Lapidary industry
Posted May 1st, 2009 by adminDespite vicissitudes, the lapidary industry has grown steadily, and almost everyone in this district is connected with the stone trade, be he merchant, lapidary, driller, or dealer. The craft passes through succeeding generations, experience is handed on, and it would be difficult to compete with this class of work in any other country. Craftsmanship and organization in working and marketing the finished stones have been brought to a fine pitch with characteristic German thoroughness. One had only to spend a few days in Idar-Oberstein and note the buyers of different nationalities there to realise that here was the world market for semi-precious stones. In addition to the actual cutting, much mounting into medium priced articles of jewelry was carried out.
The district is actually well situated for this industry, which has such widely international interests. It is readily accessible by rail from every country on the Continent, yet it lies in a beautiful region of mountains, rivers, valleys and forests, away from the diversions of any large town. The river Nahe which winds through the valleys has been of considerable importance in building up the industry, as has also the neighboring mountains. For very many years, the Nahe supplied water power for the large wheels used in slitting and grinding the agates, while the rough agate itself was found close by and worked until the deposits were exhausted. The hills also supplied some of the stone wheels which were used, hard sandstone laps of great size and most suitable for the working of agates and other types of quartz. Water power is still used to some extent, but most mills have now turned to electrical power, which is supplied cheaply by the grid system. Also the great sandstone wheels have now been mostly replaced by vitrified grinding wheels, carborundum being used as the abrasive for all stones with a hardness below 8.
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