Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-17
JEWELS OF THE PAST.

JEWELS OF THE PAST.
Gold and silver Ornaments wssn BY the
Women Of Ancient rimes.
From the Philadelphia PrSsa
Where do manufacturing Jewellers find ideas
for novel designs in response 70 the demand for
constantly changing fAshions?
Some they invent Of course, but large pro-
portion Of them are not new q au-in fact,
quite the revere, being merely copies Of orna-
ments which were made and worn thousands
and thousands Of years ago. Not few 60 back
even to prehistoric times, furnishing most in
teresting reminders Of vanished people. The
Metropolitan Museum Of Art In New York,
where the finest existing collections Of antique
jswelry are stored, is favorits resort for mod
ern workers in that trade. who 20 there to
study and initiate. Very many Of the most ex-
quisite designs which have captured fashions
fancy within the last few years in the shape Of
bracelets, necklaces, brooches, pins, &C., have
been simply reproductions Of originals found
in tombs on the island Of Cyprus and elsewhere,
buried centuries before the birth Of Christ
Several glass cases at this museum ere filed
with ornaments Of silver and gold, not one Of
d
most Of them date back to 90 B. @. and earlier
A majority Of them were dug out Of the ruins
OF tho ancient city Of Curium. in Cypress. The
town Is described by the Latin author Strabo.
II was destroyed about 500 B. O., after Siege,
during which the inhabitants buried their treas
ures in tombs and beneath their temples From
Strsbo's description General di Cesnola located
the original site and there he unearthed these
wonderful curios. The articles Of silver while
preserving their original shape have been trans
formed by corrosion to sulphate and other salts
Of silver, go that they are no longer beautiful,
but the gold ones, being proof against oxidiza-
tion, are today as bright and new looking as
they were 800 or 81 600 years ago, only little
skillful cleaning having been required.
JEWELS OF CYPRIoTEs.
Nothing can well be more curious than these
ornaments which were worn by fair women,
and, perhaps, by the handles Of congratulated
epoch. There would be no difficulty in imAgin-
ing that they were Of modern manufacture. No
better nor more elaborate workmanship Is done
now, and 1t is no wonder that makers Of jewelry
in the year 1892 are glad to initiate them, not
ALWAYS equaling the originals.
noss found md IN Cyprus were produced By
that Carthage, in latter days the great rival Of
Rome, was peopled BY the Phenicians, who
were great and highly civilized maritime ma
ton, although comparatively little Of their his
tory is accurately known. The ancient metal
workers were acquainted with many devices
vention. For example. some Of the bracelets
found were Of filed gold, copper furnishing the
core. They made remarkably handsome canoes
BY pressing glass with dies. In those times but
tons were unknown, and 30 II happened that
among the things dug up were a great many
pins that were used for dress clasps
One of the prettiest necklaces lie composed Of
small gold tortoises. most artistically wrought,
which were strung together. Another has beads
OF gold and rock crystal alternately arranged.
There are ever 80 many earrings, in a variety
OF elaborate patterns and some Of them very
heavy. Most curious Of these are some which
contain the quaintest little golden bottles i'm
aginable. A few of the brooches also have SIM
liar golden bottles. Now, what could they have
been meant for?
FREE USE OF PoIsoNs.
Nobody knows positively, but 1t Is supposed
that they were intended to hold poison. That
was an epoch during which human life was not
30 safe as it is nowadays, and there might be
occasions when quick and sure death would be
q desirable resort. Furthermore suicide was
then considered an honorable and dignified way
of getting out of the world. The strings of the
necklaces described had naturally disappeared
when the latter were discovered, but they were
put together and restored after the patterns ex-
hibited by the sculptures of the same period,
many OF which represent the jewelry as well as
clothing worn.
Some jewelry IL shown at this museum that
is even more ancient than what has been de-
scribed. 1t is the work of artisans Of Babylon.
Evidently they were not acquainted with the
art Of polishing precious stones. because the
sapphires. rubies and emeralds composing the
necklaces in the collection are not facetted
They are merely polished, pierced and strung
together, A curiosity Of enormous value 10 the
veritable eye of Q Babylonian idol. which bears
the inscription. ''Nebuchadnezzer, for his Life
to Nebo, his God. Nobody can tell how long
ago glass was first made, but plenty Of very
pretty bottles and plates Of that material long
antedating the Christian era, have been dug up
in Cyprus and elsewke re.
GREEK Axt ROMAN GLASS.
During SO many centuries of burial under
ground these objects have undergone most
curious change. Decay-for glass will rot
like almost anything else-has split up their
substance into laminea, or o sort Of haky
formation, SO that while preserving thoir
original shapes the interruption of light by the
laminea causes them to assume the most
brilliant iridescent hues, purple, green, red,
looks like a fragment Of rainbow. Most re-
Of the bottles is one that is still half
full of a liquid ointment which was put into
1t not less than $500 years ago.
Water containing lime. percolating through
the ground where the little vessel was buried,
sealed it up Theoretically with q stony deposit,
so that the ointment has been kept from evap-
Grating. 1t is doubtless the oldest cosmetic in
existence.
Mummies are cheap in Egypt. For long
time locomotives were run between Cavis and
Suez with no other fuel. But the corpses of
royaland otherimportantpe rsonages, preserved
in this manner according to the highest style
OF the art, are very valuable. There Is one in
the Metropolitan Museum that is identified by
the accompanying inscriptions as the Princess
Iounoirte. She is done up in a remarkable.
and unusual way, being wrapped in a sort of
basket Of papyrus reeds outside Of the usual
linen bandagee. The top of her coffin is
carved and painted board. done in low relief
and representing her as she was in life, with
white gown and costume complete. Every de-
tail Of her person is carefully reproduced, even
to her dainty almond-shaped nails. She was a
blonde and evidently very beautiful Though
she died more than 5000 years ago, how inter-
esting it would be to know something Of her
story.
Chicago Amazes the Britisher.
From the London Times
The British consul at Chicago in his latest re-
uiva IS A.