The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-11
JEWELS Of ROYALTY
Victoria Had a Passion for
Costly Trinkets.
WAS PLAIN OTHERWISE
Tastes of Other Sovereigns
for Ornaments.
WAS PLAIN OTHERWISE

Kings and queens and royal personages
generally are almost the only people that
feel able to crafty the taste for wearing
much jewelry.
An ordinary person would scarcely have
the courage to display a heavy gold and
bejewened bracelet such as both King
Edward VII. and the German emperor
sometimes wear on the LETT wrist.
The king of England is said to have
drawn for his ornament upon the i'm
mense treasury Of the crown Jewels OF
England. accumulated during centuries
by purchase and present and plumber.
An fndiscreat maid Of honor Of the
queen has revealed that there was a long
! struggle between mother and son before
| the obstinate old lady would allow the
/ king to crafty his taste at the temporary
/ expense Of the crown jewel chest.
Emperor William borrowed the idea
| from his uncle. But he bought his bangle
right out. ordering from Berlin jew
elers the stones that took his fancy and
having them set according TO his own de-
sign. The price was enormous.
was simply att7red in public, had an
Oriental passion for costly and beautiful
ornaments Her special favorite was a
collar Of gold, dec9zed with diamonds and
pearls and with an immense ruby glow
ing in the center This she wore con-
stantly when she was living in seclusion.
That is. if the weather was not too
hot, for the collar weighs more than two
|
found it uncomfortable. The heavy oIa-
mond ear rings which she lore on state
occasions were made with the priceless
sotnes given her by the Naharaj ahs when
she was proclaimed empress Of India
The late Queen Victoria's jewels are now
the property OF Queen Alexandria
The queen OF Spain has an invaluable
collection OF rings, in fact the most prec-
ious IN the world. They number "a. and
many Of them have immense historic in
teresits, DANG back to Moorish days.
She has the mania for changing her rings
frequently, sometimes as often as six
times a daya
The king Of Belgium does not carry
mr7ch jewelry about, but ne has one Of
the most curious collections of watches
known. He has a good notion of the
waite dmaker's trade, and is not at all
afraid to tinker with his most valuable
specimens when they go wrong.
The pope wears, of course, on his right
hand the famous papaI signet ring, The
Seal of the Fisherman" On his left
hand he has a ring made with a superb
sapphire. OF fawless color and shape, a
present from the Catholics of France
on the occasion Of his jubilee His holt
ness is very fond OF this jewel. and, it
is said, may often be caught admiring it
on his long transparent hand.
The sultan Of Turkey has sacks Of
precious stones, unset and often uncut
rubies and diamonds and sappires and
pearls, which he is fond OF playing with
dreamily. He possesses also about two
hundred nargilehs, or water-pipes. rich
" encrusted with jewels. These are pres
ents from his vassal chiefs, who ransack
the rich bazaars of the east to propitiate
with gifts The terrible shadow OF Cod"
The emperor of Austria has a passion
for cups and g0blets in silver and gold.
! He has amasse0 hundreds of these
which represent in their quaint design
and rich ornament every phase of the
cupsmith's art from the earliest times.
The late king of Italy wore no gold or
! jewels on his person. Even his watch was
of silver.
The reigning king IS not very different
! in this respect. He is fond, however. of
amassing curious specimens Of the gold
! heaters art among semi-savage peoples.
/ His collection started from some boxes
in beaten gold brought to him by General
! Panosteln after the disastrous Abyssin-
/ ian campaign.
The young queen Of Holland, too. likes
1 to have little knick-knacks in the prec-
! ious metals. Wilhelminia values highly
/ miniature crown richly decorated with
/ jewels which stands or her writing table
/ II was sent as a present In the name
| of the little king of Spain. She refuses
TO wear bracelets jeweled collars or neck
! laces. "A pair of light diamond earrings
represent the uttermost concession this
young lady viii make TO her mothers
| wishes in this respect.
| Carmen Sylvia, the romantcally dis
posed poet-Queen of Roumonia, loves A
richly jeweled costume. She generally
wears the picturesque dress Of the Rou-
manian mountain women. but the jewels
| with which it glittcrs all over would buy
! out hall the peasants in the country.
The shah of Persia wears a richly
/ jeweled belt said TO be worth 10000. A
huge diamond IS poised in the centre Of
his high back astrachan cap. His uni
/ form OF tate ratties with gold chains
7 slung over his breast and pendent form
/ the shoulders. and wherever the chains
are dXeo into the cloth there ere jeweled
clasps. In gaia attire he gives the i'm
/ preston of richly wrought mediavial
Golfer He likes TO spend hours in ex-
amining jewels, and recently astonished
Paris by the lavish orders he gave Tor
precious stones and jeweled bibelots AT
/ the exposition and or the oouievards.
The shah usually carries pecious stones.
/ probably not Of the most costly kind.
! loosely IN his pocSets. In Paris. when
/ he wanted 10 reward some one who took
! his fancy an who was not worth decor
ating, e would tumble III his waistcoat
and produce sometimes q ten franc piece.
/ but more often a more or less precious
! stone. which. after removing the dust
/ by wetting between his lips. his Oriental
+ majesty would tremendously remit TO
the person who had won favor.
Chief GRTBiI2 TALKS