The times., 1898-12-25
A GREAT GREEN PEARL.
Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears
n Tiara.


Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears
n Tiara.
The jewels this winter at the Metropol-
tan Opera House in New York easily out
number and eutglitteri any collection
ever seen at one time or place. On those
nights when Il particularly popular cast
is singing there is not a single box in
either tier that does not boast one. two
and in some instances three jeweled
crowns apiece.
In other days Mrs. William Astor and
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt at different
points in the partierre circle used easily,
by their diamonds. to dominate the stua-
tion, and the first woman who wore a
complete crown of white stones and out
did them all was Mrs. George Could Her
crown was variously estimated at 5000
and $4,000. and gave ishe country cousin
in the orchestra something to wonder
over between the aetso until Mrs. Oliver
Belmont. with her pearl headpiece crest
ed with rubies. and Mrs. Yerkes with
single hair ornament of turquoises and
diamonds. made nything like comparl-
sons quite odious. '
orchestra chairs who know who makes
the finest jewel display every season, and
from this point OF yantage they sweep
the boxes With powerful glasses and
point out the finest CONSIDERATIONS In tne
ehorseshoe one tried and. true opera
goer the other night fell 70 talking OF the
fine gems that are conspicuous this sea-
son.
There isn't a coronet here yet that
for splendor+ can touch Mrs. George
yanderbilt's. Hers is a regular picket
fence of picked white stones, with big
blue diamond in front; and next after
hers for exquisite beauty / would class
the imitation of an empress coronet
that Mrs. d. 0. Mills owns. Mrs. Sew
ard Webb makes far and away the best
display of opals the opera house has
ever seen, and Mrs. Levi P. Morton
over there can always be counted on
for truly regal emeralds. She is fond
of wearing beautiful dark velvet gowns
with just a touch or two of priceless
old point. and against the yellow lace
the green stones find a happy back
ground. Mrs. Clarence Mackay and
Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney are the
two young matrons who wear the most
conspicuousIy lovely gems. The one has
been given some startling diamonds by
her mother-in-law, and the other in
III
was one of these ladies who came the
opening night with rope of diamonds
about her neck, TO which was hung a
little muff of white tulle and violets,
the center of which was solid band of
diamonds
However. the most splendid gems one
sees nowadays are oftener worn by hand
some women from the West than by our
Eastern beauties. Mrs. General Winston
of Chicago, for example, will catch the
lace of her bodice with one or two pins of
exceeding perfect water set solitaire, and
| then, by gold chain as fine as a hair,
| she will sling about her neck one pear
shaped pearl worth all the other collars
| and tiaras in the box next her.
"She and Mrs. Chatfield Taylor and
| other Western bellies have grasped the
most esthetic argument as to the use of
| these ornaments. Here in New York we
| have fallen into the English idea of using
| jewels by the shovelful, and if l know
anything about the value of such things
] should estimate the aggregate of gems
\ in the boxes alone on some nights at the
| Metropolitan as worth well over six mill
| lion of dollars.
Magnificent as 1t all seems. I can as
sure you that uneasy lies the head that
wears tiara. The New York policeman
their protective duty by the women. but
| there is ever an element of danger in
| CARRYING a compact fortune about your
head and shoulders. and the owners of
lthose bright treasures know #.
| "If two or three small jewel thefts
| were to occur now you would see that
galaxy of stones melt out of sight like
raindrops in the sunlight, and since the
great Burden robbery there are few
| enough women who think of keeping
| any but a few rings and pins in their
houses with thenfs After the Duche sse
| de Lorge in Paris S1ast winter was re-
| Iieved courteousiy'ef her ornaments by
| her coachmen Willie sdriving home alone
through a deserted street at midnight.
| not only do many discreet New Yorkers
I hire none save those coachmen, footmen
/ and buffers who.iw give bonds as to
| their honesty. but,on leaving the opera
| house they render up their sunbursts
| and necklaces tola discreet-looking per-
! son in a high hatt and smart evening
| coat, who carrieso IL small black case. He
| is not detective as you may think, but
! a tried and true safe deposit man. The
black case is chained to his wrist, and
| he collects jewels at the back doors of
| boxes, and hurries them off to the Sc
| curity of underground steel defended
! bank vaults.
/ Last spring there was a great litter
| of excitement in New York society be
! cauAs of grewsome adventure that be-
4 fell the lovely Countess 81 Mar and Kel-
i lie in London. She was attending re-
ception given the Prince and Princess ci
Wales and wore her strings of family
/! pearls with six diamond pendants. In
the crush around the door of the duca
town house, while she tried to press
through from her carriage. the PENDANTS
! were coolly wrenched from her neck
That London episode seemed to settle Il
I for our great ladies'; they come to ant
from the opera house as bare of Jewel.
as an orchestra performer. The orna
melits they are going to wear are packet
into stout leather eases upholstered /.
velvet-lined trays within and fastened b,
two very business-tike locks.
In the cloak closet behind her box