The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-30
DIAMONDS.


DIAMONDS.
DIAMOND JEwELRY IN EURoPE-THR FRENCH DrA-
MoND CUTTERS.
A correspondent of the London Teleqraph
writing of the diamonds in the Paris Exhibition,
gossips pleasantly about diamond jewelry in
Europe
RUSSIAN JEWELS.
The diamond is the queen of gems and in
diamonds the French exhibitors in the Champ
de Mars make display remarkable at once
by its opulence and its exquisite taste. 1t is
hardly to be disputed that, so far as regards
the arrangement and setting of gems, and their
artful combination so as to derive the greatest
advantage from juxtapostion, the French
jodilLieTS bear away the bell from every other
nation in the world. They make far more the
resources at their command, and the result
of their work is a dazzling magnifcence far
greater than has been attained elsewhere. You
may have seen in Turkey chibouk stem or a
saddle-cloth, or a scimitar hilt or pair of
holsters, literally encrusted with diamonds; but
for the matter of the effect they produced they
might as well have been so many glass beads.
So is it with the Imperial crown of Russia,
which is one mass of diamonds without golden
circlets and arches and yet fails to dazzle; and
there is even one of the Cars state carriages,
the very panels of which are adorned with
blilliants, of small size certainly, but still
brilliants, but which, through their clumsy
arrangement, are of no more account than
chandelier drops. 1t is but just to say that
both the crown and the carriages are nearly
century old, and that the modern Russian
jewellers have been very successful in mount
ing such trifes as rings, pins, and brooches.
Some of the presents dispensed from the
treasury of the Hermitage to celebrated singers
and dancers who have performed before the
Imperial Court have been worthy to vie with
the best works of the Palais Royal and the
Rue de la PaiX.
GERMAN AND SPANISH DIAMONDS.
The German jewellers, especially those Of
Hamburg, Frankfort, Vienna, and Augsburg,
were pre6minent in the last century as jewel
lers; but the tumbling to pieces of the Holy
Roman Empire, and the 'mediatistaion' OF
the petty princes of the Rhine by Napoleon l,
inflicted sad blow on the high Dutch jewelry
trade. which seems destined to receive its coup
de qrace from the hands of the ruthless Bis
= mark: for how is the Herr Hof-Ju'0eiler to live
if there is no longer any Landgrave OF Hesse-
Bootstein to give him an order for so many
collars. badges, and crosses of the Pig and
Whistle, or Holy Beer Barrel in diamonds
Italy still holds her own in jewelry, not alone
in Rome, where she can challenge the whole
world to outdo her, but in Milan, in Venice,
in Genoa, in Florence, and in Naples.
The standing French reproach against the
that of "heaviness;" and it is to be feared
that. as rule, the reproach is not unfounded
But "heavy" as may be our style, that OF the
Spaniards and the Portuguese is ten times
heavier. The influence of Orientalism is still
apparent in the Peninsula and In decorating
the beauty for the market the only thought
with an Oriental ieweller is how much beauty
can hear. Aurelian was merciful enough to
allow the captive Zenobia slave, to hold up
her golden fetters; but no such mercy is shown
10 the modern Eastern belle. Her tyrant con-
tinues to load her with bangles, bracelets,
necklaces, earrings, and armlets, ullJ as with
the camel and the straw, the last brooch some
times breaks the odalisque's back. tribute
of admiration, however, is due to the lnge-
nious despot who discovered an additional
point of vantage in his odalisques for the
display of Jewels, and so supplied them with
nose-rings.
Il was not until late in the reign of Louis
XIV that the French became proficient IN an
Art which the Italians had learned centuries
before from the Byzantines and the Aslatlcs'
The first operation in 'joGilerie" is the sketch
inc in or tentative arrangement of the stones
40 he mounted in the form they are subse-
cuentIv to assume-be it that OF diadem, a
1d;,,;Sre a bououet or a bracelet. This opera
Hon is nerformed by means of a box or frame
in which is laid ground of soft wax OF dark
color The stones are passed lnso ,s'1 sne wa
according to the pattern desired ana, from Ihe
nature Of the ground this pattern can Of
course be varied as the taste Ofthe artist shall
direct. This is called the mise en- cire; and |
have mentioned a matter SO purely teGnnloai
for the reason that on the deliberate settlement
Of this tentative sketch depends the ultimate
beauty of the ornament
THE INVENTION OF DIAMOND CUTTING
The discovery of the art of diamond cutting
has like almost every other discovery or IN
yention. been attributed to lucky accident
One Louis de Bergen, of Burgess, amused MN 1ia
feIf in AN idle moment by rubbing TWO dla-
,o,ds mo- together. He found that as the friction
increased Oraa each stone became more brilliant
1Tv and gradualiy give signs of alteration Of sur
face. 'DiamOnd cut diamond r. cried LOUIS LSaas
de Bergen, of Bruges SO he stragnssway niTS TSt
him a wheel, and became lapldary. Inc
first first diamonds he cut were for Charles Duke s,o
Burgundy, in l47O Prior to this period %oI. ana
monds had been ''natural," IKE sne ootar mOh,r