Washington sentinel., 1900-02-03
IT,, y ~, SENTINEL
The Romance Of Precious Stones.
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The diamond has more romance
attached to 1t than any o'her stone,
although, curiouslY enough, il is
not the most valuable.
AT least seventy diamonds are in
existence which have a long ro-
mantle history we'll known to eX-
perts, Indeed, the career Of
great diamond can scarcely be
kept a secret. The biggest dia
diamond ever found in the world
is the Braganza, which weighs
1850 carats in the rough, and is the
size OF a goose's egg. 1t was found
il Brazil, and is now guarded in
the Portuguese Treasury so safely
that no expert has been able to ex-
anime it thoroughly,
But by far the finest and GER
tainly the most famous diamonds
in the world have come rom India,
especially from the treasury chest
of the Great Mogul, whose house
ruled the vast territory of Delhi
and Agra, which we took from
him. The gem of the
Great Mogups collection vas the
stone named after him. Its tate is
now wrapped in mystery, for It has
either disappeared or been spirited
into another form. Found IN the
Gani NINE (Hyderabadl in the
early years OF the seventeenth cen
tury, it weighed 1914 caTats.
Tavernier, the great French jewel
ler and traveller, examined it at
the Court Of Aurungzeb IN 1905.
From that date irs career is a mYs-
terry. Various theories exist as to
its fate. Some people think it was
carried of by the Persians at the
sack OF Delhi in 1889, and is now
the among Shah's jewels. Others
believe that it is really the Kohl
Nur; while a third set Of theorists
recognize it IN the famous Orloff
diamond now Ia the Russian scep-
ire. The Persians who carried it
off probably SleaVed it into two or
more stones so as to avoid detec-
ton. The Kohl Nur, which now
weighs Io2% caTats, has a history
traceabIe from the year I526, while
tradition gives il a career OF 5000
years. The Orloff dia-
mond, which is the chief ornament
in the Imperial scepter OF the Gar,
is the biggest diamond in Europe,
weighing 1913 carats. II, too, be.
longed to the Great Mogul, and
formed the eye Of an idol in Ser
Ingham, an island in the river
Cavery, near Tuchinopoly.
The Hope diamond is a blue
color, and has had tortuous his
tory. Bought by Tavernier in
India in I64z, il was sold by
Louis XIV. in 1868, and was seized
with the rest Of the French regalia
in I79a, and deposited IN the Garde
Meuble and stolen within a month.
Nobody knows what became Of it,
but in 1890 a similar stone, weIgh-
AZ carats (the Regent in its late
stages had weighed 6758 carats),
came into the possession Of Henry
Thomas Hope, who bought the
stone for 6I8,ooo. Hope was a
member OF an old Scotch family
that had made a fortune as mer-
chants in Amsterc am-hence the
fne collection Of Dutch pictures
which 7 ord Fran~is H0ra ra~Antl1,
sold. The stone which Hope
bought is beliyed to have been the
famous Regent, the rest ofIthavIng,
probably, gone to form what is
known Is the Brunswick Blue Dia-
mond, which weighs IL carats.
Lord Francis inherited the dia-
mond from his maternal grand
mother, who left him, among other
things, the beautiful estate OF Deep.
dene, now tenanted bv Lord Will
lam Beresiord. Lord Francis was
born a Pelham-Clinton, but on at
taning his majority IN 1887 he as.
sumed by royal ID :ence, the aC-
dIuonsl name OF Hope. He may
YET succeed his brother as Duke
OF Newcastle.
One OF the largest diamonds
found IN the New World was
picked up by a negress in thu prov
ince OF Minas Geraes. Brazil, in
1883 Her master. who released |
her IN consequence, sold II Tor
S3,oo 1t was Ultimately bought |
thT y years ago by the Gaikwar Of |
BaToda, who was af erwards de- |
posed by our Government he |
stone is known as the Star OF the |
South, and weighs asa carats. A |
stone known as the Regent OF Por-
tugal was found IN the same mines
by negro In I775, Ii is worth
10000 guineas.