Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-11-13

"But the Bourbon kings and Ma
poleon were great lovers of gems, and
added to the collection, so that it was
estimated at nearly S5,000,O00. Tho
last inventory, that of 1875, showed
that this magnificent collection was
composed of 77,4S6 stones, weighing
nearly 10000 carats, and it is on these
that the public is to be allowed to bid.
OF course there will be some reserva-
ton, but among them are many eX-
tremely rare stones of great historical
value, Thus you can bid on a lot that
belonged to the Duchesse Anne. of
Brittany. They fell to the French crown
when she married Charles VIII. There
is also fine lot that formerly belonged
TO Cardinal Richelieu Especially in the
diamonds will there be some fine offers.
Thus you can bid on six diamonds that
with one more form a set of historical
stones, being the first ones ever cut
They were bought in Italy by Cardinal
Mazarin and were worn by Louis XIV.
These six stones alone are estimated
by an expert to be worth 100000. 1t
has been claimed,' continued the ex-
pert, "that some OF the crown Jewels
are missing, but this is n mistake, as
many of the gems used by the royal
family were personal property. Thus,
Marie Antoinettc rarely wore any
crown jewels, the exception being the
collection of acorn-shapod stones now
for sale. These she arranged as stom-
achers, bracelets, etc, but the mag
niiiccnt aigrcttes that she wore were
her personal property and are now the
property of the Duchess d Angouleme,
while others, valued at hundreds Of
thousands of dollars, she distributed
among her particular friends.
"Thc present rage for fancy gems
is merely the revival of the craze that
was started for them by the Empress
Josephine. She was particularly fond
Of colored diamonds, and had mar
velous collection. which she used Law
ishly. In her pictures you will often
see her represented with band of
gems or pearls across her forehead.
She also wore some fine sapphires and
rubics, especially in the daytime,
thinking that they made her complex
ion darker If the gems that are to
be sold could speak they would tell a
strange story of the old days. The
pearls of the collection were worn
most often by Queen Amelie. wife of
Louis Philippe. She wore them in all
sorts of styles, and often had her
dresses looped up with the famous
jewels Of the Penthievrc family. The
crown jewels were added TO in various
ways, but generally at the marriage of
any of the royal family. Ii a princess
of the Orleans family married, she
was presented with complete set of
diamonds. adapted to all kinds of
uses. These were to be worn at the
Tuilerics. Those of the Duchess
d d'Aumale and the Duchess de Mont
pensier were the most remarkable for
their purity. The jewels were also
added to by presents, and the unique
set of emeralds to be sold was a gift
from the Spanish court. Of all the
ladies of the French court Eugenie
wore jewels the most, and the fashions
she set put good many dollars in the
pockets of English and French jewell
ers. She had the finest set of pearls
known and has them yet, believe.
They were used rs u stomacher or
could be arranged to almost cover q
long train. n
"The diadem of diamonds and tur-
quoiscs included in the sale was worn
by her. She had at one time the
finest collection of gems in Europe,
but has sold some of the choicest.
Yes, crowned heads generally get the
first pick of gems, for the simple
reason that dealers know they will al
ways pay more than anyone else, and
take them to them. Then, again, kings
and princes have to make good many
presents and have to have a stock on
hand. Enormous sums are spent in
this way. A single cross, presented
to the late empress of the French, cost
$4,000. Tippoo Sahib gave Louis
XVI. 4 saber that had 100000 in gems
on the handle. 1t is general impress
sion that diamonds are the only real
gems, but this is a mistake. The
topaz has large sale at present, and
if you think il isn't gem make an
offer for the Great Mogul that is for
sale in Europe. 1t weighs 1871 carats
and can be bought for about $3.50, 900, |
or nearly aquarter of a million dollars.
A single amethist in the French crown
jewels brought $4,000 when purchased,
and Mr. Hope, the famous collector,
owned beryl that he valued at
S2,300 There is large beryl in the
crown of England, and a simple
aquamarine has been discovered in
Russia that is valued at over 800, 900. !
To-day all kinds of fancy stones are in
demand, generally purchased as they
match compilations for day or night,
as the case may be. We have gems
for natural and artificial light and
black diamonds that in the dark give
out luminous glow. - Philadelph,a
Times.