Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-09-30
The Gnikwsr's Gems The Star Of
the SOUTH

The Gnikwsr's Items" The Star Of
the south"
Leaving the tlar0ne-ro0gn tiTengh >
small ds0r ON the right hand aide. We ma
ourselves on an extremely narrow sefan.
da. which eDcirclts small sgusre Wei
which occupies the center Of the palace
from top 10 bottom. Above we sec sifai.
lar vcTandas, and nufnfsf q nsises
booking oyer the railings. Eeneaih are
lnumber 81 Arabs and other soldiers, Keep
ipg watch over several things. among
them 4 s9crei flag which IN hung acrpss
The well on occasions Of high festival. On
Che ourryeifc aide are n number OF closed
sanctioned windows. which guard tie
level noon or jcndarkbana Moving 80
The right there are rooms which look like
dungeons and ara guarded by seniries. Al
Che end Of the veTaDda we enter little,
closesTneiIiDg room. which would he dark
were II not for the light of some gicks
thrown Ia ssIver III oil light which,
we are told, Is never allowed to be cxtin.
1uishszl. 30 thai II 10 some extent yes1Tn.
biee the holy fire Of the Parsecs. Here
in q corner on the left, IL a do0r--ike outer
entrance % the jewel room. Afftr gytns:
delay an elderly Mshrat,a makes his ap.
pearance and opens the lock, and we enter
4 room which Is a. black as night and sw.
fully stale smelling. One0fthe grated win
dows facing the well IL thrownopen and by
the lIttIe light thus obtained We perceive
a number Of shelves. which are loaded
with State archives. Another p0Bder0us
black door being unbarred, we enter a
dark rGsonl--the jeweirootn. While s
window Is being opened we prepare 10 he
surprised with the flash u thousand
Jewels but are rather disappointed 10 find
only number Of ifon-clanIssd chfsts oi
drawers ranged round the room. But
these drawers contain the State jeweIry,
worth e3,0D0,D00 sterling, report, says;
and ON The custodian pulling out
one Of the deep drawers In a central chest
and producing enormous inoroce0eoyered
cases, which are opened icndcrlys W.
have no need 10 he longer disappointed,
for sight Of powell description meets
oar eyes. Here in one case lies displayed
q breast piece composed or chains or dia.
monds, numbering seYeHiy.UiBe In all
All the diamonds are beautiful, but there
are three In The pendant Of ten which are
eOnspicuously 40, while one vi least do
serves % be called magnificent This
particular ono occupies The ccnief of nis
pendant and IL, 7 believe, known as the
Star Of the South II ~ nearly ~ large
an rupee, and It's briillanoe would, II
you were inclined 10 be more poeiical
than cOvetoas, remind you Of nothing 10
much as mass oi Indian sunlight, gath.
cred from the baunts the sun beats
upon with greatest intensity, and
compressed into the sparkling block
before 1s. This diamond cost Khundera0
100 900, and, like all great diamonds, liaa
a history, though not such an Interesting
one, perhaps, rs the Sancy diamond,
which, you will remember, was found In
The body Of servant Of Baron do saiicy,
who had been depnted ~ carry IL, rs q
present, ~ the King of France, but being
attacked by robbers on the way swallowed
il in order 10 battle their attempts % fDd
IL. According 10 Harry Emmanuel, one
Of Our standard authorities on the history
Of great diamonds, the Star Of tic SUiiflI
was found in 1863 at Bogagem, in The
Province ot Minas Gefaca, by Il negro,
When rough IL weighed 2J4IS carats, bat
since Tie cutting itweighs only 125 carats.
II II VI an oval form, and WAS cut by
and WAS. before ii found IL way 10 India
and tempted The Guikwar, the pr0pcriy'of
Mr. Costcr, of Amsterdam. Ii IL not
perfectly white and pure but, neyerihe-
less, Ii II rcck0Dcd one Of the flnest large
diamonds in the world, The large oblong
diamond fixed above the Star Ii ilat and
possesses nothing like the purity and brill
imcy Df its great rival. II cost Zoo, 900
The whole breast piece oi diamonds eest
over bali a million s,erling.s and Is
one u the most beautiful necklaces
Of that description extant When
We have finished admitting the Star
Of tho South and its seyenty.eight
muItifadiant companions we are shown a
necklace composed Of u aumber Of chains
Of pearls, each Of remarkable size and
purity. This necklace IL valued nj ESQ.
900. have been told that pearls do not
retain their beauty for more than hiiy
years, and could not help thinking II u
pity that fate would not permit such a
thing Of beauty as this necklace 10 remain
a joy forever. Drawer after drawer IL
opened and case after case Of jewels dis
played, until the miserable dungeon seems
to begin 20 look radiant Rings with
stones In them large enough 20 stretch
across three Of your fingers; necklaces OF
diamonds, mostly flat and duillooking,
with pearl.shaped emerald drops; nose.
rings Of pearls and e;neralds earrings oi
wheels Of diamonds and chains Of gold
these aud similar curiositlos aredisplayed
in succession before our delighted eyes
until we are stated with sights, and leave
the old Mahrat,a, who has watched tho
goings out and comings In of the jewels
for twenty or thirty years, to put the eases
back into the drawers, and bar and double
bar the doors and windows Of the dun
geons which compose the Jewelkhana -
J,icea Week.