Newspaper Article, May , 1927

May, 1927 The KEYSTONE Page 181 Erroneous Newspaper Article Regarding Platinum Arouses Jewelry Industry Article Entitled "Accidental Discovery That Will Make Platinum Cheaper Than Gold" Appearing in Recent Issue of the AMERICAN WEEKLY, a Supplement to Numerous Hearst Newspapers, Attributes Untrue Statements to Government Experts- Industry Aroused to Fighting Pitch by Story Which Is Termed Damaging to the Jewelry Business ROBABLY none of the recent misleading or actually Of the discovery of the "inexhaustible" platinum supply in P erroneous statements regarding jewel values which have the Transvaal, it is said in the article that, although extensive appeared in various newspapers throughout the country mining operations have not yet begun, enough concerning it is has excited such an intense feeling of resentment among the known to make certain that, in the near future, platinum will jewelry trade at large as the article entitled "Accidental Dis- cost no more than gold and may even be considerably cheaper. covery That Will Make Platinum Cheaper Than Gold" which It is further stated that the result of this "great strike" will be appeared in the American Weekly for Sunday, April 10. The that women who pay much more than the price of gold to have Weekly is a supplement to publications such as the New York their jewels set in a metal which looks "exactly like nickel" American, Atlanta American, Chicago Herald and Examiner, will no longer favor platinum with the consequence that it will Milwaukee Sentinel Telegram and other papers of the Hearst gradually disappear from jewelry stores. Syndicate. Since appearance of the article, THE KEYSTONE So much for a review of the article itself. Few jewelers who offices have been deluged with letters from jewelers in all parts read it will fail to be aroused to the fact that it is high time for of the United States denouncing the story as being decidedly the industry to take very definite moves to put an end to such harmful to their business and questioning the truth of the state- damaging publicity-and particularly so when the actual truth ments made. of the matter is ascertained. Immediately upon the appearance of the article, THE KEY- STONE set about to investigate the matters referred to as did Mr. Hess Refutes Statements Attributed to Him the National Jewelers' Publicity Association. It was at once sought to determine the truth of the statements attributed to In reply to a letter from John Drake, executive secretary of the United States Bureau of Mines and Frank L. Hess, the the National Jewelers' Publicity Association inquiring relative Government's chief expert in rare metals. The result of these to the statements attributed to the Bureau of Mines, Frank L. investigations more than justifies the rigorous complaints which Hess replied in part as follows: have been lodged against those responsible for the article and "Since your wire of April 11 I have gotten hold of the article prove beyond a doubt that this was another case where a news- to which you referred, but which I had not previously seen. paper, in an effort to get something glaring and startling into "The part in which the Bureau of Mines and I are quoted is its news columns, followed the policy of "publication without untrue in its general import and in several of the particular thinking." statements. The Bureau of Mines has never, to my knowledge, Dealing with the discovery of a so-called "inexhaustible" made any statement in this connection, nor have I made those supply of platinum in the Transvaal of South Africa, the writer attributed to me, either officially or personally. of the article uses this as a basis for a number of statements reflecting on the integrity of the jeweler and the value of his "The history of the article is, I believe, this: One of the merchandise which are injurious to say the least. Moreover, writers of syndicate newspaper articles has been coming to me subsequent events have served to prove that few if any of these for years for 'stories.' These I have attempted to give him from statements are founded on facts. time to time as I found something that seemed of general inter- est, with the understanding that I was not to be quoted, nor Bureau of Mines "Quoted" was the Bureau to be quoted. He had obtained a copy of a The article attributes to the United States Bureau of Mines a short article I recently wrote on the platinum deposits of statement to the effect that a large amount of nickel is sold in Wyoming ('Platinum near Centennial, Wyoming,' U. S. Geol. jewelers' shops for platinum and at the price of platinum. In Surv. Bull. 780-C 1926), a copy of which I enclose. He then addition to this, Frank L. Hess, Chief Engineer of the Minerals wanted me to tell him something of the platinum deposits and and Metals Division of the Bureau of Mines, is quoted as having platinum metals in general, which I did. I made no such state- said that many people are now wearing jewels set in what they ments as that nickel is being sold by jewelers as platinum; and fondly believe to be platinum, but which, in reality, is only concerning white gold, I told him that the American patents nickel-a fraud which they will never discover unless they have covering white gold mentioned alloys of about 71/2 to 18 karat occasion to dispose of the ornaments. Mr. Hess is credited with gold or as pure as gold ordinarily used in jewelry. saying that white gold also is sometimes substituted for platinum. "I am amazed at the statements made in this article and can "his is also described as "an alloy of gold, nickel and zinc- only assume that they arose from the fact that the gentleman hich may contain as much as 80 per cent of the base metals. is very deaf, and it is more than likely that in some way he looks exactly like platinum." confused the 18 karat with 80 per cent and then applied it to The article then proceeds to comment on the "huge" profits the base metal-content of the alloys. ined by jewelers on platinum sales. It is said that, if a cus- "I regret exceedingly, as does the director, not only the ner were to take a diamond to a reliable jeweler and have it unfortunate misquotations, but that either the Bureau or I in platinum, the ring when delivered would probably contain were mentioned in the article in any way. I am sure that I can out one-tenth of an ounce of the platinum, or an amount speak for the director in saying that the Bureau desires only to >rth about $11. For this, the writer states, the jeweler will be helpful, not only to the jewelry trade, but to all other users >bably charge $120-which means that his profit is well and producers of mineral.' r $100. (Continued on page 182)