The Grenada gazette., 1888-04-07
VALUABLE DIAMONDS.
4 Dealer Ohats About the Baress Gen
Ever Seen in This Country.


Ever Seen In This Country.
THE most valuable diamond. for its
size. thai has ever been in this coun-
try is new here in the hands Of dealer
on Maiden lane. not for sale, but that
he may II possible, find mate to it
a job that he is about giving up in
despair l have bought diamonds from
him, and can obtain for you the priv
ilege Of seeing this magnificent stone,
II you care to have look at gem
that is worth remembering all your
life. When tell you that it weighs
but three and five~eighths carats. less
thirly-second; that the owner has
refused over g. 900 for it, and that he
will cheerfully give $4,000. or. per-
haps. more. for a match to it, you will
probably find in those facts a practical
answer to the question If diamonds
have become cheap Europe and
America have been ransacked to find
its mate, but thus far in vain. A blue
stone of its purity of tint perfection
Of make and size is not known to
exist, either in private collections Of
gems, in the hands of dealers, or even
among royal treasures. Not a great
while since the newspapers made men.
ton of pair of diamonds, then
in New York. that weighed TO-.
gether fifteen carats and were held at
$50. 600 That seemed like pretty
good price for stones that are getting
common and cheap, but it is far less,
in proportion. than the worth of This
blue stone. At its determined value,
upon the basis Of its present size. if il
were as large as one of that matched
pair it would be worth about $32, 900,
and, as the value of q matched pair of
fine diamonds is far more than double
that of one Of the pair singly. two such
blue stones weighing together fifteen
carats would cost almost II Kings ran.
som far more any way, than s64,.
OOO"
The promised private view of the
wonderful blue stone was obtain few
days later 1t was truly an amazingly
beautiful gem, well worthy of the en-
thusiasm with which the connoisseur
spoke of it. Temporarily set in spring
clamps. for convenience of handling
without soiling its dazzling facets, it
was put beside an absolutely flawless
brilliant of the first water of almost
equal size, that alone had appeared a
thing of malchless beauty. Compared
with the resplendent glory of the other
stone, however. the white one seemed
to fade and grow dull. The blue Of
this matchless gem is of that
rarest tint that is deemed the
absolute perfection Of the dia-
mond. giving it the highest re-
fractive power and greatest brillianco
of color. All the various and marvel.
ously-tinted fires that glow deep in
the heart Of the royal opal seemed to
dart in yivitied and intensified flames
from its facets. Quivering in the
spring-shanked clamps its ever chang
ing play of dazzlingly brilliant color
provoked an optical illusion by which
it appeared to dilatc and contract, as
if it were pulsatiug with life.
The adventures of this regal gem
have been rather romantic. In 1910
it disappeared from among the treas
ures of Isabella of Spain. but whether
it was captured in the looting of the
palace or was stolen by an officer Of
the royal household under cover of
the prevailing disturbancos-as is by
some alleged-is undetermined. At
all events, it got to Amsterdam.
where it was recut with great i'm
provement of its brillancy. and
twenty years later was resold to
Queen Isabella, whose circumstances
had bettered in that interim. But by
1871 her vicissitudinous luck had
changed again, and she had to sell it
in Paris. An American gentleman
bought it and brought it over here,
thinking that he knew Of a
mate for it, but when the stone
he had in mind was compared
with it the intended match seemed
hardly more than blue glass. Back to
Paris he sent his gem, to have a mate
found for it there and for several
years the quest was continued vainly
all over Europe. Two or three years
ago he got it back, hoping that in the
mean time the many diamonds bought
in late years by our numerous million
aires might be match for it. There
does not, however seem to be as yet
any prospect of realization for his
hope. Since it has been in his hands
he has had it subjected to another
cutting for the perfecting Of some Of
its facets, in which operation it was
reduced by thirty-second of carat
from its previous weight of 81 carats.
Rubies can hardly be said to have
become cheap. any more than dia-
monds. One, owned in this city, that
IS only four carats in weight, is es-
teemed to be worth $6, 900. and that
Notwithstanding the fact that it is not
Of the true 'plgeon blood tint In