The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-09-21 00:00:00

DIAMONDS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

The San Frcincisco Call publishes the following:—
There is probably no city in the world of a
similar population that has so large an amount of
wealth invested in precious stones as San Francisco.
Our citizens of Spanish descent have the partiality of
their race for precious stones. They own a vast
number, including diamonds, but exhibit a particular
preference for pearls and emeralds. The Hebrews of
the city are great buyers of precious stones, and own
not less than 5,000,000 dols. worth. Their fancy for
fine jewelry and gems is remarkable. The Germans
own a fair share of our gems, but, as a class, manifest
no special anxiety to collect them.

More jewelry is worn here than at the East, and of
the most expensive quality. The stock brokers are
the best diamond customers we have. They buy at all
times, but particularly when stocks are buoyant. The
star professionals are also liberal buyers.

It would be impossible for one person to enumerate,
or be aware of, all the fine collections of diamonds in
a city like San Francisco. Mrs. Leland Stanford
became the possessor a few months ago of a diamond
necklace of remarkable beauty. It was brought to
this city by an agent of one of the largest jewelry
houses in New York City, and the price paid for it
was 76,000 dollars.
. ihe greatest variety of fine jewelry owned by a pri-
vate personage on this coast including bracelets,
rings, medallions, &c., is the property of Mrs. Lloyd
Tevis, of this city, the whole having cost over 100,000
dols. Mr. Tevis is a good judge of diamonds, and is
fond of buying them.
Mr. J. B, Haggin is known as a diamond con-
noisseur. In his collection is a ruby formerly worn by
Lola Montez, which that noted actress sold for a few
hundred dollars. Subsequently Mr. Hagg,in ascer-
tained that it would cost him 5,000 dolls. or 6,000 doll.
to get it matched in England. His predilection for
precious stones has resulted in his lady having 80,000
dols, worth of gems and fine jewelry to choose from.
Mrs. Charles Crocker has 100,000 dole, worth of
diamonds, purchased at various times. Some of them
are most remarkable for brilliancy.
Mrs. Charles Main has 25,000 do's. worth of pre-
cious stones, her preference being for opals. The
Oriental opals are the best we get. Those procured
on the Central American coast are brittle. One of
the latter literally exploded during a thunderstorm in
this city a few years ago. There is more fire in the
Central American opals, but the Oriental ones are
considered the best.
Mrs. Thomas Sunderland has a diamond cross that is
matchless. She also has the finestdiamond watch in the
city and an exquisite assortment of stones. Her quartz
jewelry cost over 15,000 dole. She has a magnificent
quartz casket that cost 10,000 dols., and a quartz pow-
der box that cost 1,500 dots, both which are now at
the Paris Exposition as examples of American fine art.
The entire value of her gem collection is over 60,000
dole.

Mrs. Mackay is believed to have the largest and
finest sapphire in the world. It formerly belonged to
a Russian Prince, from whom Mrs. Mackay purchased
it for 750,000 francs. It is over an inch in diameter
and without a flaw. The same lady also has one of
the finest emeralds known to exist, and is further
happy in the possession of the finest pearl necklace in
Europe, which cost her 500,000 francs. Among other
valuable jewelry owned by the Bonanza Queen may be
mentioned a pair of diamond solitaire earrings valued at
22,000 dols. One was bought at the sale of the Duke of
Biunswisk's jewels, and it took a Paris jeweller two
years to fina a match for it. A set of coral, comprising
earrings, brooLh, coronet, bracelets &c., is of the most
delicate shade of pink, looking much like opals, each
piece being surrounded with diamonds. It is the
finest set of coral in the world, and took two years and
a half to get the pieces together. There is only one
like it in existence, which belongs to the Queen of
Portugal. Its value is 86,000 f. Mrs. Mackay has
several other pieces of jewelry, the whole valued at
over 2,500,000 f.
The wealthy people of Los Angeles invest all their
pin money in diamonds and fine 'jewelry. They are
great buyers. Mrs. Franklin, of San Joss 3, wears
elegant diamonds, and doubtless a large number of
the other ladies of that city do. There are several
million dollars' worth of diamonds in Virginia City in
private hands. The traffic in precious stones between
that point and San Francisco is important.