The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-25
COSTLY THIMBLES.
Some of Them Are Set with Precious
Stones

Some of Them Are Set with Precious
Stones
One hundred aad twenty-five dollars
does seem a good deal OF money for a
thimble, even in these days Of luxury,
and yet that is the price paid for some
most elaborate specimens of the Jew
ele1's art. OF course, these are jewels
and precioes stones. and the founda-
ton is of gold, so that, after all, per
haps the sum asked is not excessive,
but it certainly seems so.
Turquoises are favorite stones for
thimbles, but pearls and diamonds are
also used. OF course, very costly jewels
are impossible, for there is very little
room TO put them in, as the sides and
top of the thimble are only for use.
Enamel work in blue or gold is ex-
ceedingly pretty on thimbles, and mot
toes in most dainty lettering are often
TO be seen. The fact that the notices
bear little reference 10 the object seems
10 have little weight "Toujours a
yous" is the favorite inscription, and it
is certainly ambiguous enough TO suit
ell occasions.
Even those people who like TO joke at
sentiment fail to laugh at the old gold
thimbles of their grandmothers-the
metal worn out in countless places and
all stamped with the signs of use.
Grandfather's clock and the old arm
chair have had their day, and IL is high
time that grandmother's thimble was
immortalized in rhyme.
Silver thimbles are possible for al
most everyone; and as celluloid also is
used for thimbles, the brass ones which
brought so much suffering in the way
of sore fingers, are rapidly passing out
of existence.
There are one or two thimbles in this
city of New York which are veritable
heirlooms. One, of carved ivory. yellow
with age, is said to have belonged TO
Mary, Queen of Scots, and the proud
possessor of il insists she can prove il
really was the property of the Scottish
queen. What stories could it not tell,
that small piece of discolored ivory!
In this day, when collections are the
fad of the times, it would seem that
collection of thimbles would be most
interesting. Fashions have changed
very little, but the shapes are by no
means identical, and what are known as
tailors' thimbles, and have no tops, were
1T one time made of gold or silver, and
even studded with jewels. Tiny pearls
on gold thimbles is favorite fashion,
albeit very perishable one, for such
small stones can never be set sufficient
ly deep to make them quite secure; be-
sides, pearls and turquoise become dis
colored very quickly when in constant
use.
Ivory thimbles have not been In fash
Ion for many generations, and those
which are now shown as heirlooms are
exceedingly clumsy and do not look "a
though they could have been very COM
Portable.
The celluioid thimbles have proved a
good investment They are quite light
and generally well made; their princi-
pal drawback is that they seem after a
time to get very hot and uncomforta-
ble--a feature which gold and silver
ones fortunately do not possess.
There is one use to which thimbles
have been put which Is not generally
known, and that is to make the ends of |
the fingers taper, and in the stern days |
Of long ago many a young girl was
forced to sleep with each finger Sc
curely fixed in a tightly-ftting thimble
Of silver or gold. The remedy is said |
TO have been eficacious.-Harper's Ba.
zar