I Pass From Paris To London: ‘Malacoot’

Louis Kornitzer's book, Gem Trader, is partly autobiographical and partly woven round the lore of pearls. It's educational + explains the distribution chain of gems, as they pass from hand to hand, from miner to cutter, from merchant to millionaire, from courtesan to receiver of stolen goods, shaping human lives as they go + the unique characters in the gem industry.

(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:

There was no doubt that he was ready to carry out his threat with interest. The other man sat for a moment and weighed up his chances.
‘Curse you,’ he said, glaring with rage. ‘If you had only telephoned to ask me if the stone had got inadvertently into one of my parcels when I was comparing quality, I should have taken no offence.’
‘You compared nothing,’ I broke in.
‘Where is the stone?’ demanded my client inexorably.
Well, we did not come away without it, anyhow. When my client had it safely in his wallet he turned to the thief and said: ‘Our silence respecting this matter can be bought by a donation of five hundred francs to such and such charity.’

The other went to his safe, and as though it were the most ordinary transaction in the world, laid five notes on the table. Then he sat down at his desk and wrote in a steady, clear and precise hand a receipt worded thus: ‘We, the undersigned (here our names were inserted), in consideration of Blank’s have contributed five hundred francs in cash to a certain charity, undertake solemnly to preserve an unbroken silence during the lifetime of Blank concerning an affair of honor touching him closely. May the good Lord preserve us from all temptation.’
We duly signed, marvelling. Nor have we broken our promise, though Blank has been in the spirit world for many years.

One dealer for whom I often did business was M Roeder, an illiterate self-made man who was an acknowledged expert in rubies and sapphires of the finest grades. He never bought his stones fully cut, but either in the rough (for preference), or Indian cut; that is, indifferently shaped and faceted. M Roeder taught me that it is never wise to send a large parcel of goods to the lapidary, however reputable.

‘There is too much temptation,’ he used to say, ‘to slip in what does not belong. Besides, why give an opportunity to suspect the lapidary if a parcel does not turn out as well as expected?’ It may be necessary to explain that however well graded, a parcel of gems in the rough will often give unpredictable results when the stones have been ground and polished. They may either disappoint or turn out like Cinderella in the fairy tale.

When Roeder gave out his goods he weighed each stone separately, noted its weight, drew its contour and finally immersed it in a glass of water to ascertain in which corner of it lay the concentrated coloring matter. His clerk wrote all these particulars down and the parcel was then divided into five or more parts and distributed among as many lapidaries, some in London, some in Paris, some in the French Jura. When they came back faceted he could thus check up pretty well on every stone. If the returns from one or the other of his lapidaries proved repeatedly and startlingly inadequate, he withdrew his custom.

On one occasion he gave out a stone from which he had reason to expect a fine finished specimen, but it was returned apparently a failure of no great quality. He suspected the lapidary, and without telling me why, he instructed me to find him a ruby—the gem was a ruby—of approximately the size and quality he had expected from his own rough stone. He suggested that one of the lapidaries might have such a stone; he mentioned the suspected lapidary by name. I was not to ask point-blank about the required stone, but to make the inquiry vague and not to disclose that it was wanted for a dealer.

I executed the commission and brought back a fine ruby.

‘This is my stone,’ said Roeder as soon as he saw it. According to custom, since I would not leave it with him, he sealed it up and returned it to me. A few hours later the lapidary sent for me and asked me to deliver the stone to Roeder, who had himself settled the account.

How it was settled I learned from Roeder. He had charged the lapidary outright with theft, and when the latter had denied it angrily and threatened legal proceedings, Roeder said calmly: ‘You can take what action you choose. I am going to attach the stone which is now under my seal in the broker’s hands. If you bring an action, I shall challenge you to produce your books and disclose from whom you bought the stone cut, or if in the rough, whether it was in the opinion of the man who sold it to you likely to turn out as well as the stone under dispute. I shall break you and you will be hounded out of the trade. Choose. Give me the stone and you shall still have some of my work, for you are a master of your craft and I do not believe you will deceive me again. Ca y est? Donnez-moi la main, monsieur.’

I Pass From Paris To London: ‘Malacoot’ (continued)