The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-09-22
STORY or = GREAT DIAMOND.
How the Regent Came into Possession
Of the Duke y orleans.

how the Regent Came into Possession
Of the Duke Z. Orleans.
One Of the most beautiful diamonds
in the world IS the Regent Il belongs
20 France. Besides lis dimensions.
which are considerable. il nites
various qualities which further aug
rnsnt It's value. When rough it Weigh
ed 40 earats. Its present weight is
only ls6 carats. It's cutting, which is
of great excellence, required two years
OF work It was valued in 1871 at
i3.000.e0O francs This diamond was
purchased in the rough state by tie
grandfather OF William Pitt for 3l2.cO0
francs. The Duke of Orleans, then
Regent of France. acquired it in f7i7
Tor the sum of a,575.Oo0 francs
According to st. .mon, who sivss
an interesting recital OF the purchase
Of the stone. there is quite different
version from that ordinarily accepted:
Through an extremely rare oppor-
tunity an employee IN the diamond
mines OF the Grand Mogul WAS able
to extract one OF very large size. Hs
found means OF embarking and reach
ing Europe with his diamond lie
took it to England, where the king
admired it, without. however, deciding
10 buy it. A model Of glass was made
IN England and the man was sent with
the diamond and model TO Law. who
proposed II to the Regent for The King.
The prize frightened the Recent, who
refused to buy il.
The state OF the finances was an
obstacle on which the Regent insisted.
He feared incurring censure for SO
large a purchase, while there was
trouble IN providing for de most
pressing necessities and many peopla
were left in suffering.
4 applaaded this sentiment, but
said to him that ii was not suitable to
exercise 5he same economy for the
greatest King OF Europe as Tor a pri-
vate individual: that the honor OF the
Crown should be considered and the
opportunity Of procuring diamond
which would eclipse all others In
Europe should not be lost | did not
leave the Duke OF Orleans untn had
obtained the promise that the dia-
mond should be purchased Law, be.
fore speaking to me. had represented
70 the possessor OF the diamond that
It would be impossible to procure tao
sum that he had hoped for and tie
less that would be occasioned by
breaking It up into pieces, 50 that the
price had been reduced to 2.00Oo0J
francs. including the scraps that would
come from the cutting The bargain
was concluded IN this way The in
terest OF 100000 francs ia precious
stones was hypothecated"
IN the celebrated robbery al the
Garde Meuble, in 1892 this stone wps
stolen and concealed behind a root
timbsr Of p barn AS a result d a
IiNUIlAlNNNANM lA WNH NthRf NA"'A ~
municipal officer named sergeut
The Regent was the most beautiful
Jewel in the coronation crown oi King
louis XIV. Later il was held by Yaler-
berghe. a banker as pledge for Eii
advances. A historian Of tse tlmo,
states that the wife OF the bankel
took the opportunity OF wearing 4
while It was in her husbands possess
ion.
The first Consul In his turn pledged
the Regent to the Batavlan Govern
ment to prscure the funds which werf
lacking after the 18th Brumalre. Late
he ornameuted his AusterHz swor.
with the celebrated diamond which
ia the words Of Vatout, might vel
have dispensed with the ornament
--Jewlers Circular Weekly