Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-12-21
GEMS OF THE ORIENT
Three Bushels Of Diamonds Pound Insid,
an Idol,

| an Idol.
AVS"HuS EarHitr in Leisure Hours Among Tie G,ms
The history Of gems in the East is the
history OF the governing princes, for so often
has the course of history in the Orient been
afie cled by intriSues about precious stones
that the assume state Importance The
traditional diamond in the East ia the Great
Mogul The original weight of :his stone
was IST carats, but by cutting, it was -o-
duced to 279 csrats. The stone disappear
ed at the last Tartar INVASION, when treasures
to the value of 1850, geo 600 were CAPTURED
by Nadir Shah. 1t is believed to be al pres
ent hidden away in some obscure fortress in
ASA Minor, audit may be recovered at some
future time Some idea Of the abundance
precious stones in the East may be gained
from the fact that when Mahmoud, in the
eleventh century, captured Somnauth, an
lGol statue was broken open and found to
contain three bushels of diamonds rubies
and cmeralds Ala-ud-decn obtained from
the RsJah Of Mahrattss fifty pounds Of dia-
onds ard rubiss and one hundred and
Seventy-tve pounds of pearls. Shah Jehan,
the greatest Of the Mogul Soyereigns, LETT
treasure of iEcalculable value a: his death,
II throne VaIt ed at $50 600, coo and crown
worth $l2,O00,000, The throne was the
celebrated peacock throne, so called from
the images of two peacocks which stood De-
lore 1t, each made of precious stones SO
matched In color and in position as to re-
Semble the natural colOrs of the bird. The
throne was six feet long and four feet wide
OF solid gold and crusted with diamonds.
rubies and emeraldS Steps of silver led up
TO 1t, while canopy of gold, fringed with
pearls, supported by twelve pllIarS en-
blszoned with gcns, surrounding the
whole. On each side wac a sacred umbrella
made OF velvet, embroidered with pearls the
handles being of gold inlaid with diamonds.
II was the most costly work Of art ever |
made. lts on Y rival was tho ccrulcan
throne OF the house Of Bahmenee in the |
Nizsm. This was built in the seventeenth |
century, was nine feet long by three feet |
vide, Was made of ebony covered with plates |
of gold cTusted with gems, ard valued at |
so ,GO0O0O. A late traveller in the East |
Nr. Eastwick, has recently given graphic
account Of The magniicence Of the Per.
ian crown jewels In the jewel room he
found treasures valued at So. O0N,0OO |
among them the crown, mass of diamonds
.urmOupted By ruby as big as hens egg.
, he kings belt is Il wonder ofbarbaric mag.
weighing about twenty pounds
and composed of solid mass OF diamonds.
ubes and emeralds As Persia is the ma.
i've land Of the turquoise, it is but natural
hat the finest stone OF this description is 10
- found in this collection This royal
,pecimen is four inches long, perfect in
dior, and without flaw. When the Shaw
81 as in Europe, some years ago, he wore
arjety Of diamonds and other precious
torres that kept the detectives in con.
;unt fever of fear lest he should be robbed
: some Of them; for one, even nj the
-usllest, would have been fortune for half
,, dozen thieves. The buttons OF his coat
cye FIVE in number, and each button was a
,:rwond larger than the Kohinoor while
very part OF his clothing seemed 10 be use
ul, Loi as a covering for his body, hut as
.lacus 10 hang diamonds on