The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-31

copyright, 1896, by George F. Kunz)
Large gems have always had a great
charm to the Oriental and they have
always paid more for them than the
Europeans. The Orient hides within
her jealously guarded palaces many
fine collections of jewels. The Nizam
of Hyderabad owns the Victoria dia-
mond, for which he paid 81 1000, 0OO The
The Maharajah of Tagore is likewise
possessed Of a rich store of gems, many
of them rare and curious The Mahar-
ajah of Baroda paid 100000 for the
125-carat Star Of the South, and also
bought The 225-carat pale yellow De
Beers diamond exhibited at the 1889
exposition.
According to the testimony of Uni
ted States Minister S. G. w. Benja-
min, the late Shah OF Persia had a very
remarkable collection of gems, esti-
mated 10 be worth between $10, 900, 900
and $15.oO0,000. but it is almost impos-
sible to get reliable information about
them, so closely. are they guarded. The
same may be said of the Sultan of
Turkeys collection, valued at over $10,-
100000.
When the English took possession of
the palace of King Theebaw at Man
Galay, Burmsh, they searched eagerly
for the fabulous treasures, which it
was supposed this Oriental monarch
possessed They were doomed TO dis
appointment Nothing Of any special
value was found, the far famed jew
els consisting of miscellaneous lot of
poor emeralds and rubies Many Of
them were of large size, but so infer
Tor in quality that the English regalia
could not be enriched by adding any of
them. So little are they valued that
they are now exhibited in simple glass
cases in the Indian museum in London.
Many of these Oriental collections,
according TO Sir Edwin Arnold and
other Oriental travellers, are kept in
isolated rooms. Sometimes the gems
arc wrapped an rags, or concealed in
ginger jars, old boxes and out-of-the-
way places, sc that even an intimate
visitor may be a guest for weeks and
only occasionally see a jewel, and only
when he has the entire confidence of
his host are the treasures gradually
shown one at a time.
ZEE PEACOCK THRONE OF THE
MOGULS.
Of all the costly wonders that the
palace of The mogul emperors at Delhi
contained, the most wonderful and the
most costly was the peacock throne.
This was constructed during the reign
of Shah Jehan, and was the work of q
Frenchnan, Austin, of Bordeaux, who
had sought refuge at the mogurs court.
II was estimated that the value of the
throne was f6,000 600 sterling. 1t stood
in the center of the beautiful Hall of
Private Audience" so-called, from its
1al-e
standing behind it, with their tails be-
ing expanded, and the whole SO inlaid
with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls
and other precious. stones of appropri-
ate colors as to represent life. The
throne itself was six feet long by four
feet wide; 1T stood on six massive feet,
which, with the body, were of solid
gold. inlafd with rufbies, emeralds and
diamonds 1t was surmounted by
canopy of gold supported by twelve
pillars, all richly emblazoned with cost
ly gems, and a fringe of pearls orna-
mented the border of the canopy. Be-
tween the two peacocks stood a figure
of a parrot of ordinary size, said to
have been carved out of a single emer-
aid. On each side of the throne stood
an umbrella, one of the Oriental en-
blens of royalty. They were formed of
crimson velvet thickly embroidered and
fringed with pearls, the handles. eight
feet high, being of gold studded with
diamonds. 1t has been held that the
famous Kohinoor was one of the Jew
els that ornamented the throne; and
as this diamond, now in possession of
Victoria was owned by Shah Jehan,
the story may be true. When Delhi
was sacked by the Persians under Ma
dir Shah, in 1893, the throne was plum
dered of its jewels, broken up and
carried away. with $3.50. 900, 900 worth of
loot. A block of white marble now
marks the spot where it once stood.
RUSSIAN GEMS.
Catherine II and Peter the Great of
Russia were lovers of precious stones,
and collected fine examples of the jew
eler's art, which are preserved, to-
gether with other precious relics in the
Kremlin in the Curegona Palata, at
Moscow. Here are thrones studded
with diamonds, rubies, turquoises.
pearls, emeralds and sapphires; an orb
containing a ruby weighing forty-nine
carats, and swords and scimitars thick
~ studded with gems. The jewels pro-
per. which are enclosed in cases, in
clude workmanship and renaissance,
Byzantine and Persian handiwork. ali
by master hands. The wealth of gems
used is amazing. Stones cut and uncut.
some of the largest size. sh.Ne in these
regalia. Most wonderful of all is the
coronation crown of Catherine l, made
especially for her by order of Peter the
Great. There are 2,S5S diamonds in this