The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-12-10
THE SHAFTS DIAMONDS.
From the Friend of India.

small room, 20 feet by IA feet, reached
by steep stair, and entered through q
very small door. Here, spread upon
carpets, lie jewels valued at seven mil
lions sterling. Chief among the lot is
the Kaianian crown, shape 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 lamb skin caps, adorned with
splendid aigrettes of diamonds, and be-
fore them lie trays of pearls, ruby and
emerald necklaces, and hundreds of
rings. Mr.. Fastwick, who examined
the whole, states that in addition to
these there are gauntlets and belts cover
ed with pearls and diamonds, and con-
spicuous among them the Kaianian belt,
about foot deep, weighing perhaps
eighteen pounds, and one complete
mass OF pearls and diamonds, emeralds
and rub1es. One or two scabbards of
swords are said to be worth quarter of
a million each. There is also the finest
Turquoise is the world, three or four
inches. long, and without flaw; ''and I
remarked smaller one of unique beau
ty, three Fights Of an inch broad; the
color was lovely and almost as refresh
ing to the eyes as the Persian poets
pretend. There are also many sapphires
as big as marbles, and rubies and pearls
the size of nuts, and I am certain that [
counted nearly 100 emeralds from half
an inch square to one and three-q quarters
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 mans
little finger Lastly, there is an emer-
aid as big as walnut, covered with the
names Of Kings who have possessed it.
The ancient Persians priced the emer-
aid above all gems; and particularly
those from Egypt. Their goblets, dec
grated with these stones, were occupied
by the Romans The Shah also posses
ses pearl worth 100000. But the most
attractive of all the Persian stones is
the turquoise, which is inlaid by the ma
tive lapidaries with design and inscrip-
tons with great effect and expertness.
The best come from Nishapoor, in
Khorassan, whose mines ornamented
the gold armor of the Persians, so much
admired by the Greeks. Chard1n re-
cords that in the Treasury at Ispahan
he saw, Gin each chamber, the stones in
the rough piled high On the floor like
heaps of grain, filling innumerable leath-
er 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, ac-
cording to the position in which they
are found.
The first, called sengui, or stony, are
incrusted in the matrix, and have to be
removed by means Of hammer; the
second are taken from the alluvial de-
posts, and, though larger are of less
value than the former which are Of deep
blue color. Although the Lord of
Lords contented himself with taking the
least valuable gems of his Incompatible
collection on his recent tour in the West,
he carried no less than 200 talismans,
which, while they may be poor in ap-
pearance, possess limitless value in the
eyes Of Persians. Among others there
was a fve-pointed star, supposed to
have been worn by Roostan, and believ-
ed to have the power of making con-
spirators confess their crimes. Around
his neck the Shah wore cube Of amber,
reported to have fallen from heaven in
the time of Mahomet, and to confer on
it's owners invulnerability. Most precious
of all, however, and in Nusseeroodeen's
case the most useless, was little casket
of gold, studded with emeralds, and said
to have the remarkable property of rend-
ering the royal wearer invisible SO long
as he remains celibate