American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-02-20
Mrs. Fitch's Diamond Parure.


HARPER's BAZAAR gives the following
description of the parure of diamonds
lately received by Mrs. Thomas W. Fitch,
the daughter of Gen. Sherman, as a
wedding gift from Ismail Pasha, the Khe-
dive of Egypt:
While on visit to Cairo, in 1878, Gen.
Sherman rendered the Khedive signal
service by giving him valuable advice
concerning the reorganization and disci-
pine of his armies, which the Prince has
acknowledged in his graceful manner,
Gen. Sherman being precluded by his
position from receiving presents from a
foreign potentate. AS Mrs. Fitch's hus-
band, with whom she is one in the eye of
the law, is similarly placed, being Passed
Acknowledgment in the United States
navy, Congress has passed resolution
authorizing him to receive the diamonds,
free of duty. They were forwarded
through the Paris bankers Oppenheimer
Brothers, and were consigned to DreXel,
Morgan & Co, of New York. They are
contained in a handsome, red-leather
jewel-case, and are accompanied by y
congfatulatory letter from the Khedive.
The parure consists of necklace and
earrings of diamonds in crown and
knife-edge setting of gold, which leaves
so little metal visible that the jewels
present continuous circle of light.
There are more than 800 diamonds in
the collection, and experts say there are
more large diamonds than are contained
in any other necklace in this country.
Many of these, however, are thin, flat
diamonds, with much surface and very
little depth. The estimates of its value
vary curiously enough all the way from
$4,000 to $250,O00 The necklace proper
is two rows of diamonds, seyentytwO in
number, studded at intervals with eight
large medallion diamonds, which in their
turn are encircled by row of smaller
stones. The center jewel in front is over
half an inch in diameter. One of the
finest stones is large diamond that fast
ems the clasp behind, beautifully cut and
of remarkable luster. These two strands
(of eighty stones, exclusive of the
smaller ones around the medalliOnS) fit
closely around the neck. Pendent from
the front are three graceful ornaments of
fanciful Egyptian design, each having a
large brilliant in the center with SCROLL
work on the sides thickly studded with
small diamonds. Beginning on the sides
and festooned in deep curves that hang
low on the breast is another row of dia-
monds, set continuously and matching
those that pass around the neck. Most
remarkable of all are seven pear-shaped
diamonds of extraordinary size, each
swinging in hoop of smaller brilliants,
and pendent below the festooned curves.
The long, slender earrings repeat the
Oriental design and have pear-shaped
pendants. The single knobs at the top
of each would content most women if
they owned them for solitaire earrings.
If the stones were all picked and of the
very finest water this necklace would
have fabulous value and become an OBJ
ject of historic interest, surprising the
famed diamond necklace of Marie An
toinette, which wrought so much harm
in France. But though many of the dia-
monds are of exceeding tineness, others
are off color and the matching is by no
means perfect, while the roughness of
the gold setting savors of Turkish work
manship. Nevertheless it is princely
gift which any lady might be proud 10
receive, though her satisfaction must be
tempered somewhat by the extreme diff
ficulty of guarding a treasure of such
value as to excite the cupidity of all the
burglars of the country. Moreover, in
this republican land a lady of moderate
fortune in private life has few occasions
of displaying an ornament which can
only be worn with good taste at court
ball and which exacts queenly toilet;
so that the first question which naturally
rises to ones lips is, What will she do
with it?