The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-01
FAMOUS DIAMONDS.
JEWELS WHICH HAVE MADE HIS
TORY AND ROMANCE.

Diamonds by the Pound Under the
Indian Rajahs-The Peacock
Throne of Shah Jehan-The Orion
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the French
CrOwn-Adventures of the KOh-l-
Moor, the Regent and the Saucy.
from the New York Commercial Adver-
tiser.
Plato describes the diamond as a kind of
kernel formed in gold condensed from the
purest and noblest part of the metal; and
his theory was sustained as late as the
fifteenth century by the alchemist Carbon,
who believed that precious stones were
engendered by juices distilled from gold.
silver and iron in the cavities of the rocks.
The latter also asserted solemnly that
these gems not only live. but also suffer
illness, old age and death, while the phil
osophers of India held that erring souls
might serve out am incarnation in them
Though the diamonds first known to the
Romans were brought from Ethiopia
priced them more for their medical and
psychieal virtues than for their beauty, as
the art of polishing them had not been
discovered-the mines of Go.conda were
known in the first century of our era
From that time until the eighteenth cen
fury India remained the sole producer of
diamonds. Pliny mentions six species, but
distinguishes the Indian diamond as the
true" So rich were the Golconda mines
that in the twelfth century the Sultan
Ulahmond, after a reign of thirty-two
years. left in his treasury more than 400
pounds weight. of diamonds. Akbar, in the
sixteenth century was accustomed to cele-
brate festival days by causing himself to
be weighed in golden scales against a mass
of god and jewels. which were then dis
tributed to the crowd.
TO Shah Jehan, the fifth Mogul Emperor,
who built the Tai Mahal, belonged a.so
that twin marvel. the peacock throne,
made In the form of the royal bird, the
natural colors of the spread tail being rep.
resented by rubies, sapphires, emeralds and
other precious stones, setting off a daz-
zling mass of diamonds. This throne, af-
terward carried off by the Persian in
vaders of the empire, was valued by Ia
Vernier, a French jeweier at $50 900 000
Tavernier in his travels through India
describes idols seen in the temples, with
hands formed of small pearls. with eyes
of diamonds or rubies, with collars, chains
and bracelets of gems. He saw two fig
ures, one of massive gold four feet high, in
the form of a maiden; by her side the
image of a child, of solid silver another
on an altar covered with gold and silver
tissues was of back marble, with great
rubes for eyes and a robe of purple velvet
embroidered with gems. The idol of Re
sora, in the great pagoda at Jagrenate
had two diamonds for eyes and a third
about its neck, the last weighing forty car
ats. They admitted no goldsmiths, how
ever to this temple, for once one hid him
self there and stole an eye from the Idol
but the vengeance OF the god overlook him
al the door and he died.
somewhat similar story is told Of the
Orloff, the great crown diamond of Rus
sia but in this case the thief escaped
AT the beginning of the eighteenth century
a soldier belonging to one of the French
garrsons in India fell in love with the
eyes of the idol of Brahma in the temple |
Of seringham. These eyes were diamonds.
and under their spell the soldier persuaded |
the priests TO convert him and admit him |
to some care of the temple This they |
conhdlngly did whereupon at the first OBJ |
portunity he disappeared, taking with him I
one of the IDOLS eyes, the other having re- !
sisted all his efforts. The perfidious |
Frenchman sold his prize 10 a captain in |
the English navy for about $4,000 Later !
it was bought by the Armenian merchant |
Schaffras for five times this sum and sold |
by him 20 Catharine of Russia, who offered |
Tor it 100000 a life pension of $4,000 and |
a patent of nobility. Schaffras refused this
offer and subsequently sold the gem to |
Gregory Orlof for the same sum, without |
the patent Of nobility. And Count Orloff. |
banished by a caprice of Catharne who |
also offered him secret marriage, present |
Cd his royal mistress two tokens of recon |
ciliation-the St. Petersburg arsenal and |
the Or.of diamond This stone, which is |
shaped like a half egg. rose-cut anl |
weighs nearly 200 carats, set in the scep- |
ter Of the Cars of Russia, remains a me-
mortal of the Dlebeian artillery officer ana |
courier, the savior of Moscow" and as |
sassn Of Paul III.
The orion and another stone now IN |
Persia are said TO have been cut from |
fragments OF the Great Mcgul diamond. |
seen by Tavernier among he Jewels or
Auruugzebe This stone, pr scented to the
Emperor OF Mvrgimola weighed In the
rough, more than 700 carats. Aurungzebe
entrusted "a 20 q venetian diamond cutter. |
lortens!o Eo.2io. then resident at hts
bilt so uuslc.ffflflly yuaa no ttorl-