The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-09-19
Some Famous Jewels.

Apropos of the great sale of the
French crown jewels the London Tele-
graph says: The destiny which presides
over notable precious stones is not only
the most romantic conceivable, but has
often proved most singularly just. A
celebrated instance is to be found in the
adventures of that wondrous French
stone, the great diamond of Charles
the Bold, one of the largest in Christen-
DOM" which fell, with all the rest of the
Burgundian regalia, into the hands of
the Bernese after the defeat at Granson.
A soldier, it is said, found it in a
gold box in the dukes tent, and
threw it away, but kept the box
A happy thought occurred to him to go
back and pick up the glittering thing,
and, creeping under the wagon where
it was still lying, he carried it up and
sold it for form. The purchaser again
| sold it, making a profit of sevenpence
on the transaction. But the third pos
SCISSOR recognized its value, and gave it
up-for a handsome consideration, no
doubt-to the Bernese government, who
sold it for some 10000 tlorins to the
celebrated Fugger, of Nuremburg. He,
/ in his turn, sold it to our Henry VIII,
and his granddaughter, Queen Mary,
| gave it to her fance OF Spain, and thus
this heirloom was restored gratiously,
| by fortune, through the hands of Mary to
| the actual representative in the fourth
descent OF its original owner, after an
estrangement of rs years. Equally
remarkable is the history OF that other
splendid French jewel, the Sancy
diamond. This gem, there can be little
doubt, was an Indian stone, for it was
cut after the prevailing fashion of the
Golconda lapidaries into great number
of very tiny facets, and when first
authenticated in European possession
it belonged to the house of Braganza.
The Princess Catherine of that dynasty
brought it to England and James II.
sold it for EDS 900 to Louis XIV. Hay
ing travelled from England to Portugal
and thence by way of Great Britain to
France, the great stone rested awhile in
the Garde Meuble; but the revolution set
it on its travels again, the thief, who
ever he was, having managed to sell ii
to Russian princess for, 1t IS said,
three times the amount which it is said
the Grand Monarque gave the impecu-
NOUS Stuart, nearly half more than il
was valued at in the French inventory
and apparently nearly four times its
real worth. Yet its destiny was gradu
ally working it round through the cir
cult of Europe towards its Orienta
home, and not long ago 1t was pur
Jamsetiee Jeeieebhoy, for the sum Of
100000, and though Bombay is no
Madras, this illustrious diamond find
itself at last within days journey b.
rail of the mines from which 'in tn
days of the Moghuls" it was frs
, taken. Pre-eminent, however, in tn
, national association of France, as ais,
among:the diamonds of the world, rank
of course the magnificent Regent.
Once upon time it may have been tn
neighbor of the Sancy just referred to
for like it, the stone came from the ia
nous Golconda mines. Again, also, il
the treasury of the Garde Meuble thi
august jewel found itself in the com
pany of its great fellow-couDtryman
For both were sealed up by the officer
of the commune, after the massacres c
the 10th of August, and together the
were stolen on the memorable 18th {
September. The seals were foun
broken, the locks picked and the cab
.r nets empty. But the thieves, Dol
enough to offer the Sancy to Russia
Princess, did not dare show tn
regent. L nat cOulu llOJ DC Inl
4 mistaken; it had no compeer. So the
u wrote to the Commune an anonymou
letter, telling them that if they woul
search in certain place in the Champ
Elysees they would find this monarc
of gems. Surely enough it was found
~ the spot indicated, and upon this di;
mond, as King, in his delightful wor
upon precious stones, remarks: "TE
fortunes of Bonaparte may be said
have been founded. 1t was verify Il
y rock upon which his empire was bull
for after the 18th Brumaire, by pledgiI
the Regent to the Dutch government
he procured the funds indispensable fl
the consolidation of his power" Whe
settled on his throne Napoleon bougl
y. it back, and wore the peerless gem s
in the pommel of his sword of state.
Er.