Poorer qualities of stones
The poorer qualities of nearly all stones are abundant and often do not realize more than a few shillings or dollars a carat. Actually, it seems wrong to cut poor quality stones since they only give a false impression of the true beauty of the finer qualities of the same variety of stone. But the better specimens are not so plentiful, and popular demand is often fulfilled by cutting rubbish. During the few years preceding 1939, when colored stone necklaces were very popular, poorly colored and faulty material was often cut to produce cheap jewelry, but this could not withstand competition from the best paste jewelry of the same price.<br />
Most types of quartz, which have been so popular during the last few years, can be purchased from about 25c. (2/-) a stone, amethysts reaching $14 (£5) a carat for very fine specimens. Huge quantities of beads in various stones were made between the years 1925 and 1935, when necklaces were universally worn. Price lulling, and the introduction of Japanese competition, resulted in their decline, both in value and demand. The Japanese commenced to cut rock crystal and amethyst in the form of beads about the year 1930, and they exported quantities of these stones. They were usually inferior in finish to German workmanship, and the surface facets were generally much broader than those seen on Continental produced beads.