr. Eliason's name. The chief of police of the Western city wrote to the Chestertown authorities in trying to get a record of the thief. Eliason was relieved of his valuables while a student at Yale College in 1874.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Aug. 7, 1920, p. 5.

Iron Jewelry No Novelty

1916

Many months ago, almost from the beginning of the war, we were told that German women, following the example of their great-grandmothers, voluntarily gave up their gold rings, necklets, earrings, bracelets and ornaments of every description, to be made or coined into money for the national need.

Whatever truth there may be in this story, there is no doubt that many German women have been presented by the government with iron rings to replace the gold ones they have parted with.

But that happened a century ago. Then Prussia, crushed by Napoleon, and bankrupt, was in dire need of money, and the Prussian women gave up all their jewels and ornaments to help cope with the prevailing poverty. And out of this sacrifice a new industry arose.

This was nothing less than the manufacture of cast-iron jewelry to replace the gold and silver ornaments which the great ladies of the kingdom had given up. At first sight no material would seem less promising as a substitute for the precious metals than iron. It was entirely owing to the wonderful craftsmanship of the ironworkers that the results were so extraordinary.

Strength, of course, would be a distinguishing mark of such jewelry, and a complete set of these iron ornaments, now in the possession of a Toronto (Canada) jeweler, is as rigid and firm as on the day it was made. This particular set, comprising a pair of earrings, necklet, locket and bracelets, has not been looked after until lately.

The ornaments have a wonderfully fragile appearance, due entirely to the exquisite workmanship. Their weight, too, is astonishingly small, the lightness of every article being quite a feature of the set.

Gets $500 for Finding Gems

1916

Woman Rewards Hotel Maid Who Returns Jewels.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — The recovery of $50,000 worth of gems lost by Mrs. Lee Meriwether of St. Louis in the William Penn Hotel in this city increased the bank account of Miss Margaret Casey of Bloomfield by $500.

The girl, employed as a maid in the hotel, found the jewels in the bed occupied by Mrs. Meriwether. On turning them over to their owner she received the $500 as a reward for her honesty.

Mrs. Meriwether was speeding toward Cleveland when she discovered her jewels were missing. The train was stopped and she disembarked, hired an automobile and hurried back to the hotel. Much to her astonishment and relief, she found the jewels awaiting her in the hotel office.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 5.

Gem From Mouth of A Corpse

1916

Dentist Removes $100 Diamond From Dead Man's Tooth.

ALTOONA, Pennsylvania. — Just before the funeral of Caramel Bave, a jewelry salesman, his $100 diamond which he had set between his two upper front teeth some years ago was removed by a dentist. His family had not thought of disturbing the gem in his mouth until it was suggested that grave robbers might attempt to recover it.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 4.

Gems of 1900 B.C. Exhibited in U.S.

1919

ARE BRIGHT AS NEW, THO 3800 YEARS OF AGE.

Were Worn by Egyptian Princess and Found in 1914 by English Scientist.

NEW YORK, N. Y. — Jewelry worn by an Egyptian princess of the twelfth dynasty, nineteen hundred years before the Christian era, was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It is declared to be the finest collection of personal adornment ever brought out of Egypt.

When marauders entered the tomb of Princess Sathathoriunut at some odd moment in the last 3,800 years they took away her mummy and even the elaborate funeral trappings, but overlooked a niche containing the wonderfully wrought ornaments she wore when attending the ancient equivalent for a first night at the opera.

Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie, head of an English archaeological society, dug the collection out in 1914, and today it looks as bright as if it had just come from the makers.

It consists of a gold necklace inlaid with carnelian lapis lazuli and green feldspar and another pectoral similarly made of King Senusert II., father of the princess.

There is also a gold collar of double lion heads, a girdle of gold with rhombic jeweled heads, a necklace of amethyst with gold lion claw pendants, armlets and bracelets with gold bars and beads of gold, carnelian and turquoise; and parts of the princess' jewel box, made of ebony with gold and carved ivory panels.

The jewels are identified as belonging to the princess by her name and the name of her father in cartouches on the larger pieces. According to custom, the Cairo museum retained the choice of the collection, a diadem.

Since its purchase by the museum the collection has been in a vault in London, stipulation having been made that it should remain there until six months after hostilities closed.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Jan. 3, 1920, p. 12.

Skinning a Pearl

1902

The lapidary was skinning a pearl. He had on gloves of a very delicate sort of kid, and the glasses that he wore had lenses of such great magnifying power that his eyes, through them, looked as big as saucers.

"I wear gloves," he said, "because the hands perspire freely in this work, and perspiration has often been known to discolor pearls. This stone was injured by the accidental dropping on it of some acid. The disaster discolored it, you see. With this very delicate little tool I am removing its outer skin, and if I find that the acid has filtered through and discolored the inner skin also I may remove that as well.

"A pearl, you see, is composed of concentric layers, or skins, and you can, if you are a clever workman, peel it down and down until it disappears. That operation, indeed, is often done by the apprentices of the lapidary trade. They work on spoiled, worthless pearls, and the experience is very good for them. It teaches them a great deal about the pearl's anatomy, and it gives wonderful cunning to their hands. The pearl is the only precious stone that can he skinned. To skin it is often the only way to restore its milky color." — Philadelphia Record.

