The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-23
WOMEN WITH FAMOUS GEHS,
AMERICANS COMING TO N
FRONT WITH COLLECTIONS.

Of M-aribOrOUwh's Collection -Nuar-
Alexandria Three FaVorite Jevs.
Fortunes I'm Gems shOwered on PauI.
OF her personal jewels, Dext to her we'd.
ding ring, the late Queen Victoria mos
valued an in~eignihcant enamel ring, a..
with q single diamond, given to hsr IN
Prince Albert when she was yet a chOd,
and his betrothal ring, q snake set With
the finest cmeralds.
These three rings were never rsmov.d
| from her hand and were buried with her.
Much treasured, too, was the bracelet aha
always wore, composed OF a numerous
array Of small golden hearts, each with
q minute miniature Of ono of her grandeur.
dren or great grandchildren.
Queen Alexandra, in addition TO a saistul
Of diamonds and pearls, owns some won.
derful colored gems-rubies, sapphires and
smeralds-whioh, however. she rarely
wears. The only colored stones she really
likes are amethysts, and these she has
given, st ChristIpas and on their fete DAYS,
10 her friends and relatives in such mum.
bers, set In scarf pins, bangles, chains, hat
nina and sunshade tops, that she has quits
populsrized the stone, hitherto little valued
In England. With dresses Of her ~iavorts
color, mauve. the Queen always wean
amethysts.
The Jewels she values above all are her
engagement ring, set with a beryl, emerald,
ruby, topaz, jacinth, emerald-the hrst
letters Of which spell out the name by which
abe has always called her husband, -Bertie':
the beautiful diamond cross given 10 her
by the women Of Denmark on her marriage,
and the crown Of briliants, set in silver.
bestowed by the women Of England on her
silver wedding day.
The most splendid jewels Queen Alex.
andrs possesses are undoubtedly her
pearls. She has ropes and ropes Of them,
high dog collars and pearls set in trimming
for the corsages OF her ball dresses. These
nave been collected and given to her by
the Car and her sister, the Dowager I'm.
press Of Russia, rs well IA by members Of
the English, Danish and German royal
families, many being old heirlooms.
The Queens pearls are surpassed only BY
the young Duchess OF Marlborough's his
toric collection. This includes some Of tho
most interesting pearls in existence-the
pearls hat belonged to the Ill fated Marie
Antoinetts, which were bought by Mr..
Vanderbilt for his daughter as a marriage
gift. Each pearl in the young Duchess
n~ecklace-it is an immensely long one-is
valued at El 600, and she sometimes wears
the ropes wound twice around her neck
and twice around her waist.
hops / am divulging no state secret
says a writer in the Grand Magazine, II
state that before Queen Alexandra went
last season 70 dine with the Duchess at
Sutherland House, the beautiful homo Ct
the Marlboroughs in Curzoh street, she
aeked her youthful Grace to put on all her
pearls just for nee for then l will wear
mine, laughed the Queen. After dinner
We will count which has the larger number
And they did, like two schoolgirls. Ths
Duchess was the winner by two!
Among the finest black pearls known are
those worn by Lady Leicester OF holland
HOUSE, which il took Napoleon III. ton
years to collect In all parts OF the world for
the Empress Eugene.
What is said to be the most valuable single
HenoEel Of Paris. She has also a trips
necket Of pearls OF especial interest.
The first string was h eo-called Neck:
lace Of the Virgin Of Atokha;' the second
was once the property Of the ex-Queen OF
Naples; the third was worn by the Empress
Eugene on state occasions,
This last string contains the great pearl
found in Paterson forty-eight years ago.
jured by the mollusk being boiled before
the shel was opened, would be the finest
and largest gem Of modern times.
Mrs. Mackay il said TO have the largest
number Of pearls Of any living woman.
Their are almost 1000 OF them. One pearl
rope belonging to her measures Q feet IN
length, each pearl being the size Of a pea
and perfectly matched.
OF ~turuuoises Princess Henry Of Ples
and the Duchess Of Roxburghe Hormery
Miss May Goelet) have the finest collections
with the exception Of one or two Russian
Grand Duchesses. Mrs. Willard Hansaker.
wife Of thesAmerican millionaire, wearsths
largest specimen ever seen in a ring
Some rubies, perfect in color and Of enor-
nous value, formerly the property OF the
in possession Of the young Grand Duke;
those Of Lady Wimborne, including the
famous Hope ruby, are oplv a little lee
splendid. Mr.. Haggin Of San Francisco
possessed some years ago q wonderful
ruby, which had been sold by Lola Monies
for a comparatively tFtfiinS sum, but when
is now worth some $4,000.
Sapphires, said to feel the effects Of
atmospheric changes to shrink per.
ceptibly in cold weather, are supposed
to be the coolest stone in existence and
to have the power, consequently, Of quencn-,
ing the fires Of unlawful love. The Gar
and the Kaiser both wear sapphire rings,
given them by their wives as talismnns.
OF sapphire sets none is 50 precious,
either in Europe or America, as that he.
/ longing 10 Lne NTdIlu DuCtltHS OtTRlus VI
Russia; no single stone il so rich in the
| memories that circle around it AZ the dark
sapphire sacred ~ the Hohenzollerns,
which has been in their family since the
time Of the Crusader.
Several ~ladies-among others the Dow.
ager Countess of Dudley, the DuChess OF
Devonshire, and Princess Dhuleep Singh
have helped to p~opularize the emerald
10 well docs the stone become them Lady
Chesterfield wears some magnificent stones
set in a girdle, while Lady Wesumorland
and the beautiful Lady Helen VinoenT
have the let of theirs set az mum chains.
Stones unequalled for color and size, az
any rate in Europe, are worn by the lnfania
Eulalie Of Spain.
Many footlight favOrites, Sarah Bern
hardt, Duse, Melba, Christine Nilsson
] Judic and others, are owners Of fine jewels;
but Patti Possesses the finest diamonds,
turquoises and Tubies OF them all. The
gems abe carried away as a girl from Russia
! constituted one small fortune, those the
Rothschilds nave given her another. Queen
Isabella of Spain, a good singer herseh,
bestowed sapphires and an amethyst broon
surrounded with pearls; . comb set Win
tbirty-three hrilliRnts was the gift Of tne
Empress Eugene; the Emperors Of Ger
many, Austria and Russia all loaded her
with diamonds; wen Queen Victoria sen,
o ruby and diamond bsnRle-A very ennal
one, It's true, but still Victorian. so Patu
prizes IL. It
Tho treasures in her safe are innuneraoe