The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-11-28
PEARLS AND FAMOUS
WOMEN WHO LOVE THEM
Preferred by Some to the More Precious Gems
-.-Alexandra of England Has
Famous Collection.

Not long ago former Judge E. H.
Gary of the United States Steel Cor.
poration, paid $4,000 for three match
ed pearls which were said to be the
nucleus Of magnificent necklace. Mrs.
John W. Mackay has pair of black
pearl earrings worth $4,000, while
solitaire pearl earrings worn by Mrs.
Potter Palmer almost constantly are
considered to be worth not less than
$4,000.
The Dowager Queen of Italy, Mar
g herita, has a passion for pearls, and
they form the most extravagant fea-
ture Of her personal possession. It is
said that her collection is worth 81
100000
Queen Alexandra of England prefers
pearls to diamonds and is especially
fond Of combining them with iustrous
white satin. When. she appears at
drawine-room clad in this combination
she wears not less than $750,00O worth
Of pearls in ropes and ornaments. She
also has most magnificent pearl dog
collar. The German empress wears
pearls to the amount of 81, 100000, and
the Czarina Of Russia can value hers
at 100000, but neither the German.
nor Russian queen wears pearls for
pure love Of the gems. as does Mar
gherita of Italy and Alexandra of Eng
land.
Among the American women who
= dazzle the European courts with their
pearls is the Duchess of Marlborough.
formerly ConsuelO Vanderbilt who
generally hides her rather slender
throat with rope after rope of the
beautiful gems. Tn America both Mrs
John Jacob Aston and Mrs. George J.
Gould appear in public with diamonds,
and Mrs. Widener of Philadelphia, who
spends much time in New York. is an
other belle whose passion runs to
pearls.
History has helped to make many a
pearl famous. The late Queen Victoria
of England was extremely fond of
certain necklace of pink pearls worth
$4,000. and she often wore them with
out any other jewel to detract atten-
ton from them. One of the most in
teresting events attending the aces
sion of her son Edward to the throne
was the recovery of the black pearl,
of priceless value, which disappeared
from the English diadem in 1851 and
which was unearthed in a Hungarian
pawnshop and restored to its imperial
position. to the JOY of all Great Britain.
Two pearl necklaces have died.
the most romantic thing that could pos
sibly happen to gem. Empress Eliza
beth of Austria was seized with ty-
phoid fever aud almost Immediately
it was noted that her magnificent pearl
necklaces were fading Experts decid-
ed that their recovery could only be
secured by returning them to the Adri-
attic sea. Consequently they were
PLACID in a casket. sunk in the sea
chained to a buoy and guarded by a
government ship. There they lie be
meath the sea to this day. and once
year they are hauled up and examined
bv experts. Poor Empress Elizabeth
has long since gone to her rest, but
the students of gem life say it will
be years before the color of her pearls
will he restored
The famous Nine. Theirs pearls left
to the French republic by President
Theirs. are also reported to be dying,
and the catastrophe has aroused much
controversy in Paris. Tt is said that
pearls will turn black unless worn next
the skin occasionally. This the mu-
scum directors would like to have done,
but the Theirs family will not permit
such grave desecration of their gift.
The Austrian girl always has string
of pearls as part of her dover. If she
is rich the pearls are the most expen-
sive part of her outfit. and if she is
poor She must be content with imita-
tion gems. In either case she lays
aside her necklace when i'll, for she
believes that pearls "catch' illness
and disease.