May Yet Make Diamonds

1905

Inventors Hope to Eliminate Silicon from New Carbon Compound

Utilization of waste products has taken a long step forward, according to the inventors of a new furnace, as by their method of combustion the well-known abrasive, in its present chemical combination of silicon and carbon, is simply a byproduct and until its identity with the commercial product was established was given away for ornaments, valued because of their attractive crystalline formation and peculiar coloring.

Since its value was indicated the waste has been subjected to all sorts of tests and in some instances has shown a slightly greater degree of hardness than the carborundum produced by means of the electric current applied at enormous voltage for a number of hours, which is slightly less than that of the diamond.

This fact has started investigations which lead to the hope, based, it is said, on good foundation, that the silicon may be entirely eliminated from the product, leaving it pure carbon, chemically the counterpart of the diamond. It is asserted that with a proper selection of materials for combustion in the furnace this result can be obtained, and while the carborundum at present produced has a high commercial value the investors are not inclined to rest content with that if anything more valuable is in sight.

Burma — Home of the Ruby

1910

Practically All the Valuable Stones Are the Product of That Country's Mines

All the world's great rubies come from the mines of the Mogok valley, India. There are four principal mines in the valley, in each of which modern tools and machinery are used, which facilitate the proper examination of a large amount of byon or ruby-bearing clay each day.

In the nearby valleys the Burmans still prosecute their searches in the old way, digging and washing by hand labor, but often with astonishing results. In the large workings the system has been reduced to a science with corresponding results. The work goes on day and night. The ruby-bearing clay is extracted by the open quarry method of removing all the surface down to the valuable clay, which is then dug up, carried on trolleys to the steam cleansing mill, washed, passed through the sieves, and then examined for rubies and spinels.

The byon stretches almost everywhere along the Mogok valley, and wherever this clay exists rubies are to be found. Besides the pure ruby, spinel or balas rubies are found in large quantities in the same neighborhood. Wherever the ruby is found the spinel is sure to crop up close beside it. They are both crystals of alumina, but of different shapes. Except in a few rare cases the expert can easily distinguish between the two stones, although they are very much alike to the naked eye.

The Burman is inclined to invent his savings in rubies and diamonds, which may be readily realized upon in times of financial stress. Rubies are more precious than diamonds, and are practically indestructible except by fire. During the season as many as 2,000 Burmans are employed in the mines.

Took Ghost's Word for It

Took Ghost's Word for It

1914

New York Woman Declares Father's Spirit Told Her That Friend Had Purloined Ring

Through the proxy of Mrs. Ida Shapiero of Brooklyn, the ghost of her father appeared as a witness before Magistrate Miller in the New Jersey Avenue police court of that borough, alleging that Mrs. Clara Steiner, who occupies an apartment on the same floor with Mrs. Shapiero, had stolen a $150 ring belonging to her.

Mrs. Shapiero charged that Mrs. Steiner had visited her on July 3 and was upward of an hour in her bedoom, which Mrs. Shapiero had occasion to leave once or twice. In a drawer of the dresser reposed the ring. On July 4, when Mrs. Shapiero missed her ring she went looking for Mrs. Steiner, and learned she had gone to Paterson, N. J.

"But sure as I am here, your honor," said Mrs. Shapiero, "the figure of my departed father appeared to me. I could see him as plainly as you yourself sitting before me. He spoke slowly. He said: 'Mrs. Steiner has your ring. She took it from a drawer in your dressing table. Take her into court and recover your property.' "

Whether Magistrate Miller pinned faith in the evidence of the astral father of Mrs. Shapiero or was unsatisfied with the answers made by Mrs. Steiner, who, among other things, declared most earnestly she did not steal the ring, does not appear as a matter of record, but he held her in $500 bail for the grand jury.


Mayor's Pleasant Duty

A pretty ceremony took place at Newcastle, England, recently, when the customs of "Barge Day" were observed, and the mayor and corporation sailed up the river to "claim the soil" of the Tyne. The great moment of the ceremony is the landing, when the mayor has the delightful, if invidious, privilege of selecting any young lady he pleases from the assembled crowd and giving her a kiss and a sovereign. The sheriffs also choose a fair lady on whom to bestow a kiss and a gift, and the mayoress is expected to make some useful present to the damsel kissed by his worship.

Steals Ring From Baby

New York, 1914

Burglar Cleans Out House and Then Plunders Infant

The meanest man in the world, new 1914 spring and summer model, broke into Herman J. Boecklin's house, in Kent, Westchester county yesterday.

He stole two watches, a diamond ring, silverware, bric-a-brac, and $18 which he found under a mattress. He also took the family revolver. But to show what he was capable of he proceeded as follows:

He took a piece of soap and greased 14-month-old Helen Boecklin's finger slipping off her little gold ring.

He cut a gold chain and locket from her neck.

He smashed her toy bank and took $4.63.

Lest Helen should cry, he took her out of her crib while he stole her jewelry. Then he went away leaving her on the floor. Her cries brought neighbors who discovered the burglary. — The New York Herald.