Garland Globe | 1906-03-10 | Page 6 | Expense of Paste Diamonds

EXPENSE OF PASTE DIAMONDS. Material from Which Imitation Gems Are Mado Is Not Cheap. "Paste," from which imitation precious stones aro made, ia widely known, but fow nro acquainted with tho Ingredients, though It Is generally understood that tho pasto gains its brilliancy from the lead It contains. Formulas vary for tho paste, but all contain rock crystal, red lend, car-bonato car-bonato ot potash, borax and whlto arsenic. ar-senic. It is required that these articles shall -bo of a higher grado of purity, as thero Is n considerablo waste, so that the gems mado from "strass," as tho composition Is technically known, aro by no means Inexpensive. A pasto diamond cannot scratch glass nnd Is thus easily detected, hut colored stones aro made of crystal alono that aro considerably harder than glass. In tho making of thoso n crystal stono Is hollowed out nnd filled wltli somo colored liquid, tho orifice being closed with a plug of crystal, which Is ground down so that thcro Is no traco of th.o Junction. Now York Herald.