The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-09-01
Diamond GOssip,

Diamond Gossip.
One Of the most admired diamond necklace
in Paris is, | (Spiridion in the Boston G0zette
know, mere paste, for the owner herself tolC
line. Few of the actresses Of Paris wear dia
monds, They are known to have real diamonds
worth 100000 to 100000, so they can wca
paste and own diamonds wi tn impunty. The
latter arc kept secure from burglars in tn,
Bank of France. The papal hara was tol
years adorned merely with paste, and was it
self merely pasteboard, although in its worst
state it contained diamond worth ?Sj0O00
This diamonds history is curious even though
it probably is not yet ended. The first thing
known Of it is that it was one Of the jewels OF
the great Mogol's crown. Charles the bold
duke Of Burgundy, bought it from the great
Mogol. Charles the Bold was passionatcly
fond-was as fond as the late duke Of Bruins
wick-of everything that added visible, bril-.
liant wealth to his household and person; con.
ScQucntly diamonds and other precious stones,
gold and silver plate, tapestry and gold and sill
yer coins and jewclry were amassed in large
quantities by him. He could never part with
his treasures. He could not spend a day with.
out seeing them. There VA, no person in the
fifteenth century who came near him in the
number and value of these treasures. His ical-
Gus love of them proved his ruin. As he took
them wherever he went, he took them to the
battlefield of GARRISON. The Swiss smote him
| with such mcrcilcsS severity that he abandon
ed everything on the battle field, and was too
| Glad to escape with hio life. Tho most famous
treasures he abandoned on that battlefield were
three diamonds One of them was the Sancy
diamond, which Louis XIV. bought, and which
was one of the crown diamonds of France I'M
| til the duchess de Bcrri sold it to Prince Dem.
| ;l,T npn Ia, Iplar Tn lin al nt
alto prince Demdoil's country seat near Flor
encc, the Sancy diamond among other treasures
was shown the guests. At the usual hour the
guests departed After they were gone it was
found the SanCy diamond haddisappearcd; As
it was worth 100000 besides its historical
| value, its disappearance created Il considerable
annoyance, for halfa million OF dollars is some
| thing, even in the house Of Il man as rich as
Prince Demidoff The incidents of the even.
ing were recalled, to see if the diamond could
be traced; in time il was rccollectcd that the
stone was last seen in Jules Janins hand. BY
| this time IL was too late to send IA messenger
into Florence. People don't rise early in win
ter anywhere; they rise later than elsewhere in
Florence 1t was past noon when Prince Dem
idoifS messenger entered Jules Jlnin'S room
"The what the diamonds" Jules .Ianin came
nigh tainting. He remembered that he had
held the diamond, and the last he did rcmem.
Der of il was that it lay in his hand. Imagine
his StuatiOn-tO have SJO0OOO last seen in his
company and to be unable To account for them
Suddenly he screamed, seized his hat, tumbed
down stairs, yelled al the hotel Office. Send
somebody with me to the laundrcS~" took the
messenger 10y the arm and pulled him tlvug II
the streets till the laundry was reached .cI
gaspcd, My white waistcoat," The ,uicl lin.
en- that morning received from the hotel was
searched, and nj the bottom of il all the white
waiStcoat was found. Jules Janin actually
trcmbed with nervous anxiety during the
whole search. His hands shook So violently
that when the white waiStcoat was given him
he could scarcely find apocket, but he did find
it, did finger, and did-draw forth the Sancy
diamond! The reaction was so great that Jules
Janin sank specchlcsS into Il chair When he
recovered sclfcommand he returned 10 the hO-
TEL ordered carriage and horses and carried the
diamond to Prince DemldOif, You may i'm
agnc the laughter with which his story was
greeted. Nothing else was talked about i'm
Florence during the rest of that season The
second diamond which Charles the Bold lost
on the battlefield of Gladson is now the most
valuable diamond of the crown Jewels of Aus
tria; il is valued al S6OOO00 The thinl dia.
mond lost on that same battlefield is the most
valuable of the trio. II was found under cart
The common soldier whose eye was caught by
the stones lustrc picked it up looked at it for
few minutes, then threw taway as worthless
II looked 50 pretty H. it lay on the gmund, |
shining with purC>t ray serene" that the vul- |
gar soldier felt twas Il pity 20 neglect such ~
bright piece of glass" (aS il seemed To- his I'M |
tutored cye9 50 he went and picked it upagain.
and was delighted with himself when, few
hours af(crward, he sold is to country curate
for sixty cents. The curatc soon rot tired of
the bright baublc and chUcklcd when he found |
II BcrneSc Shopkccpcr who was willing to give !
him Sl.20 for it, The shopkecper chuckled |
longer, if not so loudly, when he sold il for ).
900 ducatS 10 merchant who rot 1000 for il |
from Venetian dealer. The latter sold il 10 |
Ludovico La More, duke of Milan, for l4OO0
ducats and the latter received 10000 ducats |
for il from Pope Jules III. IL Is about the size |
of an English walnut. The Vatican once had |
the most valuable collection of crowns in En-. |
rope Pope Boniiacc VIII. was the first pope
who had crown made. and each of his sac |
ccssors, to Plus VII, exclusive, added a Gown |
To the Natican'S treasury, and each pope made |
il matter of pride'to make his crown SupaSs |
all the Others in splcndor. Pope Jules lis i
crown was one of the most splendid of the ten |
crowns owned by the vatican, for il was adorn- |
cd with Charles the BOldS diamond. But alas |
that vulgar thing called debt entered the yati. |
can. and the popes had To sell diamonds and
gold To get money. Times were 80 hard at the |
vatican that when Napoleon insisted on Plus |
VII. making his appearance at some state Ger
emory wearing his tifn', the pope could clap