The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-12-30 00:00:00

THE JEWELS OF THE EMPRESS OF
THE FRENCH.
(From tke Daily Ar ILI )

The jewels of the Empress EugCmie are for gals. Mr.
Harry Emanuel has many of them at his establishment in
New Bowl-street, London, and is now offering them to his
customers. There is no concealment as to the late own,-
ship. Mr. Emanuel had the magnificent collection he
showed on Saturday direct from the Empress, sail .any
the Jewels in it have been familiar through portraiture for
years. Few will read this announcement without regret.
the early gifts front the Emperor, the gorgeous diadem
wornnit occasions of send-state, the coptly offerings front
reigning vote:Matra, the small ornaments in daily use,
and those of insury and display, have all eome to be
appraised as merchandise, and to be sold for what they will
bring. A silo of personal effects and the distribution of
household gob a always suggest a mournful contrast between
their owner a past &lid present ; and to thousands the
fact that the esEmprese of the French is selling her
ornaments will speak with a homely significant.° which
the niore important circumstances atteniiing fallen
greatness lack. A lady parting with her jewels is ft
hard fact which is unmistakable, and it hi possible that the
popular sympathy will be more deeply roused than at any
event in the I tope. ial history Sillnu the lliht hosts Faris and
the surren ler at Sedan.

The c. fiat-rion is remark:idle in nanny ways. That of the
Prince Esterhuny was more valliable. but for taste anti wick-
nil 0.0;. lialied, with historical interest. it Is not too
much to say that nothing like it has been offered for sale
lit England within lit Mg memory, if at all. A mere cata-
legee of the articles slinws this. After the war between
France and An ,tria in 18511, and whim peace was tsencluiled,
the Empress had a head. ornainent of diamonds, worked
Into the form of an olive wreath, with blark besets intro-
duced in It at regular intervals. The olive Inmich told its own
story of Peace, and the sombre beads with which
the glittering brilliants were relieved Snare meant
to express sorrow for the soldiers who had fallen.
The workmanship is exquisite and the stones are of the first
water. 'this magnificent ornament Is valued at several
Moments of panels It would he Plipelitnolli to pass
euleadum upon the beauty or quality ..f the jewels. It is
sufficient to know that they were many of them designed
nrel nero by the Empress Faigknie in the days of her great-
ness, and that they nearly all speak of that personal taste
for which she was famous. The famous cross, suspended
from n pearl necklace, and represented in Winterhalter's
portrait, is composed of enieralds of the finest colour and
purity, while the pearls all moth each other In rice,
shape, and tint. Another necklace of black pearls
if large size took years to collect, for the pearls
match each other perfectly, anti those versed in the anbject
know how great in the difficulty of procuring a sufficient
number of these for a large ornament ti be composed of them
exclusively. There are pendants of large diamonds and
pearls in fringes of ten, whit% were won by the Empress
In combination with the crown jewels of France. Another
splendid head ornament is Composed of wheat ears in
diamonds, with a centre of COrnfloWera and gran also in
diamonds, which were capable of being detached, and were
oftener worn separately es dress ornaments than In their col-
lected him. The watch with chatelaine carried by the Empress
are also for sale, and form a remarkable piece of workman-
ship. The back of the watch, which is the sire of a small
or godless " 110th. Is jewelled with liamonds anti coloured
pretious stones, which the chatelaine matches; and the
setting is peculiarly delicate and tasteful. The our top-1
composed of Immense single brilliants were a present from
the Emperor, us woos bracelet with a large sapphire in the
centre and surrounded by diamonds. The last article is a
really splendid bauble, anti contrasts favourably with another
bracelet composed of many coloured stones, which is said
to have been presented by the Viceroy of Egypt. The
massive simplicity of the one, and the rather le mag-
nificence of the other, convey a 'minable lesson in the art of
selecting jewels, just as the aigrette of diamonds, emeralds,
and pearls presented by the Sultan makes the exquisite head
ornament of English make bought at the Exhibition t of 1802
seem the perfection of taste.
he wonderfully light brooch of brilliants made to repre-
sent an orchid with long pendant leaves and drops, is another
ornament to which putt taste gives additional value. The

same may he said of the necklace of large sapphires and dia-
monds with petals attached to it, each pearl weighing some
hundred grains and of the large diamond anchola wore Ine
shoulder ornaments by the Empress as Patroness of the
French fleet, and procured specially for the Imperial vialt to
Cherbourg ; and, indeed, nearly &lithe ornaments now °tiered
for sale. There is nod one which nloes uot suggest State fINKO•
entry and Imperial prolusenesa The nacre meney value of the
collection is from silty to eighty t hominoid pounds ; but it must
net be supposed that this represents the whole of the
Empress's stock ntf Jewels. Nlany of these ate too costly
and impoxing for arty position to life led that which was me-
'rally occupied by their fair owuer. The Deprens of Rus-
sia is understood to have purchased the celebrated suit of
rubies ; and it is known that there ant leanly articha of
out. us sabre still at Chisellnurst, which will be disposed
of when a purchaser cant be found. Most of the
jewels now at Mr. Emanuel's might bo worn with pro-
priety by any lady whose purse is long enough for their
purchase, while some, such as the watch anti the emerald,
ruby, LIM diametel hoop-riegs, speak of daily use by the
Empress. The triumphs and hennsgo these glittering gems
have seen, and the atmosphere of splendour In which they
have bet a displayed, are kOIOVII to all ; and the IOOVII of
their dispersion will turn thoughts to Chiselhurst, and
quicken the lively sympathy felt for the graceful, warm-
hearted lady who has fallen upon evil days.