The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-10-03
The shah's Jewels.


sists of small room, twenty feet by four
teen, reached by steep stair, and entered
through very small door, Here, spread
upon carpets, lie jewels valued at seven
millions sterling Chief among the lot is
the Kaianian crown, shaped like flower
pot and topped by an uncut ruby as large
as hens egg, and supposed to have come
from Siam. Near the crown are two
lambskin caps, adorned with splendid
aigrettes of diamonds, and before them lie
trays of pearl, ruby, and emerald neckla-
ces, and hundreds of rings Mr.. East
wick, who examined the whole, states that
in addition to these there are gauntlets
and belts covered with pearls and diamonds,
and conspicuous among them the Kaianian
belt, about foot deep, weighing perhaps
eighteen pounds, and one complete mass Of
pearls, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
One or two scabbards of swords are said to
be worth a quarter of million each.
There is also the finest turquoise in the
world, three or four inches long, and
without flaw, aud II remarked a smaller
one of unique beauty, three-quarters of an
inch long and three eighths of an inch
broad the color was lovely, and almost as
refreshing to the eyes as Persian poets
pretend There are also many sapphires
as big as marbles, and rubies and pearls
the size Of nuts; and l am certain that 1
counted nearly hundred emerlds from
half an inch square to one and three
quarter inches long and an inch broad.
In the sword scabbard, which is covered
with diamonds, there is not, perhaps, a
single stone smaller than the nail Of a
mans little finger" Lastly, there is an
emerald as big as walnut, covered with
the names Of kings who have possessed it.
The ancient Persians priced the emerald
above all gems, and particularly those from
Egypt. Their goblets, decorated with
these stones, were copied by the Romans.
The Shah also possesses pearl worth sixty
thousand pounds But the most attractive
of all the Persian stones is the turquoise,
which is inlaid by the native lapidaries
with designs and inscriptions with great
effect and cxpertness. The best come
from Nishapoor, in Khorassan, whose mines
ornnmented the gold armor of the Persiaus
so much admired by the Greeks. Chardin
records that in the treasury at Ispahan he
saw sin each chamber the stones in the
rough, piled high on the floor like heaps
of grain, filling innumerable leather bags"
As with the King Of Burmah and his
rubies, the turquoises of Persia are always
first inspected by the Shah. They are
divided into two classes, according to the
positions in which they are found. The
first, called sengui, or stony, are encrustcd
in the matrix, and have to be removed by
means Of hammer the second are taken
from the alluvial deposits, and, though
larger, are Of less value than the former,
which are Of a deep blue color Although
the Lord Of Lords conteuted himself with
taking the least valuable gems Of his
Incompatible collection on his recent tour
in the West, he carried no fewer than two
hundred talismans, which, while they may
be poor in appearance, POSSESS limitless
value in the eyes Of Persians. Among
others, there was fine pointed star, sup
posed to have been worn by Roostum, and
believed to have the power Of making
conspirators at once confess their crimes.
Around his neck the Shah wore a cube of
amber, reported to have fallen from heaven
in the time of Mohammed, and to confer
on its wearer invuluerability. Most preci-
GUS of all, however, and in Nusseerood-
deems case the most useless, was a little
casket of gold, studded with emeralds, and
said to have the remarkable property Of
rendering the royal wearer invisible SO
long as he remains celibate.