The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-06
OUTBID THE PRINCE.
American Woman Paid $4,000 For a
CRYSTAL

3
Crystal.
The mode in London at the moment is
to own a crystal ball, at the least every
one must be able to talk intelligently on
the subject Probably the present passion
of the Price of Wales for collecting his
tOric and fine specimens of crystals has
had much to do with this state of things
and has also kindled the dealers and I'M
p0rterS Of them to UneaTth a number or
formerly obscure treasures. The craze is
spreading rapidly. In this country Miss
Helen Gould is a student of crystals and
owns very beautiful one. 1t Is an I'M
usually large one, IS free from blemiSheS
and cost several thousand dollars Miss
Gould has 1t set up in the center of d.
much d2rkened room which is lit from
me TOP, ana where it can be freed from
the reflection of other things. It's own
representations can then be sought for
within its depth.
AS Ii is we'll known, these balls have for
centuries enjoyed the reputation of being
prophetic and revealing to their students
secrets Of the future. Among the ancient
Hebrews there We're those who regarded
crystal gazing as a ready means of find
ing Cod me seeker after truth usually
muttered over the globe a number of
prayers and then delivered il over 10 a
youth or maiden, noted for purity of living
and the power to divine it's revelations
Sometimes written characters were seen
winch were afterwards Interpreted by the
sages. Spirits also appeared to invoke
the good. by many OF the present day,
VINO nave to do with these balls, it is said
that seeing things in them is through
some astral and unexplained condition.
Apart however, from any occult inter-
est, there is an immense amount of beau
~ in the crystal themselves. They are
more like rare gems than pieces of Dric-a-
brac, and sOotnngly cool and agreeable
10 the touch. In fact, this IS one means
Of distinguishing them from glass. The
glass becomes warm when exposed to
neat while the crystal always remains
cold.
The finest specimens of these balls are
said 20 be those that come from Japan,
and which are claimed by many to have a
more distinct CLEAN Of White In them Jhan
any others. In Japan, too, they are pol
ished by hand, the art being highly es-
teemed and passing in certain families
from father to son through many genera
tiOn6. Sometimes the work on a crystal
begun by one man viii thus only reach
state of completeness under his grandson.
Many astOnishingly fine bits OF crystal
have been found in Californiay and made
by machinery into beautiful spheres The
work Is so Skilltuily dove that II baff1eS
the experts to tell them from those
moulded and polished by hand The larg-
est ball that this country can boast of
having produced measures seven and
three-siXUeenths inches in diameter. II is
not free from ClOudline waves of imOer-
fectiOns, or its value would be very great
In passing it may here be said, that a
large exhibitor these American prOduc
lions has been sent 10 the exposition at
Paris, and will include crystals ranging
in price from $50 up to 5000. But even
those that touch the topmost figures are
less expensive than some of the Japan
csc specimens recently shown in London.
Especially Is this true of those that have
sOTne incident OF historic value connected
with. them Lately an American woman
OF bid the Prince of Wales and paid 81, 900
fol a rather small crystal. but one that
was quite perfect 1t had been one of the
eyes IN a celebrated Chinese dragon, a
curious monster whose figure once typified
sin in one OF the temples The other eye
of the beast was bought at a similarly
high price by Russian merchant, he
said ''as a speculation"