Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-02
Experts Examine English Crown
RegaIia and Make Startling
Revelations.
Half the Precious Stones, Includr
ing Large Diamonds, Declared
to Be Spurious.
Confirmation OF Story That Vic
toria's Predecessors PaWned
the Crown Jewels.


perts have pronounced nearly half the
gems spurious, including almost all the
large ones. This corroborates the re-
ports in various memoirs that the two
| immediate predecessors of Queen VIC
toria resorted to the expedient of sell
ing or pawning the crown jewels i'll
financial emergencies. The utmost
secrecy is maintained about the royal
crowns being Worn at the coronation
No one has been permitted to see them,
and it is said that the king has given
orders that imitation gems shall be re-
placed for the occasion by real ones on
| hire.
| Diamonds and emeralds will be the
| Jewels principally worn at the corona
| ton. More han half of them Will be
| hired from west end and Partisan jew
elers, who charge 5 per cent OF their
value for one days wear, the hirer also
| paying insurance. But vast quantity
of paste Will also be worn. No shop
keepers have done a larger business
over the coronation than the imitation
jewelry people. one firm says it has an
order from countess for an exact rep
lica of the duchess of Marlborough's
famous Vanderbilt pearls to cost over
$500 and to be indistinguishable from
the real ones except by an expert. Ih1s
is a rather foolish proceeding on the
part of the countess, as it is known she
could not possibly afford real gems.
Coronets of paste brilliants will also be
much worn.
The notion that the peers are spend
ing big sums in getting coronation
robes of the best material is myth, as
was sadly confessed to the corresponds
ent yesterday by one OF the leading
tailors in London. He said that some
very wealthy peers and newly created
cnes are going in for the most elaborate
and costly style of coronation MILL
merry, but the bulk Of the peerage have
ordered the cheapest stuffs and lurs.
He showed the correspondent the Two
extremes of cost and frugality on
barons robe of the best Lyons velvet,
lined with the finest white satin, with
cape and trimmings of real ermlne,
costing altogether 1865, and another
similar robe of the cheapest VelVeteen.
lined with white Sateen, with cape ana
trimmings of rabbit skin, costing SAL
all told He averred that six ous OF
every EN- robes were of the cheaper
type. and ten yards distant the differ
ence is scarcely noticeable unless ray
of sunlight strikes the robes, when vel
veteen is exposed
A large number of peers are hiring
robes from theatrical costumers, VINO
charge from s35 to 5000, according to
quality.
An order for robes to a tailor almost
invariably is accompanied with m
structions that the materials shall be
cut so that they can be utilized after
ward for dress or mantle by the peers
wife or daughter.
One of the queerest figures at the
coronation ceremonies will be the Ola
marquis of Clanricarde, who is credited
with making his own clothes for tho
sake of economy. He intends to don
the robes worn by his grandfather at
Queen Victoria's coronation. The robes
being much moth eaten, he has patched
them with new stuffs and fur with
his own hands. He declares that he
will go in an ordinary cab and would
not incur even that expense If he
believed he could get thru the streets
afoot without being mobbed.
Lord Salisbury, who hates public dis
play and is utterly careless about mat
ters of dress, is said to be bored to
death by the prospect OF the corona"
ton. He has resisted all the blandish-
ments of his family to induce him to
get a new outfit for the ceremony, and
~, Il; old mi nc
an elder brother of Trinity house, altho
in order to make 1t fit him, owing to
his increased stoutness, broad band
of gold lace has been inserted down
the back, contrary to the regulations
Then his robes cost only $3.50, being
of fourth-class quality.
Lord Rosebery was waited on this
week to get his photograph in the robes
OF a Knight Of the Garter, but he re-
piled that his old robes had ceased
to fit and he had not yet been able
to nerve himself up to getting new
ones, hoping the resources Of civiliza-
ton would be equal to the readjusting
OF the old.
Earl Spencer, also a knight Of the
Carter replied under the same circum-
stances that he could not find his old
robes and was arranging to hire a
suit if possible.
The fact is that responsible men
with some sense of personal dignity,
while habituated to the wearing Of a
court uniform, look with distaste on
a revival of these archaic dress reeu-
lattons, which are entirely contrary
to the spirit of the times and tend
toward the ridiculous.
With the smart women 1t is differ
ent; their dress is their profession.
They are throwing themselves with the
keenest ardor into the millinery cues
ton. They are adopting all kinds of
devices to make the best impression
in a costume which is inclined to be
destructive of figure. Some have hit
upon scheme whereby corsets and
boGices are one, thus saving the fatal
thickness around the waist Other oc-
cult measures are being taken to guard
against sutfocation In the hot atmos
phere of the abbey, where they will
spend five hours, by providing that
their robes and dress will be practic
ally all the garb they will wear on
that occasion.
State chariots form another item In
which the mobiles hidden to the coron
alton are making Il large saving. At
first it was thought that these con
veyances We're essential, but now onl,
few plutocratic peers have bought
them, others hiring while the vast ma
iority intend to go In their ordinary