Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-08-29
Largest Diamond i'm Existence.

1t is not very easy to make out which
is the largest diamond now in existence,
Two are mentioned as entitled to the
hOnor-the Braganza, in the crown OF
Portugal, and one which belongs TO the
Rajah of Mattan, in Borneo- The Por-
tuguese jewel is of doubtful quality. II
weighs 1850 carats, and is the size of a
hens egg, but is believed only to be a
white topaz. The Portuguese Govern
ment Withhold any information on
the subject, but if it lis genuine it is
worth nearly 100000, 900. The Bor-
neo gem was found on the Island
about 12O years ago, and weighs 36'
carats. 4 Governor of Batavia is said
to have offered $3.50, 900 and two men OF
war for it without success, and though
many battles have been fought over it,
the Bajah regards it as talisman, and
it is still i'm possession of the same fam
lily. The OrlOff diamond in the Russian
imperial sceptre weighs 19f31 carats
Catharine III gave $3.50, 900 for it, and
pensiOned the merchant who brought il
to her at $40, 1000 year. 1t is not cut to
advantage, and another among the Rus
sian crown jewels, which weighs Sc
carats, is but partly cut. Ii is easy to
understand reluctance to have dia-
monds cut. The advantages of cutting
are not always very plain, while the
enormous diminutiOn or weight which
commonly ensues affects the public es-
timation more than the increase of
brilliancy. The famous diamond which
the Regent Orleans bought from Gov
ernOr Pitt for $675, 900 formerly weigh
ed 40 carats, but was reduced by cut
ting to 1862. The Duke of Westmin-
ster has one which was reduced by
cutting from 50 TO IS carats. But the
most prominent example of the kind is
afforded by the recent history of the
Koh-i-nOor, whey weighed lS6 carats
when it arrived in England, and lost 50
by cutting in 1851. Why it was cut at
all nobody seems very able to say, and
competent judges deny that its brillian-
cy has been increased to such an extent
as to make up for the loss. Sir David
Brewster warned Prince Albert of the
impossibility of improving the lustre
without serious diminution of weight;
but foreign diamond merchant thought
differently, and. as is usual in England,
any opinion OH matters of the kind is
taken before that of native. The vul.
garity of taste which only admires
regularity has deprived the world of
many great diamonds, and we shall
probably have to wait long before it is
universally acknowledged that symme-
try is not absolutely necessary to beau
ty. The ancient regalia of the Nisi-
gothic kings in the Hotel Cluny, the
so called sword of Charlemagne i'm the
Lauvre, the ruby in the English crown
at the Tower. are not less beautiful be-
cause they look little rough. The
great jewel wearers and collectors, the
raiahs of India, seldom have their dia-
monds cut into regular forms, and the
kOh-i-noor was no exception. Its his
tory may be traced for nearly 1000
years, and it seems that at some remote
period it weighed 1885 carats; but that
Shah .Jehan had it cut by Venetian in
his service, who contrived to reduce it
TO the ls6 which it weighed when it
reached ngland.-Je'relers' Circular.