The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1891-09-01
THE SILVER FAD.
It Now Controls the Young Cir
of the Period.
Some of the Many Queer Uses to Which
the Precious Metal Is Put to Graf
ify the Devotees of Fashion
The Spoon Craze.

A long time ago a man named Solo
mon, who acquired quite a reputation
for wisdom, made the remark that:
speech is silver, silence is golden, . in
tending thereby to convey some idea of
the superiority of silence. A Solomon
of the year 1891, says the Chicago Trib-
une, however, would reverse the metals
if he would be IN the fashion, for this is
prominently silver era.
The latest fad, for instance, of the
girl whose pin-money income is large
enough to support this rather cxpen-
sive indulgence is the collection of sill
ver-mounted toilet articles, of which
there is an endless variety. There are
all sorts and conditions of brushes,
from the generous sized clothesbrush to
the diminutive instrument for arrang-
ing the eyebrows. There are combs,
heart-shaped silver boxes for manicure
salves and powders, silver-cased bot
ties, dental floss, atomizers, ring trays,
pin trays, hairpin boxes, and SO on
through the ever-increasing category.
When milady travels there are silver
cases for perfume bottles, silver soap
boxes, silver basket covers and umbrella
straps with silver buckles. When she
assumes an air of virtuous industry and
takes few stitches as occasion may
demand, there are silver scissors, acorn
shaped cases for her thimble, dainty re-
ceptacles for her needles, and boxes
containing q kind of bobbin on which
to wind different colored silk floss.
When she opens her escritoire to CON
duct her correspondence in q decidedly
English hand, there are silver pen
trays, ink bottles, pens and pencils, let
ter clips, bristle pen wipers and unique
arrangement for moistening stamps.
For the sick room there are silver-caSed
fever Thermometers and an odd lemon
ade or medicine spoon with tube run
ming up the back through which, as
through straw, the fluid may be taken.
When this victim of fad goes shop
ping or calling there is the tiny glove
bonbonniere, heart-shaped perhaps,
which she slips inside the palm of her
hand. She carries an odd coin purse of
French design with tiny watch in the
top. Unscrew this little lid, and the
neck expands to the full extent of the
links below. Her chatelaine tablet of
African lizard skin is mounted in silver
with a silver chain, and on its cover, as
on that of her card case and address
book, silver fleurs de lis. All the leather
novelties bear these flowers of France,
even the lizard skin card case opening
at the end, which gentlemen carry in
the pockets of their evening clothes.
In the realm of jewelry, also, silver
and platinum are popular as settings
for clusters. Next to the diamond,
which might be called the ''staff'' of
jewel life, the stone which takes the
popular fancy is the emerald, though
the turquoise is also in great demand.
The hand of fashion is loaded with
rings at present, but fashions ears show
a civilized disregard of earrings. All
stones are set low in plain, polished
gold, and many are imbedded in the
French style right in the gold. There
is quite a fancy for setting different
colored diamonds together, and gentle
men wear as evening studs three small
diamonds or pearls of different colors.
A ring containing three diamonds, col
ored respectively cinnamon, coffee and
red. is quite valuable, as the red stone
is perhaps impossible of duplication.
The punches of silver wire bracelets
so common little while ago have |
given place to immense ropes and links |
Of the same metal, but it is to be hoped |
that this fancy will not. be allowed to |
handcuif many Of the devotees of fash
ion. Necklaces are permissible only |
for evening wear, when they are worn
with pendants. The long bar pins have
been superseded by clusters in round
designs, as stars, flowers, birds, bow
Knots, etc. Two hearts tied together
with knot is pretty design for rings
IL pendants, the hearts being of tur-
luoise surrounded by diamonds, which
llso for7n.the bow. Elaborate designs
If cluster diamonds are in great favor
or corsage wear, one beautiful example
1eing q fight Of swallows, formed en-
irely Of diamonds. For the hair there
ire enameled orchids with diamond
,enters and pins with feur de lis heads.
The spoon-gathering craze still holds
possession of all tourists and a new
Jhicago spoon has been designed to
meet the demand of the collector 1t
5 called the Fort Dearborn spoon and
las q round bowl with raised design
,epicting the old fort and its surround
ngs. This spoon is of oxidized silver
md looks quite antique, but bright sill
-er is more in demand now for regular
Use.