Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-02
BLAZE OF GEMS.
Surpassing Splendor of the Royal
 Pageant at Delhi.
Indian Naboba Attend the Proclama- ton Ceremonies Clothed fn All Gho Ma&Rthcemce of ThctR
 StatiOns

tho Ma@Rtacemce of ThctR
 Station.
 For 2,000 years, and who cam tell how much longer, India has been absorbing emeralds have found their way to Hin dugtan by caravan and sea, while the mines of Burmah and of India itself have also contributed their quota to bhis demand for gems.
 What has become of tham2 Only an insignificant quantity has found it's way out of that country, for once they are acquired by native nobles and rul- CTS they go to the treasure house and seldom see light
 Rajah after rajah occupies the thrones of the native states, and each adds to the royal store of gems. In the old times raid after raid swept these kingdoms; but the conquerors seldom discovered the hiding places of the jewels, and royal princes bore tor ture and death rather than give up the secret, says a London paper.
 Gold Is clumsy and bulky in conn parison with rubies of the same value. Ten thousand pounds worth of ru- bies could be concealed in 8 turban; but even the voluminous robes of the east could not hide gold to a similar value, so the popularity of jewels as the most portable form of wealth is easily understood.
 The best opportunity of displaying this priceless accumulation for gen. eration has been the Delhi durbar. It is safe to say that the ruling chiefs that did homage to the English Raj" on New Years day wore on their cloth- ing the resources of their kingdom Not only were the turbans, robes, swordhilts and scabbards crusted with gems, but the trappings of their very elephants shone with jewels. Perhaps the maharajah of Gwalior wore the most splendid collection amid the gor- geous display. His collar of immense emeralds was worn over in England during the coronation festivities, and attracted great admiration. The three bands of magnificent stones composing it are native cut.
 They make splendid and glitter ing show; but if recut in European fashion their briliancy would be in- creased tenfold. Indian rulers, how ever, are a conservative race, and re- gard such suggestion as the recut- ting of their jewels as vandalism.
 The rest of this rajah's robes are covered with gold embroidery set with many smaller emeralds. Many of these jewels have lost much of their value (according to our ideas( from the fact that they have been pierced for convenience in attaching them to the princes clothing.
 Tn the case of the rajah of Baroda, number of his priceless diamonds have not only been pierced but en- graved with texts. 'Baroda" wears collar of strings of large diamonds that might almost be termed a cape. Here and there it is picked out by. the glow of red ruby or the gleam of an emerald or sapphire. In his tur- ban he wears a large tasseI of care- fully graded pearls, and the top of this wonderful headdress is mass of variegated gems matching the collar, while great diamonds are set as pend- ants all round.
 Though Sir Pertab Singh, mahara- iah of Idar, is a comparatively wealthy man, he is poor compared to some of his compeers. Yet he wears in his turban a jewel that he would not ex- change for the collar of Gwalior or the headdress of Baroda.
 It is a little miniature of Queen Vic- toria set in the midst of circle of briliants It was presented to the gallant Sikh chief by her majesty her self, and he is never seen without it. No rajah sets greater value to the heirlooms that have come down to him from 40 generations of forebears than Sir Pertab attachss to this simple gift. A favorite method among some In dian rulers to set off their collection of diamonds is to sew them on cos tunes of black velvet. Against the dead black of the costume the gems sparkle like glow lamps, and the ef- feet is indescribably magnificent and barbaric.
 Pearls are the favorite ornaments of the Nizam of Hyderabad, that pow erful chief, and he has five great ropes of them, which he wears on great oc- casions, all graded and of inestimabls value.
 "If there is paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, 1t is this"
 Such is the inscription running round the marble cornice of the De- wan-i-Khas at Delhi-the Private Hall of Audience" on the banks of the Jumna, which was the scene of the state ball. The proud boast of the mogul builder is justified in the beauty and spLendor of the work.
 On a marble platform rises a mar ble pavilion from beautiful marble pill lars. Wondrous decorations are lav- ished on the walls, ceilings and pillars. Green, blue, red and purple designs of marble, lapis lazuli, or porphyry are inlaid over every square foot of the interior, and the prophecy is fulfilled: ''I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of precious stones" Beautiful as 1t is at present, some | of it's glory has departed. The ceil-