. Precious stones, a popular account of their characters, occurrence and applications, with an introduction to their determination, for mineralogists, lapidaries, jewellers, etc. With an appendix on pearls and coral. Precious stones; Pearls; Corals. QUARTZ (AGATE): CUTTING 519 is described to be of local origin this is not actually the case. The agate-cutting industry has been monopolised by Oberstein for centuries, and in no part of the world, not even in India, has it anything approaching a rival. Wherever a cut agate is seen it may be pretty safely stated that it was worked at Oberstein. Th
. Precious stones, a popular account of their characters, occurrence and applications, with an introduction to their determination, for mineralogists, lapidaries, jewellers, etc. With an appendix on pearls and coral. Precious stones; Pearls; Corals. QUARTZ (AGATE): CUTTING 519 is described to be of local origin this is not actually the case. The agate-cutting industry has been monopolised by Oberstein for centuries, and in no part of the world, not even in India, has it anything approaching a rival. Wherever a cut agate is seen it may be pretty safely stated that it was worked at Oberstein. The mineral is not only cut, bored, engraved, and coloured in these works, but frequently also mounted, usually in gilded brass. Specialisation in these works has been carried out to such an extent that each workman executes his part with perfect skill and the greatest possible rapidity. The consequence is. Fig. 90. Agate-grinding and polishing workshop at Oberstein. that the agate goods produced here are more perfect in workmanship and lower in price than those manufactured anywhere else. We will now consider the methods employed in rather more detail. Agaite-cutting.—The primary cause of the establishment of agate-cutting works at Oberstein was the presence of abundance of rough material in the neighbourhood. The earliest authentic record of the existence of the works dates back to 1497, but they were doubtless in existence before that date. After flourishing for some centuries, the industry gradually declined owing to the exhaustion of the native stores of rough material. The discovery of the Brazilian deposits about the year 1830 gave a fresh impetus to the trade, all the greater because the fresh material was specially suitable for the application of artificial colouring methods, which had been discovered a short time previously. At the present time scarcely any agate of local origin is cut at Oberstein, the rough material being obtained principally from Brazil, though som
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