THE STORY OF A DIAMOND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 285, 2 December 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE STORY OF A DIAMOND.

<6ent In t>7 Doreen Stubbs, Tinopal, Kaipara.)

It was a beautiful ring, certainly. Ibther had given it to mother for her birthday, and Audrey -was never tired of looking at it. She would beg mother to let her hold it in her hands, p.nd •would sit by the fire burning and twisting it about, and watching _ the lovely colours in the stone in the middle of the ring. •' . To-day she was sitting up in her mother's dressing room, while mother was getting ready to go out, and she had been allowed to have the ring to look at until mother should want it. Audrey carried it off in triumph, and sat down in her little chair close by the fire, and looked at the boautiful stone. It was a diamond—just a single stone, but a very fine one. Mother was talking to Parker, the maid, who was helping her to get dressed, and they were not paying much attention to Audrey. "You are very beautiful," she said, putting the ring on her finger and holding it so that it flashed in the firelight. "I wonder how you came to be so beautiful?"

"I'll tell you, if you like," said a voice. Audrey turned round hastily, but mother and Parker were busy at the far end of the room; it was not they who had spoken. "You must listen attentively, and not interrupt," went on the voice, "or I ehall not be able to finish before I am wanted. Hold me up higher, and then yon can hear and see better." It was the stone —there was 110 doubt about it. Audrey was delighted. "Now put me close to your eye, and look into mc," said the diamond, "and tell mc what you see." "I see a funny tunnel sort of place," eaid Audrey, "with a sort of little railway, and men working at a kind of blue clay." "That's right," said the diamond; "that's inside the mine where I was found. It was far away in South Africa. There were a good many of us there, but not many so line as I was, I must say. We had lain there in our comfortable blue bed for a good many years, but my torn came at last, and then —just give me a twist, and I'll show yon another picture." Audrey turned the ring, and looked again. A man was holding something in his hand, and was apparently splitting little bits off it. *TTes," said the diamond, "that was the first thing they did to me, and it wasn't a very pleasant operation for me, I can tell you. I was done up in resin and brickdust, and fastened to a small •wooden rod, and then the man decided ■where he was going to split me, in order to make me into the proper octahedral shape.

"Oh, wait a minute!" said Audrey. "Would you mind telling me what octahedral means?"

"Certainly," said the diamond; "eight sided. All good diamonds readily take up the eight-sided shape. I did at once. Now give mo another turn, and I'll show you the next stage. Well, what do you eeo?" "A man with queer thick glasses on," said Audrey, "rubbing something over a little box." "Quite right," said the diamond, "that's mo being cut. They put me into cement, leaving just the little bit they ■wanted to rub down exposed, and then rubbed." "What did they rub with?" said Audrey. "I thought diamonds wero all so hard that you could do anything with them."

"You are quite right," said the stone. "We are among the hardest things known, but they rub one of us against another, and tiic dust falls into that little box and is carefully collected, for it is very valuable. I was made into a 'brilliant,' which is the best sort of. diamond. Are you ready for another picture ?" Audrey gave another turn and a ■wheel whizzing round and round, while two or three small round balls (as it seemed) were placed on it. "Ah!" said the diamond, "that's the polishing. The wheel was covered with diamond dust and moistened with oil, and each one of us was placed in a sort of cup containing solder, and just the bit of us to be polished was left exposed as before. Of course it was the polishing that gave me so much colour, you know." "What conies next?" said Audrey.

Turn and see," said the diamond. "That's the setting. All sorts of beauttfnl designs ara made, you know, to ehow lis off. Mine, you see, is quite simple. After this process very little remains to be said; we are then put in eases and sold. But if I had time I could

tell you many wonderful stories of adventures that some of us have had." "Oh, do go oii," said Audrey. "I should love to hear them." "Hush!" said the diamond, "not now. I am wanted. Some other time, perhaps, when we get an opportunity, I will show you more pictures." "That will be splendid!" said Audrey. "When shall we have it?" "Audrey! Audrey!" called her mother. "Where is my ring, darling? Be quick, I must put it on at once. I'm afraid I am late already!" "Here you are, mother!" said Audrey, just pressing the ring to her lips for a moment, and whispering, "Good-bye." —Copied from "The Nature Book."