The record-union., 1892-09-24

mond, during the Mexican war, and one
stone obtained through Tiffany that
gtows pink at night and changes TO a
warm yellow during the day. 1t weighs
five carats
Mrs. Hicks-Lord's collection is not so
large as some others, but it is considered
10 be worth considerably more than half
million dollars. She has five diamond
necklaces, and one of them is among the
finest In the world. 1t is valued at $780,
OO0s and every stone in it is flawless. She
has the finest pair of solitaire earrings
that there is in the United States. But
Mrs. H1cks-Lord is original, and does not
stop at rings and necklaces. She has q
diamond fan that is the envy of all the
New York DANES, that has no equal here
and is not eXcelled anywhere. Its fifteen
raised folds are studded with diamonds.
Then she has bouquet-holder, the
mouth of which is ablaze with precious
gems, and white-point d'Alencon fan,
worn on chatelaine from a chain of dia-
monds and pearls.
Mrs. Robert Rensen has a mania, If so
1t may be termed, for large diamonds,
and IS constantly buying them, so that
she has fine collection of them, and
some splendid emeralds as we'll.
Mrs. William c. Whitney has not so
many jewels as have some other society
women OF New York, her collection be-
ing estimated at 100000. However. the
gems have been selected with that fine
taste for which the wife of the ex-Secre-
tary of the Navy is noted.
Not all the fair ones affect diamonds.
AS has been stated, Mrs. w. X. Wander
pits chief treasures are pearls. Next to
her, Mrs. Marshall 0. Roberts that was,
Mrs: Colonel Ralph Vivian that is, has
the finest collection. She has three-row
necklace Of rare beauty. Mrs. Henry
ClewS has one somewhat similar and so
has Mrs. w. ID. Sloane. Mrs. James
Hartman has pearls valued at $4,000,
and Mrs. William Rockefeller, among
her other treasures, has some $50, 900
worth Of pearls alone.
Mrs. G. p. Huntington has pair of
ruby earrings valued at SI5, 200, each stone
weighing fifteen caratS. They are said to
be the finest rubics in the United States.
Mrs. DR.. Wynkoop has two ruby neck
laces, to say nothing of other gems of
great cost. Mrs. Bromall Burnham, nee
Miss Havemeyer, has pendant with an
emerald of ten carats for center, studded
with diamonds. Mrs. Robert Winthrop
has brooch with sapphire of twenty
seven carats, set in diamonds, and neck
lace worth $4,000. Mrs. Ogden Mills has
liking for sapphires and has them
wrought into necklaces, brooches, ear
rings and other ornaments. Her largest
sapphire is shaped like a hazel nut and
about as large. 1t IS set as a pendant,
and has diamond spikes nearly an inch
long. 1t is worth $500
Mrs. Frank Coe has a diamond that
was the property of an Indian prince up
to the time of the great mutiny. 1t is a
splendid stone, weighing more than thir-
teen carats. 1t is valued at $4,000. Mrs.
Robert Goelet has a diamond and sap
phire necklace worth $I1 900, and a dia-
nOn6 Iarn n ifair nrfh
And so you might go on over the list,
not of the 400 alone, but of the 1000, or
for that matter, 10000, and keep adding
TO the list OF rare gems and precious
stones. Talk of the diamond fields of
South America or South Africa, New
York can give them odds and outshine
them. If you don't believe this go to the
grand opera or at any one of the big balls
that women of fashion attend, and you
will be convinced. OF course, a good
many of the ladies do not wear their
jewels in public. In fact they have them
laid away in safe deposit vaults, and are
satisfied with the knowledge that they
have the gems where they can lay hands
on them if they wish to do so. In public
they wear duplicates OF the real stones
made from Rhinestone and the like, but
even from these you can CLEAN an idea as
to what the real articles must be.
But the most unique collection of gems
in this country is not in the possession of
a society lady, but is under the loving
care of Mr.. Kunz. the expert in precious
stones for Mr.. Tiffany. Indeed, it is
more curious than valuable, although it
has its value for that matter, and high
one, too. 1t was gathered from all over
the globe, and has been worked on for
years. 1t is made up of topaZes, emer-
aids and opals of splendid size and color,
among them being one opal mounted on
gold, an inch long and three-quarters of
an inch wide. 1t has engraved on ii in
relief a figure Of the sun-a human face
mirrored by blazing rays. 1t is evidently
from some temple where it was an idol
dedicated to the sun. Where it originally
came from is unknoWn; some experts
say Persia, some Mexico. 1t was picked
up last in England.
In this collection, too, are some fine
Alexandrites from the Ural Mountains
garnets, sapphires, beryls of golden yell
low and green and wonderful lapidary
work in rock crystal, amethyst, sara,
jade and rhodonite. Some of these spe-
cimens must have been worked upon for
months. The work was done in the in
terror of Russia, a week from st. Peters
burg, where the workmen are paid but
fifty cents day, but have great skill.
There are specimens containing plums,
grapes, berries and other small fruits, cut
from rhodonite, onyx, coral, canrelian
and other stones with wonderful leaves
of serpentine.
There are also some specimens of
French lapidary work equal to that of the
famous period of Louis XIV, XIV. and
XVI. From Ceylon and Asiatic Tur-
key are some Alexandrites which are
olive green by daylight and raspberry
red by artificial light, and there are other
rare things from all over the world.
Diamonds, gems, precious stones in
New York! Well, you had better be-
ieve there are. Heaps of them.-New
York Globe.