Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-09
GEMS OF THE ORIENT.
Little Bits of Stone, Each of Which Is
Worth a Fortune.

Worth a Fortune.
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 affected by intrfgues
about precious stones that they assume
a state Importance. The traditional
diamond of the East is the Great
Mogul, The original weight of this
stone was 1877 carats, but, by cutting, it
was reduced to 279 carats. The stone
disappeared at the last Tartar INVASION,
when treasures to- the value of $780,
900. 600 were captured by Nadir Shah.
1t is believed to be at present hidden
away in some obscure fortress in Asia
Minor, and it may be recovered at some
future time, Some idea of the abund-
ance of precious stones in the East may
be gained from the fact that when
Mahmoud, in the eleventh century,
captured Snmnat, an idol statue was
broken open and found to contain
three bushels of diamonds, rubies and
emeralds. Ala-ud-deen obtained from
the Rajah of Mahrattas fifty pounds of
diamonds and rubies and 1855 pounds of
pearls. Shah Jehan, the greatest of the
Mogul sovereigns, left a treasure of in-
calculable value at his death, a throne
valued at $50, 900, 900 and crown worth
S12, O00,0 DOC. The throne was the cele-
brated peacock throne, so called from
the images of two peacocks which stood
before it, each made of precious stones
so matched in color and in position as
to resemble the natural colors of the
bird. The throne was six feet long and
four feet wide, of solid gold and crust
ed with diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
Steps of silver led up to it, while a;
canopy of gold, fringed with pearls,
supported by twelve pillars ~emblazoned
with gems, surmounted the whole. On
each side was a sacred umbrella made
of velvet, embroidered with pearls, the
handle being of gold inlaid with dia-
monds. 1t was the most costly work of
art ever made. Its only rival was the
ccrulean throne of the house of Bah
menee in the Nisam. This was built in
the seventeenth century, was nine feet
ebony covered with plates of gold
crusted with gems, and was valued at
800, 000, 900. A late traveller in the east,
MI. fLdSGW Hk, HIS ICcenGly gwen ~
graphic account of the magnificence of
the Persian crown jewels. Inthe jewel
room he found treasures valued atS35,-
000, 900, among them the crown, a mass
of diamonds surmounted by a ruby as
big as q hens egg. The kings belt is
u wonder of barbaric magnificence,
weighing about twenty pounds and
composed Of a solid mass of diamonds,
rubies and emeralds. AS Persia is the
native land of the turquoise, it is but
natural that the finest stone Of this de-
scription is to be found in its collection.
This. royal specimen is four inches
long, perfect in color, and without a
flaw. When the Shah was in Europe,
some years ago, he wore a variety Of
diamonds and other precious stones
that kept the detectives in a constant
fever of fear lest he should be robbed
of some of them, for one, eve of the
smallest would have been a fortune for
half a dozen thieves. The buttons of
his coat were five in number, and each
button was a diamond larger than the
Kohinoor, while every part of his cloth
ing seemed to be useful, not ass cover
ing for his body, but as places to hang
diamonds on.-Leisure Hour.