"What is a diamond? Not everybody knows. The jeweler tells you by instinct growing from long practice, the false from the true He will judge by colour, brilliancy, hardness and specific gravity- that is he should go deep as the latter. The mineralogist will tell you scientifically what a diamond is; but he knows little of the shape, colour, and real beauty of the crystal as a gem. As for the public though there be good judges amongst them, they know but little. They have been deceived by forged and imitated notes, by things issued from the bank of Elegance, instead of from the Bank of England. What wonder, then, if in a more difficult matter they are cheated? What wonder that they scarcely tell the real and pure gem from the Faux brilliance,et morceaux de verre of which satirist speaks? Let us try, therefore, to unite, for a moment, the jeweler and savant, in describing the diamond, joining the two together for the benefit of the public."