CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 243 



IMITATION PEARLS AND DIAMONDS. 



The science of imitation of the works of nature has never been car- 

 ried to greater perfection than by the French ; and in none of its 

 branches does it excite more astonishment and admiration than in the 

 art of imitating precious stones. 



One of the most curious sights in Paris, or, indeed, in the whole 

 world, is afforded by a visit to the vast atelier of M. Bourguignon, sit- 

 uated at the Barriere du Trone, where the whole process of trans- 

 forming a few grains of dirty., heavy-looking sand into a diamond of 

 the purest water, is daily going on, with the avowed purpose of de- 

 ceiving everybody but the buyer. The sand employed, and upon 

 which everything depends, is found in the forests of Foutainebleau, 

 and enjoys so great a reputation in the trade, that large quantities are 

 exported. The coloring-matter for imitating emeralds, rubies, and 

 sapphires, is entirely mineral, and has been brought to high perfection 

 bv M. Bourguitrnon. He maintains in constant emplovinent about a 



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hundred workmen, besides a number of women and young girls, whose 

 business it is to polish the colored stones, and line the false pearls with 

 fish-scales and wax. The scales of the roach and dace are chiefly em- 

 ployed for this purpose, and form a considerable source of profit to the 

 fishermen of the Seine, in the environs of Corbeil, who bring them to 

 Paris in large quantities during the season. They must be stripped 

 from the fish while living, or the glistening hue which we admire so 

 much in the real pearl cannot be imitated. The Paris pearls have 

 been of late years perfected to so great a degree, that the Roman 

 pearl, which delighted our grandmothers by its supposed skillful imi- 

 tation of nature, has been entirely beaten out of the field. It is, how- 

 ever, to the " cultivation " of the diamond that M. Bourguignon has 

 devoted the whole of his ingenuity ; and were he to detail the mys- 

 teries of his craft, some of the most singular histories of " family dia- 

 monds " and " heir-looms " would be brought to light. The single fact 

 of the sudden falling off in the pattern orders, that is, execution of 

 orders according to pattern, on the decrease of the fareur of lansque- 

 net, gives rise to many a sad conjecture, and M. Bourguignon could 

 tell us the tale, no doubt, of the gradual conversion of the contents of 

 many a fair lady's ecrin, which coming to her on her marriage from 

 Fossard's splendid show-room, have been replaced, in secret, by Bour- 

 guignon, and worn in the very face of him who gave them, without 

 exciting the smallest suspicion. Often, on the other hand, has the 

 artist's skill been called into requisition to deceive the trusting wife, 

 who had confided her diamonds to the safe keeping of her husband or 

 his confidential man of business. Some curious coincidences, worthy 

 of dramatic record, have occurred in that same retired, distingue look- 

 ing shop of Bourguignon's on the Boulevard. A few months ago, one 

 of our fair compatriots entered it, looking rather flushed and excited, 

 and drawing from her muff a number of morocco cases of many shapes 

 and sizes, opened them one after another, and spread them out on the 



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