Faking It

Lewis Feuchtwanger. A Treatise on Gems, in Reference to Their Practical and Scientific Value. New York: A. Hanford, 1838.

The 19th-century consumer revolution increased demand for items of all sorts, especially for goods that signified refinement. Scientific discoveries such as electroplating enabled manufacturers to create watches and pieces of jewelry with skins of simulated gold and silver. Gemstones, too, could be imitated in a variety of ways that fooled even skilled experts. Here, the author describes the many imitation gems made of “paste” (i.e., glass).