Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-10-10
THE SHAFTS DIAMONDS.

The Friend of India, in an article which pro-
fesses to be summary of what the authors of
recent books 90 Persia have written about the
royal treasure-house, says:
The Shahs strong bcx consists of small
room 20 feet by IA feet, reached by "a 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 kaiauian crown, shaped like flower pot.
and topped by an uncut ruby as large as hen 8
egg, aud supposed to have come from Siam.
Near the crown are two lambskin caps, adorn-
ed with splendid agigrettes of diamonds, and
before them lie trays OF pearl, ruby and emerald
necklaces, and hundreds of rings. Mr.. East
wick, who examined the whole, states that in
addition to these there are gauntets aud belts
covered with pearls and diamonds, and conspic-
uous among them the kaianian belt, about
loot deep, weighing perhaps eighteen pounds,
and one complete mass of pearls, diamonds,
emcralds aud rubies. One or two scabbards of
swords are said to be worth a quarter of mil
lion EACH There is also the finest turquoi
in the world, three or four inches long anu
without flaw; and, 81 remarked smaller one
of unique beauty, three-eighths Of an inch
broad the color was lovely, and almost as re-
frcshng to the eyes as Persan poets pretend.
There are also many sapphires as big as mar
blcs, and rubies aud pearls the size of nuts; aud
| am certain that | COUNTED nearly hundred
cmcralds from half an inch square to one and
three quarters inches long and an inch broad.
In the sword scabbard, which is covered with
diamonds, there is not, perhaps, single stone
smaller than the nail of a mans little finger"
Lastly, there is an emerald as big as walout,
covered with the names of kings who have pos
sessed 1t.
The ancient Persians priced the emerald
above all gems, aud particularly those from
Egypt. Their goblets, decorated with these
sloues, were copied by the Romans The
Shah also possesses pearl worth ECO, 600. But
the most attractive Of all the Persian stones is
the turquoise, which is iulaid by the native
apidares with designs aad inscriptions with
great effect and expcrtness The best come
from Nsbapoor, in Khorassan, whose mines
orpamented the gold armour OF the Perslans,
so much admired by the Greeks. Chardin re-
cords that in the Treasury at lspahau he saw
''in each chamber the stones IN the rough
piled high 90 the floor like heaps of grain,
filling iuuumerable leather bags" As with
the King of Burmah and his rubies the tur-
uuolses of Persia are always irst inspected by
the Shah. They are divided into two classes
according to the position in which they ale
found.
Iue first, called sengu, or stony, are en-
crusted 10 the matrix and have to be removed
by means of hammer; the second are taken
from the alluvial deposits aud, though larger,
are of less value than the former, which are
Of deep blue color. Although the Lord of
Lords coutented himself with taking the least
valuable gems of his incompatible collection
on his recent tour in the west, he carried no
fewer than 200 taismans which, while they
may be poor in appearance, possess limitless
value in the eyes of Persans. Among others
there was 6ue pointed star, supposed to have
been worn by Roostan, and believed to have
the power Of making conspirators at once con-
TESS 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 its owners invulnerability. Most pre-
cious Of all, however, AMI in Nusseerooddeen $
case the most useless, was a little casket of
gold studded with emerads, and said to have
the remarkable property of rendering the royal
wearcr invisible so long as he remains celibate.