The keenest observers of the international situation have been struck by the fact that the purchasers of gold, silver and precious stones have been far more numerous than they were before the war. me "Dai News"? has drawn attention to the inordinate amount of luxury spending that was a marked feature of the London Christmas shopping season.
Now, Mr. Sisley Huddleston, writing from the continental standpoint in "The Venture," states Tens of thousands of pounds weight of precious metals have been made-up into jewellery in most of the western countries.
in spite of the price having doubted for the gold, quadrupled for the silver and quintupled for the platinum. The craze for pearls and diamonds and rubies may be in part explained by the desire to have portable riches which cannot fly to the four winds like paper money. This may account for the insane speculations pt Amsterdam. but at Paris and London and at New York the mere mania for expensive decoration and for visible and flaunting wealth is undoubtedly the chief motive for the purchase of trinkets which has increased prices tenfold.
During 1919 the amount of gold. silver, and platinum used in plate and ornaments was double that of 1913. At the Goldsmiths' Company the "Daily News" was informed that this proportion was, roughly, being maintained.
Gold has disappeared from the currency: Silver is at such a high price that nickel is being seriously considered as a substitute for coinage purposes. Yet, at the same time, in the business announcements of the leading goldsmiths and silversmiths may be found references to all kinds of elaborate articles made from these two precious metals. One company has an expert staff which specializes in the production of silver models of guns, etc., for military and other presentation purposes alone.
It is being urged in many quarters that the Treasury should invite
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.