The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-08-12
ROYAL CONNOISSEURS
VICTORIA KIN OWS THE HISTORY
A5 OF EVERY GEM. 81. III
Nothing That Has Belonged to Kings
and Queens Is She Ignorant Of-Other
Crowned Experts--One Of the Peculiar
.1 Prerogatives of Royalty. =

When the Queen gratif1es London
dealer in precious stones by COM
mand to attend at Windsor or Osborne
lie finds that he has to do with a
shreWd, intelligent buyer. She has in
her possession wonderful collection
of precious stones, among which is a
marvellous green diamond Of great
value which has never been set. Her
majesty has at her fingers end the
history of every famous stone which
belongs to European royalty. Four
beautiful and unrivaled ,sapphires,
equal in size and luster to the one that
gloWs in the crown of England, are
the property of the Queen of Saxony.
The Comtesse de Paris, too, possesses
magnificent parure of sapphires, cor
onet, necklace, bracelets, brooch and
earrings. The stones are large and
set with exquisite diamonds. The fin
est pearl necklace in the world be-
longs to the Countess Henckel, and is
valued at more than $4,000 pounds 1t
IS composed of three famous necklaces,
+ each OF great value in itself. One,
known as the necklace of the Virgin
of Atokha, was bought by the Countess
from a Spanish grandee for $4,000
pounds. Another was once owned by
Marie Sophie, ex-Queen of Naples, and
the third was the Empress Eugenie's
state necklace, which was sold for
10000 pounds. The Queen of Italy also
owns a superb necklace, consisting of
several rows of pearls, which are so
costly and SO, rare that her maids are
obliged always to wear a part of the
collection to aid her majesty in keep
ing the beautiful gems, pure, lustrous
and healthy by constant contact with
warm flesh. King Humbert buys the
pearls for his wife, presenting her with
one row each year, and he, like Queen
Victoria, is an expert in jewels. These
pearls are excelled only by those once
IN the possession Of Queen Mary of
Hanover, now the property of her
daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cum
berland,which form string more than
six feet long. Every one of these love-
y beads is an absolute match in shape
and DIOR The; late Empress of Aus
tria possessed the best collection Of
black pearls in existence, as we'll as
the biggest emerald, and necklace Of
the same stones which is unrivaled
These emeralds are crown property, as
are the pearls of Queen Margherita.
The Empress of Russia wears, second
to her royal grandmother, the largest
diamond, and has also a collection of
rubies of surprising splendor, though
the richest and most beautiful aggre-
cation of precious stones is owned by
The Russian church. All the Queens Of
Europe do not own jewels to half the
value of those set in the statues,
crosses affairs and vestments at the
Cathedrals of Moscow and St. Peters,
burg. The favorite wives. of the Shah
Of Persia and the Sultan wear ! tur-
quoises the like of which no Western
Queen can boast. The Duchess of West
minister wears the largest and most
perfect turquoise (being f1awless)
owned by any private person, and the
Duchess of Sutherland is the happy
possessor of the only complete neck
lace of black pearls. ~