St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-03
One Mrs. Vanderbilt Likes
Pearls, But Another Is for
Diamonds.
HRS. William AStor Considers
Diamonds the Very Best
OF Collateral.
The Jewels Of Mrs. Leland
Stanford and Mrs. Matthew
Quay.

house i'll Chicago some time ago with an
expert jeweler, to whom she was show
ing her newest jewels, including many
valuable diamonds, pearls and rubies,
presented to her by her many admirers
during protracted engagement in New
York, with view to having him ap-
praise them for her, says the Boston
Globe. Your correspondent was about
to retire when he found the nature of
the business in which she was engaged,
but the madame insisted that he should
remain.
sit veel geefe you an idea for new
article" she said In her irresistibly
charming way. ASK all re ladies you
meet what eez zeir favoreet gem, and
tell re vorlt zeir answers"
Then she told him that she keeps a
regular invoice of all her personal prop
erty, and she desired to add her latest
acquisitions to her estimated wealth.
80 your correspondent sat down and
watched the man of finger rings ard
lace pins as he put cash value on each
OF the sparkling gems, while Nine. Patti
pouted prettily, frowned cunningly or
shrugged her shoulders eXpressiVely
whenever the value of stone failed to
was finished she smiled sweetly, and
then sung.
But here is the result of her sugges-
ton:
Mrs. Blaine Has Many Favorites.
"My favorite GEM" said Mrs. James
u. Blaine, echoing the question. 81
have so many that l can scarcely name
any particular one as the favorite. /
am great admirer of diamonds, but /
fear my taste in that class of precious
stones would be scoffed at by connois-
seurs, as do not think pure white dia-
mondS the most admirable, though eX-
pertS consider them 80. To me the
principal beauty of diamond is its
brilliancy, and pure white ones are sell
dom or never so brilliant as those that
are little off color. Hence my prefer
ence for the latter. Opals are also very
beautiful, embracing as they do such
an immense range of the most widely
diverse colors. Those of blush cast
are rendered peculiarly rich and beau
tlful by being set round with dia-
mondS."
Mrs. Vanderbilt Says Diamonds.
81 place diamonds above all other
gems in my esteem" said Mrs. Fred
erick w. Vanderbilt. the charming
blonde who was the favorite daughter
in-laW of the great millionaire. "Other
gems have many claims to beauty-the
delicate whiteness and spotless purity
of the pearl, the lovely tint of the sap
phire, the varying colors of the opal
but what other jewel possesses to an
equal degree that quality which is the
best point alike of genius and of pre-
ciOuS stones, brilliancy?
/ "Apropos of that, the late John B.
GnnUh tha famnnc fem 1npfnrar
and orator, used to say that the man or
woman who aspired to be intellectually
brilliant should never wear anything in
the way OF dress or ornament to attract
attention from the personal qualities by
which he or she desired to shine. He
used to tell an amusing story Of how an
eminent literary woman once said to
him, after what he considered his most
brilliant oratorical effort, % Mr.. Cough,
what a beautiful diamond ring you
have! | saw it flashing all through your
lecture
"'She never said she saw me flash.
he would remark, dejectedly, brighten
ing up as he added, l was glad when l
lost that ring soon afterWard.'
IF Mr.. Cough was right in his dictum
it is matter for surprise that we so
often see public speakers, singers, actors
and actresses, and others who desire to
WIN admiration for their personal talents
so badly handicapped by an overburden
of snowy dress and gaudy jewelry."
MOOnstOnes Catch Mrs. Noble.
'Moonstones are among the most
beautiful of all gems in my opinion"
said Mrs. John w. Noble, wife of the
secretary Of the interior. MY interest
in them was largely increased by read
ing Wilkie Collins great story of The
tha
interesting, powerful and agreeable of
all his novels. Few gems are richer in
popular superstitiOns. The moonstone
is believed to be sort Of mascot,
bringing never-falling good fortune to
its poSSeSsor.
1.-The flaw. which 1t contains fire.
Quently, is said to be magic mirror in
which one may read the events of the
future. The mOonstone may not IN
aptlv be styled the direct antithesis of
the opal, which is thought to bring mis-
fortune upon all who wear it or have it
in theiI possession. i have never been
able to ascertain how the latter beauti-
full gem acquired such an unenviable
reputation. In the mythology of the
HindOos, from which nearly all our gem
folklore and superStitiOns are more or
less directly obtained, the opal is rep
resented as the emblem of hope, and is
SAID to sharpen the sight of him who
possesses it.
Just now moonstones, by reason Of
the talismanic influences ascribed to
them, are in great demand; but Of all
those who seek them so eagerly, proba-
bly, few are aware of the circumstances,
or rather superstition, from which they
derive their name. Among the ancient
Greeks and Romans these gems were
believed to be affected by lunar influ-
euces, and were therefore called moon
stones"
Diamonds Mrs. Astorss Favorites.
Diamonds are certainly the most
beautiful of all gems" was the reply of
Mrs. William Astor when requested to
name her favorite precious stone.
They have other qualities to recon-
| mend them besides their besides their
beauty. There is no form of personal
property that can more readily be con-
verted into cash and that is less liable
to deterioration or fuctuation in its
| market value. Diamonds are always
good collateral upon which to obtain
loans in any part of the civilized world.
There are many noble families. even
many monarchs, in Europe who have
found their diamonds OF yeoman serY-
ice in this way.
"a case in point is the great Dudley
family of England, who for centuries
past have enjoyed the honors and emol-
umentS of an earldOm. The Dudley
diamonds are among the richest and
most famous of all the many collections
of family jewels throughout Great Brit
ain. When the daughter of Sir Thomas
Moncreiffe became the Countess of Dud-
ley through her marriage with the earl,
her rare personal loneliness, which
made her one of the most celebrated
beauties of her day. enhanced the effect
of the Dudley diamonds to wonder
full degree whenever she wore them in
public.
"a few years afterward her father be-
came heavily embarrassed by the cost
of defending his daughter. Lady Nor
daunt, in the suit for divorce brought
against her by her husband, the Prince
| of w alnS hainr the nn-rasnnnnant