Evening star., 1902-02-07
JEWELS IN AMERICA
FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
INVESTED IN DIAMONDS.
Rare Gems That Are Worn by the
Women of the United
States.
From Ainslee's Magazine.

From Ainslee's Magazine
The complete spIendor OF such Jewels an
those stolen from the Burdens is revealed
only on the rare occasions OF fancy dress
balls. These occur once in a decade or so:
indeed. there have been but two that will
hold for all time a place In New Yorks
social history-that given In 1888, at her
residence at SD street and 5th avenue by
Mrs. William X. Vanderbilt. now Mrs. o.
H Z: Belmont, and the one given by Mrs.
Bradley-Martin fourteen years later at the
Waldorf The latter gorgeous and spec
tacular function was so denounced from
the pulpit for it's display of riches and ex-
travagance-several clerical gentlemen even
terming it an incentive to anarchy-that
probably it will be many day before We
shall again have the four hundred arrayed
in such purple and fine linen.
Clothed in Precious stones.
Fine linen. did 1 say? Why. the field OF
the cloth OF gold. arranged by the pauper,
Francis l, should be stricken in shame
from the annals of France. On such oc-
casions as these many women viewed from
the front. appear to be solidly armored In
diamonds or pearls; others, as Joan Of Arc,
are clothed with cuirass, helmet and gaunt-
lets Of sold silver: still others. at a loss for
novelty, jingle with coverings of gold coins;
heavy bands of gold wind around waists
and wrists, and twine about bare arms
from wrist to shoulder; jeweled lyre birds
pheasants and peacocl1s CLEAN gorgeously
in many coiffures; gowns are embroidered
almost to the hips with dazzling glitter
of all known precious stones; giant girdles
and great ropes of diamonds and price
less pearls are tossed about in the move
ment of the dance; diamonds and pearls
glittering everywhere. at throat, on the
buckles of dainty shoes. covering sleeves
in perfect network, tipping the thousand
stringed fringe of scarf; while a hun
dren women wear, not unbecomfngiy,
crowns of diamonds that only one Euro
pean empress might not envy-S20. 100000
in precious stones brought together on a
single evening to make binding the beauty
of these queens of American society.
Importation of Diamonds.
You think the amount exaggerated? Mrs.
John Jacob Astor. third. frequently wore
$3.50 600 worth of jewels at an ordinary
reception. and Mrs W. K. Vanderbilt fully
$4,000 at mere garden party. Pearl
necklaces alone worth $4,000 to 500 900
are not uncommon, one that cost 1920 600
being occasionally seen, and more than
one woman has 100000 IN gems from
which to choose.
The average annual importation OF prec-
ious stones into the United States has for
a long time been about x15.000.0oo. Thus
during only the past ten years we have
received S15o.000.0o0 in gems. A diamond
importer informed me that of this amount
country, and that Of the remainder fully
two-thrds have been sold to families and
individuals In New York. This means that
I'm the past ten years New Workers have
bought .oeo worth of precious stones.
this sum not including the cost of their
setting. A gem expert Of a prominent
company says that In the entire country
the diamonds alone are valued at $500 OOO-
600. and that sof this amount &l70O00 600
worth are owned IN New York