Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-12
ALL THE BLUE DIAMONDS.
Gems Now in Possession o
Three Americans.

Three Americans.
New York. Dec. 12-Five hundred and
forty thousand dollars for three Christ
mas presents-and all three may be car
RED in the palm Of the hand! These are
the gifts of three American mtllionaires
to three American women.
The three presents are the only blue
diamonds known to history. Two OF
them, at least, have an individual his
tory dating back to 1882, when the great
blue diamond was brought to Europe
from India by Tavernier. 1t was after
wards cut into three pieces.
The most famous Jewel OF the three
is the Hope diamond recently purchased
in London by Joseph Frankefs Sons, OF
New York, for an American whose name
is kept from the pubic. The price paid
is stated to be $250.000.
The second largest OF the three Is the
duke of Brunswick diamond, and it is to
be Christmas present TO the actress,
Julia Arthur, from her husband, Benja-
min F. Cheney, of Boston,. The price
paid was $4,000.
The third blue diamond has been sold
by Cattle, Stern & CO., of New York, to
an unnamed American for 100000
The history Of the Hope diamond be-
gan in 1642, when 1t is first recorded as
the treasure Of an Indian potentate, In
the days when enormous jewels were
plentiful with such princes. 1t was a
rough stone then. weighing 112A carats.
1t remained there until Tavernier, OF
Paris, on one of his tours thru the east,
saw and purchased 1t. He brought 1t
,;, 1n fdr N
ton of twenty-five diamonds, which
were bought by Louis XIV. for 2,500,00V
francs ($5O0,000). In addition, Tavernier
received the title of Baron d 'Aubonne.
To be fitted to the fashions OF the
west much of the weight was sacrificed.
In the rough it was fiat, Ill formed
stone, and after the cutting it appeared
as a square. with triangular part,
Weighing 6S,s carats.
Louis XIV. wore it suspended by
heavy blue ribbon around his neck. 1t
was the chief among his collection OF
Jewels. upon which value of $50, 100000
francs (s12,O00,0 0O0) was placed.
In the days of the French revolution
the blue diamond, with other jewels was
seized and placed in the Garde Meuble.
From there it disappeared, and nothing
more was heard of it for nearly forty
years, when Daniel Eliason appeared In
London with blue diamond weighing
44A carats which was of the same size
and luster as the major portion of the
Tavernier stone
Henry Thomas Hope, an English
banker, bought the gem. He is said to
have paid s13,O00 1855 000) for it, and the
modern part of the story began.
In 1874 the Duke Of Brunswick bought
a blue diamond in Geneva. 1t weighed
1O2 carats, and corresponded to large
portion of the piece cut from the Tav-
ernier diamond after the revolution. The
smaller part was once said to have been
owned by Edwin w. Streeter.
What since 1880 has been known as
the Hope diamond remained in that
family until few weeks ago. 1t again
became famous as the principal asset
of the present Lord Francis Hope, mar
ried to May Yohe an American comic
opera singer. He endeavored to realize
upon it several times, but was pre-
vented by proceedings brought by his
older brother, the Duke of Newcastle,
and his sister, Lady Beatrice Lister
Kaye. the jewel being entailed
Since the separation OF Lord Hope and
his wife, which occurred in New York
last spring, the ban was removed and
the jewel sold.